Rio Blanco County High Point Trip Report

NW Ridge of Orno Pk

Date: October 8, 2000
Author: Charlie Winger

From the convenience store in Yampa I followed County Road 7 through town to Forest Road 900. I parked across from the trail head for Mandrall Lakes, Forest Trail 1121. I followed the well-defined trail up to Black Mandrall Lake which was a little past where I should have turned. Good fortune awaited me as I met two of my long time friends from the Colorado Mountain Club who had also missed the turnoff to Mandrall Pass. We all turned around and hiked approximately 5 minutes back up the trail and saw where we should have made a left turn. From there we hiked up to the pass where my friends went left in the search of 12,000 foot peaks. I turned right and followed a faint trail which led up to the NW ridge of Orno Peak and the high point of Rio Blanco County. There was a very wet register sitting in a can amidst a rock cairn. Beautiful hike up a pleasant ridge.