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| Hiking | 4.43 Miles |
1,243 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.43 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 1.77 mph |
| 1,243 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | On the drive, once you get on the dirt road you will see a lot of washboard which makes the drive tedious. Normally you can accelerate to minimize the vibration but not here! There are sheer cliffs right off the side of the road so you will need to drive slowly and carefully.
There was a very nice trail going all the way to Grayback peak. It looked like some of the trail was under some maintenance but there are detours arounds the areas that are blocked for re-vegetation. The trail started going up a ridgeline. When the trail got close to peak 9153, I decided to walk to it since it was so close. I saw a fire ring there so people must have camped there before. There's a good amount of tree cover for most of this trail, so even on this hot August day down below, it was comfortable here.
I only saw a few birds, including grouse, on this entire trail. I took the trail all the way to the saddle and noted where I would need to get off trail to head toward peak 9410. I planned ahead of time to hike peak 9410 simply because it had a higher prominence and it was only something like 1/3 mile out of the way. I took the trail all the way up to Gray Back peak. There were some views between the trees up there. I saw a lot of ladybugs on the summit. I took a few photos and the headed back down to the saddle.
At the saddle, I had to weave through the trees to find a good place to head up peak 9410. It was rather rocky on the main ridgeline so I stayed to the right and curved around a lot of the rock. At the summit, there was some tree cover and not a lot of views either. On the way down, I tried to stay more on the ridgeline and found channels between the rocks most of the way that allowed me to take a more direct route. Near the very bottom, I did have to walk to the left of some large rock formations to get back to the saddle and trail. Then, I took the trail back down to my starting point. It was a pleasant hike with a great trail everywhere except for going up peak 9410.
Stats:
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Distance round trip 4.43 miles
AEG 1243 feet
*Strava crapped out on me again, but here are my approximate times.
Elapsed time roughly 3 hrs
9.40 am - arrived at trailhead
9.45 am - started hiking
11.00 am - arrived at Gray back peak
11.30 am - arrived at peak 9410
12.45 pm - finished hike
Driving directions
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(requires high clearance / 4x4 recommended)
From Colorado Springs / I-25 area, take the exit for Lake Ave and travel WEST.
Head west on Lake Ave, continue for 2.0 mi
At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto State Hwy 122
Continue onto Old Broadmoor Rd for 0.2 mi
Continue onto W Cheyenne Mountain Blvd for 0.2 mi
Keep left to stay on W Cheyenne Mountain Blvd , 1.4 mi
* Note: the pavement ends here
*** Warning: from this point there are a lot of washboard roads, and sheer cliffs off the side of the road. Maybe sure you have good enough tires and that your brakes work well!
Slight right onto F S 368/Old Stage Rd
Continue to follow Old Stage Rd for 6.3 mi
Slight left onto Forest Rd 371/Forest Service Rd 371
Destination will be on the left in 0.3 mi
Gray Back Peak Trailhead
there is room for 2 or 3 cars on the left side |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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