|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 3.80 Miles |
1,081 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.80 Miles | 2 Hrs 26 Mns | | 1.58 mph |
| 1,081 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | Colorado Trip September 2022 - Day #4 (Hike #6)
Music Pass Trail #1337
Yesterday's hike was physically demanding enough we decided to split the day into two shorter hikes again. After three days of hiking in San Isabel NF we were itching for something in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, and since we had cooperation from the weather it worked out just right.
From the Music Pass Trailhead one can:
#1: Hike out-and-back to Music Pass
#2: Continue on to Lower Sand Creek Lake via Lower Sand Creek Trail
#3: Continue on to Upper Sand Creek Lake via Lower & Upper Sand Creek Trails
#4: Continue on and hit both Sand Creek lakes
#5. For those into a LONG hike, one can continue on down the other side all the way down to the Great Sand Dunes.
(No matter which of the options you choose, at one point you will be in the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve)
Depending on the capability of one's vehicle along with the trade-off of hiking a longer distance with more climbing there are three options where to begin the Music Pass hike;
#1. Grape Creek Trailhead (Any car can make it if you're ok with 11-miles on a dirt road)
#2. Rainbow Trail (Slightly higher clearance required but only parking for 2 vehicles)
#3. Music Pass Trailhead (High clearance 4x4 for the ROUGH 4-mile drive past Grape Creek TH)
Not wishing to waste hiking time/distance on the road (to say nothing of the 1500' climb) we opted for the rough and steep drive. Although the 4Runner has a slight lift, with a bit of extra thought to choosing the line a stock one would likely have done ok. A couple times I engaged the rear locker instead of letting the stock traction-control fight it. Even so, when we reached an open area long the road .5 mile before the Music Pass TH we decided to park and start hiking. What's a half-mile anyway? Well... it will tack on an extra 250' climb. (which we weren't aware of at-the-time)
The trail begins with a relatively wide hard-packed dirt trail with roots sticking out here and there
but in general it was pleasant enough. Although the this trail is popular with equestrians and there were a number of horse trailers at the Grape Creek TH, we did not encounter any during the hike.
Just over a half-mile out, where the trail takes over a long-unused road the terrain becomes more of a challenge. Due to erosion along the 'road' part there was plenty of loose gravel and baby-head rocks to deal with. Eventually the trail turned into a narrow path on smooth dirt. But that posed another challenge... it was so narrow we had to place one foot directly in front of the other, which for me so had the hips squawking for a respite. The remedy was to walk parallel to but 5-10' to the side of the trail. (I would do the same for a longer distance on the return trip.)
With trees lining either side of the trail at the actual Music Pass one would need to take a side-trip to one side or the other. It appeared more open toward the east so we left the trail and began with an extended side-trip in that direction, with Marble Mountain to the northeast being the most prominent feature. Once we reached a high point we had an expansive 360° view in every direction.
Southeast across the valley were the Greenhorn Mountains, but the most awe-inspiring was the westward view. The line-up of Sangre De Cristo 13'ers was impressive to say the least!
Panning clockwise from the southeast to the north we had Tijeras Peak at 13,604', Music Mountain at 13,355, Pico Asilado at 13,611, Milwaukee Peak at 13,526 and Marble mountain at 13,266.
At that point we had a decision to make... continue northward on the trail (which once past Music Pass it became the Lower Sand Creek Trail) or turn around. Continuing on would involve a long descent, followed by an ascent to either or both Sand Creek Lakes plus the long ascent back to up Music Pass, so we decided to wander a bit more before turning back. Plus we had planned for a second hike on the Rainbow Trail afterward.
Since we had noticed remnants of a few paths westward from Music Pass we made sure to check them out on the return trip. Each short trip was barely a few-hundred-foot jaunt to a rocky overlook. The views were not quite as expansive as the 360° views we had above and northeast of Music Pass, but of course the view was closer to 180° due to the trees along Music Pass.
As usual the return trip passed quickly and we were soon back to where we parked, in plenty of time for a second hike... after a 30-minute drive back down the steep, rough and rocky drive to the Rainbow Trailhead. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
