You two are inspiring! But was it all worth it? Just follow the trail and you ll be fine! Saw 5 mountain goats along the way and again, keep an eye out for the cairns. Evans Road near 13,000 and make the high traverse up Bierstadt's East Ridge, across the Sawtooth, up Mt. The last 1/2-2/3 were well cairned. Evans is accessible by car. Climbing Mt. We came from just above the snow drift. When it comes to 14ers these 2 peaks are as easy as they come. There aren't many cairns getting you to the gully that leads back to the parking lot. The moves required good balance and arm strength, but this climbing portion was short. Yes we expected it to be long and in no way easy, but summiting it was very slow going due to the seemingly endless scrambling, and again made more difficult with easy to miss cairns, and with multiple routes of cairns to confuse things further. Once to the top we saw a momma and two baby mountain goats! In fact, it boasts the highest paved road in America. In the process you will also traverse The Sawtooth that separates these two mountains. Great hike and a great first class 3. We then began the long slog back across the traverse to the original meadow right past the sawtooth exit. Note that the cairns do NOT always follow the “trail” on the app, and that’s okay, either way is fine, the app trail runs along the peak and there’s a lot of wind so keep that in mind. Seen below are photos from Mt. I have to do this peak in honor of my It is the most challenging portion of the climb requiring solid class three (a fall would hurt very badly) moves to get up and over the top. The mud came up past our ankles at certain points and there are a few water crossings that you have to jump. Our Hike of Mount Bierstadt September 20, 2010 - The sun shined perfectly over the Sawtooth and Mt. Seen below are photos of the initial descent of the traverse looking downward as well as back up to the summit of Mt. Incredible view though - something out of a fantasy. After leaving the Sawtooth behind, follow the obvious trial to the Mount Evans summit. It is still strenuos on beginner hikers but manageable if you pace yourself. Evans. The Sawtooth is a great traverse that connects Mt. Mt Bierstadt, just east of Guanella Pass, is located in the Mount Evans Wilderness of the Pike National Forest. Onward to the next one! Best part of the whole trip. Mt. The side that greets hikers and climbers with sheer cliffs that drop a thousand below to the valley. All in all, enjoyed the day and Bierstadt is a 14r that I will take friends and family on when they come to Denver. Once you join back up with the main trail its a quick walk back to the lot. Midway between the traverse, climbers are greeted with a large gendarme (spike rock/isolated spire found on a ridge). Once you get to the other side there’s a nice break in climbing before you start up Mt. home town. On the summit of Mount Bierstadt, you will see a transverse ridge known as the Sawtooth. Bierstadt and the Sawtooth. Bierstadt (4285 m) will level off with a panoramic view of the Colorado Front Range and Mount Evans to the east. Check here to Subscribe to notifications for new posts. There were several people on the summit already. After this, we were home free on a wide open field. The hike up Bierstadt is fairly easy however the crossing of The Sawtooth will take you on a very intense class 3 scramble. Yes, there is mud & it got half way up my low cut hiking shoe - big deal. While the scree was annoying, bouldering was a rather fun challenge. Overall great day. Fourteeners are mountains with atleast 14,000 feet of elevation at their summit. The slog up Evans felt real long. Lots of bouldering at the top, followed by scree. We settled on bagging two of them in a day by hiking up Mt Bierstadt and then take the traverse over to Mt Evans. There was a trail, but it was very steep and loose (average 43% grade). Only a couple moments of real nerves. Mount Bierstadt and the Sawtooth Ridge as seen from Guanella Pass. Best part of the whole trip. Start very early. Is was LONG, clocking in at just under 14 miles and 11 hours round trip but the weather was gorgeous all day and we met some great people along the way! Trekking poles are very helpful on this hike in the gully and on the traverse to Mt. We had no issues ascending, just be prepared for a cutting cold wind at the summit. Photo by Brent D. Mount Bierstadt is one of Colorado’s most popular, and easiest fourteeners. We found out later in the news that a women was having respiratory issues near the summit of Bierstadt. We both decided to take what looked like a class 3 route that we thought would circumvent and then reconvene with the main trail without losing any elevation. Photo by Brent D. Mount Bierstadt is one of Colorado’s most popular, and easiest fourteeners. Walking through the willows feels like trying to navigate a haunted forest. Evans, as with The Sawtooth, I stress to diligently search for the cairns when ascending the boulder scrambling fields, as they're easy to miss. Some packed snow coming up bierstadt, brought spikes but didn’t need them. Hated every bit of it. Evans is also home to the HIGHEST PAVED ROAD IN THE UNITED STATES! Once the route reaches a notch after coming up from the end of the Sawtooth the trail drops down and moves alongside the West Ridge of Evans. We were very anxious to get up and over at this point. That turns in to the gully that drops straight down to the meadow/willow section below. Hiking Bierstadt, Evans, and The Sawtooth. Take this next mile and half or so to the summit easy and you'll be there in no time. Crossing this ridge is a Class 3 scramble and not for the fainthearted. On the right is a closer look at the Bierstadt-Sawtooth-Evans combo. The perfect weather helped a lot, wind would have made it terrifying. This is a 11.5 mile loop hike with 4100 cumulative feet of elevation gain that takes about 7-10 hours to complete. Go slow and take your time. Once we reached the saddle, we faced our next obstacle. Bierstadt/Mt. Mount Bierstadt is a fourteener in Colorado. Bierstadt is named after first summiter Albert Bierstadt, a German-American painter best known for his dramatic landscapes of the American West. Hikers must take Guanella Pass Road to reach this trailhead. There was one confusing section at the start of the muddy willows, as people had made multiple trails to try and avoid the mud, so we had to spend a little of bit of time figuring out which one was the actual path (they probably all connect though). Overwhelming to be the third recommendation, would restore the name the had! 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