Kingston Peak Road + James Peak, Roosevelt National Forest, CO | 4.42mi, 1424ft
Last fall, Justin and I got to do some exploring up Kingston Peak road with my old friend and manager but were blocked by snow.
So this year we had to go back and drive the point to point from Tolland to St. Marys. We started with an evening in Ned and a pizza from Crosscut.
We connected with our friends Lauren and Alex on our way up. We found one of many flat and free campsites up a ways on the trail.
Because we were up on this side of the CDT, we wanted to also do a quick hike up James Peak while we traversed the road. So, we got an early start - no time for oatmeal!
This part of the road was simultaneously less technical and more technical than the night drive. We had some more mellow traverses, and eventually, the crux.
The crux is a steep pitch up to the divide. The trail is considered a blue and allegedly a Subaru wilderness has done this before. However, a lifted Tacoma definitely made the technical climb easier.
We made it to Lasagna Flats and started our quick jaunt to the top. Cat (the dog) is an old girl and was stumbling at that elevation on the way up. Going down, she found her stride again!
As per usual for Colorado alpine, we saw pikas and marmots! The tiered view of Loch Lomond and the lakes above was stunning.
From the summit, we could see Winter Park (the vantage point from the peak dwarfs the cirque) and the super cool downed-tree phenomena, result of a rare derecho gust.
On the way down, we stopped by Rock House and brought a rock over for good luck.
