Trailhead: Chapin Pass (on Old Fall River Road) Trailhead Elevation: 11,020' Destination Elevation: 13,514' Total Elevation Gain: 3,134' Total Roundtrip Miles: 8.5 Scenic mountain peaks are the hallmark of Rocky Mountain National Park. But reaching the summit of many peaks can be challenging if not impossible for the dayhiker. However, with a little uphill effort, the Chapin, Chiquita, & Ypsilon trail off of the Old Fall River Road affords three summits within easy reach. As we begin our early morning hike, a Clark's Nutcracker calls up the sun. We ascend into the alpine with the trail leading us into the morning sunlight. We are stopped by a White-tailed Ptarmigan standing watch along the trail, then suddenly notice five little chicks crossing the trail. While we watch them wander off, we look back and see Lava Cliffs off of Trail Ridge Road in the distance. It would be easy to walk right by the side trial that leads up Mount Chapin. From the summit of this lowest of the three peaks (12,454'), we could see Horseshoe Park and Deer Mountain to the east. We backtrack back down to the main trail and continue up Mount Chiquita. Looking across to Mt Chapin, we can see tiny hikers on the summit. The trail up Mount Chiquita can be a little difficult to keep track of, but there are rock cairns marking the way up. This is a steep and sustained part of the hike requiring numerous stops to catch our breath and take in the surroundings. We look down on Lake Chiquita from the summit of Mount Chiquita (13,069') and take a much needed snack break while enjoying the 360 degree views. To the novice geologist, these exposed rocks on the summit appear to be sedimentary layers, perhaps from an old ocean bottom, that was uplifted over the millennium. We enjoy the patches of alpine wildflowers bringing color to the otherwise sparse landscape while we climb up the last of the three peak series, Ypsilon Mountain (13,514'). It felt like a lot of effort to drop elevation off of Mt Chiquita and then climb back up Ypsilon Mtn. But gazing down on the Spectacle Lakes made the effort worth it. After our return decent off of Ypsilon Mtn, we skirt below Mt Chiquita. There may have been a trail crossing here, but we didn't see it and we carefully made our way back, rock hopping where we could, before reconnecting with the trail. Journeying back on the trail across the tundra, and feeling satisfied with our accomplishment, we marveled at the surrounding rocky mountain vistas. After finishing our drive up Old Fall River Road, we stop off at the Lava Cliffs pull over on Trail Ridge Road and gazed upon the three peaks we had just climbed. What a fantastic way to spend our morning!
2 Comments
Elizabeth Boesen
8/14/2020 01:25:46 pm
Shared by a friend, this accurate, scenic, and human description of this route — so nearly perfect, though I can’t remember a whole lot about my first and only trip up all 3 in the early 70’s. And, the photos. Thank you!! A former hikemaster at the Y from the early 70’s who still wants mountains not only in her heart but under her feet!
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Dave Rusk
8/15/2020 10:03:33 am
Thank you for the comment! So glad I could bring this memory back for you!
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"The wild requires that we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the ridges, and tell a good story when we get back home." ~ Gary Snyder
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“Hiking -I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of the word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.” ~ John Muir |