Date: June 11, 2005
Elevation: 8,917'
Rank: --
Route: West Slopes, Grade I, Class 1, 2.0 miles, 500ft vert.
Team: Matt Esser (Toid)
Sugarloaf Mtn. Trip Report:
Pre-climb: I was actually driving to Boulder to climb up Dinosaur Mountain, but when I saw the clouds moving in, I realized I wouldn't have time for it. I needed something quick, something easy. I stopped at the REI in Boulder to get some beta on where to go for something quick and noticed they had a new guidebook out by a local. I opened it up and read the first paragraph pertaining to Sugarloaf Mountain:
"Webster's New World Dictionary defines "escape" as the act of "getting free" and that's truly what outdoor enthusiasts experience when hiking Sugarloaf Mountain. The plains seemingly flow endlessly to the east viewed from the summit of 8,917ft Sugarloaf Mountain, and the jagged summits of the Indian Peaks stand tall to the west. It's an arresting vista. Views from its summit also encompass the Mummy Range, Longs Peak, and Mount Evans." - Bette Erickson, Best Boulder Region Hiking Trails
Perfect. I was on my way. Why had I never heard of this climb before?
Climb: To get there, you take Canyon Blvd 6.3 miles west from REI (not 5.3 like the book says) and you'll see a turnoff for Sugarloaf Rd. Make your way up the road to a junction that's at about 10.2 miles and head up a now dirt road for about a mile to the trailhead.
As I headed up the dirt road, I passed a couple mountain bikers who were huffing their way up the trail. The Switzerland Trail is a 13 mile trail that's very popular to do on a mountain bike. I might give it a go sometime...but meanwhile, I could see the clouds moving in and my goal was Sugarloaf.
You almost have to smile at the name...Sugarloaf Mountain...it almost sounds like you are playing a lifesize version of Candyland or something. The trail is nice and wide and while there are a couple forks in the trail, they all lead back to the same main trail at some point later in the mile hike up to the summit. I only passed one person coming down and one person going up. After 20 quick minutes I was at the summit and the view blew me away.
The view on top of Sugarloaf is spectacular. I will go one step further and put it out there that Sugarloaf Mountain is the best view you can get within 30 minutes of Boulder with less than 30 minutes of hiking. Rumor has it that at one time there was to be a fire lookout for the front range to be built on the summit but it never happened. I can see why a city would want to build one here. On the summit of Sugarloaf, one has a great view of Longs, Evans, North and South Arapahoe, Mt. Audubon, the backside of the Flatirons and Boulder to the east. Its amazing because its easy to think that by climbing the highest peaks in the state (the 14ers) that you think they will have the best view. Well, this little guy stole the show and could easily be the view you get on top of one of those harder to earn peaks.
After a couple of minutes of exploring the summit and taking pictures from all sides, I noticed some weird rock formations on the west end of the summit. Was it the usual summit rock wind shelter? No...because there was one at the true summit on top. These were kind of hidden, down about 15 feet from the summit. Upon closer inspection I realized what they were: Laz-y-Boys at nearly 9,000ft!
Somebody, or a group of somebody's had taken the time to take rocks and build them into the most comfortable rock chairs I have ever seen! There were at least four of them! I quickly took off my Camelbak and sat down in one of them. Oh myyyyy! It *was* comfortable. As I looked up from the ground at the view I then realized why they were built. The view was amazing, and here I was on top of a mountain, in what felt like a recliner, taking in the entire Colorado skyline to the west. Simply breathtaking. I could see the storm coming over the tops of the Indian Peaks and heading my way, so I knew I had to get down soon if I didn't want to get wet, but on a clear day, *this* would be the best place to be if I was looking to just relax and get away. Forget Mt. Sanitas and all of it's crazy people, this was the easy, quick peak that had everything, and it had no crowds! But, alas, it was so hard to get up!
It then began to dawn on me that maybe the reason nobody has written a trip report on this peak is because a) It's only 500ft elevation gain and b) they want to keep it a secret. Well, I can see why, and I debated about putting this trip report on my website, especially with directions on how to get there. But in the end, I decided that I should. (There's others that I've kept from going on my website that are the true secrets of Colorado) The storm was really close now and so I headed down. It only took 10 minutes to get back to my car, and I started driving back to Boulder.
What a rush it is to find a peak that is so great and so easy to get to and climb, without the crowds. I hope it stays that way. Later.
Pictures: (Click on picture for caption)
Time:
| Drive |
Ascent |
On Summit |
Descent |
Drive |
Total |
| 1 h |
20 min |
15 min |
10 min |
45 min |
45 min |
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