Elevation: 11,486 feet Round Trip Distance: 3 miles (1.2 miles in summer) Elevation Gain: 850 feet (526 feet in summer) Difficulty: Class 1, Easy Hiking Trip Date: December, 22, 1999 Participants: Gary Swing & Kenna Berry Guidebook: Colorado Mountain Hikes for Everyone by Dave Muller
On December 22, 1999, we were supposed to have the brightest moon in 133 years, due to the coincidence of the winter solstice and the full moon. Kenna and I chose this night to snowshoe up Squaw Peak.
From Bergen Park, we drove about 12.8 miles west up the Squaw Pass Road (Colorado Route 103). This paved highway was covered with hard-packed snow. We parked on the left side of the highway at the start of the dirt road up Squaw Peak. Several other cars were parked here as well.
We hiked up the snowy Squaw Peak Road for 1.5 miles to the summit. We saw several cross-country skiers on the way. The moon was clouded over most of the time, but it was still quite a bright night. Snow cover outlined tree branches.
There was an open gate 0.9 miles from the highway. Cars can be driven to this point in the summer.
As we approached the summit, we were hit by icy winds. The stone fire tower atop Squaw Peak came into view as we neared a switchback turn. Shortly thereafter, the road to the summit took an obvious sharp turn to the right. At the end of this road, a short trail climbed up to the rocky summit cap. The fire tower was locked, but there was a nice view of the city lights from its base.
Gary Swing