As the second 14er of my 2021 summer, I decided to try for Mt Yale. After summiting La Plata Peak and taking a needed rest day, I rose early for an alpine start on Yale!
This ended up being a really nice 14er to climb, and one of my favorites that I’ve done. While I did the first half of the ascent in the dark (and I don’t have any pictures from the early part of the hike), the views high up are incredible, the trail is very nice, and the final push to the summit is a fun scramble!
Miles/Elevation:
10.2 miles
4,238 feet vertical gain
About the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness:
Always be sure to follow the 7 Leave No Trace Principles when in the outdoors!
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a wilderness area in Colorado split between San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests. At 168,000 acres, Collegiate Peaks has tons of trails, and lots of places to find solitude among the mountains!
Named for the set of peaks named after renowned universities (Harvard, Columbia, Oxford, etc), Collegiate Peaks is the home of many of the highest peaks in the lower 48, and Rocky Mountains, including 8 14ers and numerous 13,000 foot peaks.
A wilderness area, Collegiate Peaks does not allow any form of motorized transport, and usage is highly regulated and restricted. You will find no roads in the area’s 168,000 acres, and anything with wheels is banned in the wilderness area. No cars, no bikes, no ATVs. Wilderness areas can be found in the mountains across the United States, but the density of massive peaks here is unmatched!
About 14ers:
A 14er is a slang term used by hikers and mountaineers in the United States when referring to mountains over 14,000 feet in height. These 14,000 foot peaks are the highest category of mountain in the lower 48, as there are no 15,000+ foot peaks in the lower 48 states.
There are a total of 66 14ers in the lower 48 states, with the vast majority of them being found in Colorado. Colorado has 53 14ers, California has 12, and Washington has 1. It speaks to the loftiness of these peaks that famous mountain states like Utah, Wyoming, and Montana are all devoid of 14ers, despite all having massive chains of mountains running through them.
While Colorado has by far the most 14ers of any lower 48 state, the highest peak in the lower 48 is actually Mt Whitney, located in Southern California. As you can probably guess, the rest of the top 10 is dominated by Colorado summits, but another noteworthy peak outside of Colorado is Mt Rainier, the massive snow capped volcano outside Seattle!
Getting To The Trailhead:
The trailhead for Mt Yale is the Denny Creek Trailhead on highway 306, about 12 miles west of Buena Vista. From Buena Vista, head straight west on 306 until you reach the trailhead. It is all paved, even the trailhead parking lot. The trailhead is well marked, so you should see it. In addition to the main parking lot, there is also an overflow lot.
To reach Buena Vista from Denver, the quickest route will likely be highway 285. 285 leaves the Denver area, and travels nearly all the way to Buena Vista, you’ll just need to head north on 24 for a couple of miles. Once in Buena Vista, find highway 306 and you’re almost there!
Mt Yale Trail:
Hiking In The Dark:
My Mt Yale hike started in the very early hours of morning. It was a Saturday in July with absolutely perfect conditions anticipated, so I knew the trail would be busy, and parking would be scarce. I arrived at the trailhead around 4 am and was hiking soon after!
The entire first part of the hike was done in darkness. I haven’t done a ton of night hiking, so hiking in the dark was a bit weird for me, but as long as you have a solid headlamp, it’s really not too bad. While I did lose the trail once or twice in the darkness, I was always able to reorientate myself, and even follow the light from other hikers!
Right from the trailhead, the trail climbs steeply. The trailhead itself is around 10,000 feet of elevation, but you’ll still have to climb over 4,000 feet to make the summit! There’s not much for flat walking on this trail, so get used to the climbing.
You’ll find bears in the Rockies so always be bear safe!
After a couple of creek crossings and an hour or so of hiking, the sky was beginning to brighten. It was a bit after 5 am, so while I knew the sun was going to rise soon, it was coming up on the other side of a tall ridge right in front of me. I wouldn’t get any sun until I made that ridge, which itself was almost at the summit! Once views of that ridge came into sight, I was soon breaking through the treeline!
Above Treeline:
As the sun was rising on the far side of the mountain, I was making my way above the treeline and into the alpine tundra. Once out of the trees, a realization hit me: it was freezing cold! Without the trees around me, the wind all of a sudden was whipping across the tundra, and there was no sun to warm me up!
As I sat and didn’t really enjoy my first snack break of the morning, I rushed to get moving again to get warm. From where I was, I couldn’t quite tell where I needed to go beyond just following the trail. I was sitting at the bottom of a slope that descended all the way from summit ridges into the trees, so I knew I had to go up, but wasn’t sure where up would take me.
Setting off from my break, I quickly crested a small hill, and the route before me all of a sudden was visible. The trail, instead of continuing straight, turned into the hill and switchbacked more or less straight up towards the ridge. It was going to be a steep 1,500 feet of climbing to the ridge!
For the next hour plus, I slowly plodded my way along the trail, making my way through the switchbacks slowly but steadily making progress.
Always follow basic trail etiquette when on trail!
As I climbed, the views continued to get better, and the sun continued to rise. I was still in the shade, but looking out, the views were awesome. The high peaks of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness made for an awe inspiring backdrop to the tough work I was doing on the switchbacks!
The climb up through the alpine tundra was pretty uneventful. For the most part, it was slow and steady marching through the switchbacks, moving fast enough to stay warm but slow enough to not burn out my legs.
However, there was one bit of excitement. About halfway up the switchbacks, I was approaching a trail crew doing some maintenance work on the trail. All of a sudden, I heard a loud chorus yelling “rock!” As soon as you hear that, you immediately cover up and try and make yourself as small as possible (do not look up and try to find the rock!!)
Seconds later, a rock the size of my head went careening past me! It smashed a couple of boulders next to the trail as it went past, but fortunately I was fine. Safe to say the passage past the trail crew was a little tense!
After a long slog through the tundra, I finally made it to the top of the ridge. This was not the summit itself, but it meant I was getting close! The feeling of breaking into the sunshine and finally seeing the views beyond the mountain was amazing, even though the wind was blowing even stronger up here! Finally, I was about to tackle the summit ridge.
Summit Ridge:
Mt Yale is well known for having a really fun summit ridge, and I knew that’s what lay ahead of me. I was just under 14,000 feet, so along with 200 feet or so of climbing, I had a class 2 scramble to get through to reach the summit!
Class 2 scrambling means you’ll be hoping between boulders, using your hands to balance yourself, and potentially pulling yourself up from time to time. It’s not super technical and falls usually will not be deadly, but you should always still be careful, especially if you’re inexperienced. Plus, everything is harder at 14,000 feet!
For the easiest terrain, stay towards the right side of the ridge as you look at it. Avoid the actual spine of the ridge if you want to avoid difficult terrain. For a more technical scramble, you can follow the crest of the ridge. Along the crest, the terrain is class 3.
The summit ridge is only a few hundred yards long, but the scrambling makes it take much longer than just walking that distance would take. However, after a short but fun scramble, I was on the summit of Yale!
The views from the summit are phenomenal, and every direction you look, you’ll have amazing views of some of the highest peaks in the Rockies! Concerning, however, was the smoke beginning to fill the horizon. Up until now, I had had great luck with clear skies and great conditions, but the smoke rolling in as I was on the summit of Mt Yale would choke the skies of the west for most of the remaining summer.
The views from the summit are incredible!
Descending:
From the summit, it’s a long but straightforward descent back down. Step 1 is to navigate down the summit ridge and the class 2 scrambling. Down climbing is generally tougher than climbing up, but it’s really not that technical, so the descent down the summit ridge went quickly.
Once down the summit ridge, I had to drop back down into the switchbacks where I had previously almost lost my head. The sun had finally made it high enough to bathe this hillside in sunshine, which made the descent much warmer than the earlier climb up!
Fortunately, there were no rocks on the hike down, and before long I was back in the trees. From here down, I had basically seen nothing on my hike up, so it was like taking a new trail for the first time! That being said, once in the trees, there isn’t really that much worth mentioning. The trail is pretty nice and well maintained, but the views go away, and it all kind of blends together.
Before long, I could hear the noise of the highway and I knew I was close to the end. I was sore, and definitely was ready to be done, but this had been an awesome hike. For being accessible on a paved road, this was an awesome 14er!
Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 9/10
This is an excellent hike, and a really nice 14er. The views are awesome, you spend a lot of time up above treeline, the trail is nicely built, and it finishes with a fun scramble. All of that being said, it’s kind of just another 14er.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this trail and it is really nice, but does it really stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the 14ers? I honestly don’t think so. A 10/10 is a bucket list type hike that you’ll be talking about for years to come. Is this hike excellent? Yes. But is it world class, bucket list worthy? Not quite.
Pros:
- Great views
- Very nice trail (for a 14er)
- Fun scrambling near the summit
- Paved road and trailhead
Cons:
- No truly special moments
Alternative Hikes:
Huron Peak via North Huron Trail
When To Climb Mt Yale:
Most Colorado 14ers can be climbed year round if you are able to deal with winter conditions and the challenges that come with them. However, if you want to avoid snowy and icy conditions, you will have to wait for the mountains to melt out, and since you’ll be climbing above 14,000 feet, that can take awhile.
Most years, most 14ers should be accessible on summer routes and have summer conditions by early July. Dry years may see the mountains snow free sometime in June, and exceptionally snowy years can leave lingering snow well into July and August. You will need to carefully research conditions on the mountain before you start your hike yourself.
All of that being said, peak climbing season is generally July and August. Conditions can be good in September as well, but cold weather and early snow may throw a wrench into your plans. All that being said, I would recommend late July and August for a 14er summit!
Links For Further Reading:
Mount Yale Summit Trail – Colorado | AllTrails
