Montrose County Highpoint Trip Report
Castle Rock (11,453 ft)
Date: July 9, 2004
Author: Layne Bracy
Buckhorn Lakes Trailhead (10,020 ft)
This hike was actually a plan B, as we had hoped to do Vermilion Peak this day.
However, the night before I noticed Kevin Craig's comment about much inconvenient snow in Ice Lake Basin,
and we were not prepared for a snow/ice ascent.
We continued on the road past Buckhorn Lakes, staying on the main road when it bent to the right.
An unexpected smaller road continued straight. Eventually the road was gated closed with a warning about the
radio towers ahead. We parked here and then started hiking along the dirt road that branches right a few
hundred feet before the gate.
We had not really done any sub-alpine hikes in summer the last couple years and were mistakenly under the
impression that there were no mosquitoes in the Colorado mountains. With no repellent, we were eaten
alive for the next several hours. By the end of the hike, we were wearing our winter clothing in 80 degree
weather to protect the last unbitten patches of skin.
We hiked along the main trail for a mile or so. Other, unexpected trails branched off at various places.
We then started bushwhacking east to find the "gap" in the Cimarron Ridge. Our route was a bit off and we
ended up ascending one of the steeper gullies north of Storm King, well south of the gap. Rock here is very
poor quality - we used a number of vegetable belays en route.
Once attaining the ridge, the route along the ridge top is straightforward. We passed over Storm King and
up to the Castle Rock plateau. It took us 1 hr 45 minutes to summit. The summit area is adorned by
broadcast towers, a shack, and old cables and batteries. Despite this, it really is a beautiful place.
There is a panoramic view of the surrounding valley and distant mountains - we could pick out Uncompahgre.
South of the shack the ridge becomes more rocky, narrow and exposed. Here we found a cairn by a tree
stump and the USGS marker. Beautiful swallows buzzed the cliffs and swirled about us.
They were green-backed with a white patch on the rump - "violet-green swallow" per our field guide.
On the route back we went a little too far along the ridge, turning west on the north side of the
Sawtooth rocks. The suggested gap is on the south. We bushwhacked on and eventually found the trail,
though we had to check it out both ways to know which way to follow it.
A wonderful hike, just don't forget the repellent!
Hiking statistic: 5.2 miles round trip.