Granite Pass/Battle Mountain Loop, 07/14/2007
Getting to the Longs Peak Trailhead, the place was packed as it usually is on a summer weekend. We had to park a few tenths of a mile down the road from the trailhead.
We started hiking at 9:23, taking a shortcut to the trailhead by leaving the road when it turns right, and walking along a small creek to the parking lot above. Just before the parking lot, Stefan noticed the unique type of rocks characteristic of the Iron Dike, a unique iron rich igneous rock intrusion that forms a line starting at Magnolia in Boulder County and heading northwest into Rocky Mountain National Park.
There were caravans of hikers going up the trail, as we stopped at the Longs Peak Trailhead register and signed it. I love perusing this register, as it can be quite entertaining. My favorite comment is one that Stefan and I read at this register years ago that said "Your wife had a baby last night. Where were you, hiker boy?".
At the junction to the Chasm Lake Trail, we enjoyed the spectacular view of The Loft, and then headed to Granite Pass, reaching the trail intersection there at 11:16.
From Granite Pass, we left the trail, heading northeast along the Battle Mountain Ridge, and getting to the Battle Mtn summit at 11:50. This ridge is beautiful, and today it was interspersed with alpine flowers, like the columbine, and green tundra. Considering the popularity of the Longs Peak Trail, this ridge also surprisingly offered solitude.
From the Battle Mtn summit, we headed east to Pine Ridge, then descended along the ridge, eventually diverging from it, and heading directly east, and finally reaching the Longs Peak Trail a few yards from the Eugenia Mine Trail intersection. Pine Ridge was pretty rough terrain, and the going was slow. It consisted of krummholz, then limber pine forest and rugged granite. We got back to our parking place at 14:50.
| Place name | Elev [ft] | Accuracy [ft] | Lat/Lon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking along road to Longs Peak Trailhead | 9240 | 43 | 40.27052/105.55265 |
| Granite Pass | 12118 | 22 | 40.27409/105.60542 |
| Battle Mountain Summit | 12079 | 19 | 40.27820/105.59869 |
| Iron Dike | 9435 | 41 | 40.27114/105.55592 |
| Number | Description | Lat/Lon |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Granite Pass (~12100') | 40.2740/105.6050 |
| 2 | Battle Mtn. (12044') | 40.2781/105.5983 |
| 3 | Pine Ridge @ 11000' | 40.2789/105.5822 |