Photo Gallery
July 28, 2010 - My friend Luis Saldana has been on his annual vacation in
Vail and wanted to meet me.
Fortunately I was able to lure him to drive to Buena Vista,
and we agreed on hiking a short but scenic portion of the Continental Divide Trail.
This hike is a great choice for beginners or those seeking a relatively easy hike above timberline. The trailhead is at Cottonwood Pass,
19 miles west of Buena Vista, and the well-marked trail leads to Point ~12,600 (it doesn't have a name). Although I don't know the exact distance,
it is likely less than one mile each way. |
Hiking upward. I actually snapped this picture after I had come down and the lighting was better. |
The grand view of Ice Mountain and the "Three Apostles" with Gunnison County Road 209 in the foreground.
Travel on that road west of Cottonwood Pass
to reach Taylor Park Reservoir and to other roads leading to
Tincup,
Crested Butte and
Taylor River Road. |
From the trail, one can see the parking lot of Cottonwood Pass (far left). Also 14er
Mt. Yale (left of center) and
Turner Peak (right) standing prominently among those mountains. |
Luis and I at the summit. :) |
Facing south. The Continental Divide runs along the ridge. Also 13ers
Jones Mountain (left) and
Emma Burr Mountain (center) are in view. |
Facing west toward Mt. Princeton. |
A nice view of Taylor Park Reservoir to the west. |
Again, this was a nice and short hike with beautiful Colorado mountain scenery. Start early if you want to avoid the crowds!
The photo above was taken as we
were descending on Chaffee County Road 306 (east of Cottonwood Pass and toward Buena Vista).
Photos and commentary by Steve Garufi in Buena Vista, Colorado. Facebook:
ColoradoGuy.com Page
Twitter: @SteveGarufi |
