Peak of the Week: Grays (14,270') and Torreys (14,267')

INTRO

Gray and Torreys in the morning light

Grays and Torreys are two of the most popular 14ers in Colorado. The reasons for this are simple: located just off I-70 they are two of the most accessible 14ers in the state, they boast a bevy of high-quality and highly varied routes, and the popular traverse between the two peaks in one of the most user-friendly 14er routes in the state, making it handy for mountaineering newbies and pets and less-fit hikers.

We have included these two peaks together for the popularity of climbing the two peaks at once, but these peaks are each worthy in and of themselves. Grays Peak offers multiple routes other than the standard Grays Peak Trail hike (such as the fun Lost Rat Couloir). Torreys Peak also offers numerous alternative, such as the class 3 Kelso Ridge. The popular traverse between the two makes for an easy way to tick off two great mountains in a single day and a great way to get elevation in this beautiful part of the state.

DIRECTIONS
From I-70 take exit 221 (Bakersville) about six miles east of the Eisenhower Tunnel and cross a dirt parking lot. Find Forest Road 189 and follow signs for 3 miles to the obvious trailhead (11,268'). This road may be a bit bumpy but I have seen passenger cars make it all the way to the top. There are places to park earlier if you wish to avoid vehicular abuse. I had no trouble whatsoever making it to the top in my Subaru.

ROUTES
Grays/Torreys Traverse (class 1-2) 

Looking across at Torreys from Grays

This easy route is one of the most popular climbs in the state. With a high trailhead and a solid trail for nearly the entire section (except for a few very small stretches) this route is famous for its brevity, allowing less-fit hikers to bag two 14ers in a relatively short amount of time. From the trailhead, follow the main artery up an easy-to-follow class 1 trail to the summit of Grays Peak. From here descend to the saddle between the peaks (some small class 2 perhaps) at aboout 13,700 feet, and ascend to the summit of Torreys (perhaps some class 2 again). Descend back to the saddle, rejoin the Grays Peak trail and return to your car. Simple, classic.

Lost Rat Couloir (Grays Peak) (Class 3, moderate snow)
This fun snow climb is a great introduction to snow couloir climbing and a great way to make more of this gentle mountain. Follow the Grays Peak trail for a bit over a mile until just before a sign. You can see the couloir on the face of Grays a bit left of the summit. Follow a small, faint road left into a snow basin and contour towards the base of the couloir. Enter the couloir around 12,800' and climb moderately steep snow to the ridge (snow and avalanche gear recommended). Turn right and follow the ridge to the summit.

Kelso Ridge (Torreys Peak) (class 3)
This is a great scramble that makes more of Torreys Peak. It is a bit exposed and includes some excellent class 3 scrambling. Follow the Grays Peak trail for nearly two miles. Turn right around 12,300 onto a climber's trail that ascends to the saddle between Torreys and Kelso Mountain. Reach the saddle at 12,450' and turn up Kelso Ridge toward Torreys Peak. Scramble up the ridge (with some routefinding issues) to the summit. Enjoy the white-colorado "knife edge" just before the summit.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Grays and Torreys are two of the most popular mountains in Colorado. Do NOT expect solitude! Arrive early and beat the crowds, or just enjoy the social experience that is these mountains. If hiking in the winter, be prepared for avalanches and all of the usual objective hazards of winter mountaineering. Just because they have a reputation for being easy doesn't mean they are in the winter!

TRIP REPORTS
Grays and Torreys- An ascent of the standard traverse in the summer time with photos, description and more

LINKS
Grays and Torreys on 14ers.com

Torreys Peak on Summitpost.org

Grays Peak on Summitpost.org

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Grays & Torreys

Grays Peak (14,270') & Torreys Peak (14,267')

distance hiked: 8.4 miles
elevation gained: 3,650'

In many ways Grays and Torreys Peaks are Colorado's quintessential fourteeners. An excellent trail switchbacks all the way to the summits of both peaks, the trailhead is over 11,000' and only three short miles off I-70 (Torreys Peak, in fact, can be seen by the astute motorist from I-70 just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel), they are close to the front range, and Torreys offers a variety of more challenging routes. Grays and Torreys are an excellent starting block for an aspiring mountaineer. As a result of all of these features, they are very popular mountains.

Our experience with Grays and Torreys came after a disappointing lull in our summer of climbing. For the first few weeks of our adventure we had been on a roll, averaging a fourteener just about every other day. As the summer monsoon season took full swing, however, it seemed as if we were being turned back from as many mountains as we were summiting. The weather forecast for the week of our planned Grays/Torreys hike was not good, and we had been turned away from Holy Cross only a few days before. But after laying up in Frisco to wait for a break in a slow-moving low-pressure system, we finally got our chance to climb and were rewarded with a beautiful day.

The hike up Grays/Torreys begins almost at treeline. After hiking for so long in the Sawatch Range, where most trails began around 10,000' and some as low as 8,900', this was a change that was both welcomed and strangely mourned by bot of us. Though it was nice to be able to reach a summit in a shorter amount of time, and with less effort, we had grown to cherish the moments when our trails suddenly emerged from the forest into the wide-open green spaces of the alpine tundra. It is always a magical experience, and one that often came an hour or more into our day, and after a considerable invest of effort, making it a respectable and highly anticipated reward.

Early morning sunrise on the trail to Grays & Torreys:

After a very early start we found ourselves ahead of the majority of the crowd, and after only just over two hours we reached Grays summit. It felt like a long time since we had reached a fourteener's summit (about 11 days), a testament to the amount of climbing we had accomplished this summer.

Ella having a little fun on Grays Peak's summit:

Me summiting like an Egyptian:

Looking across to Torreys Peak from Grays:

Strong winds were already gathering, so we didn't linger long before traversing over to Torreys summit, a journey that took just less than an hour. Though Grays Peak is little more than a massive pile of talus, Torreys is an interesting mountain that offers a variety of terrain, rugged southeast and northeast faces, and a beautiful summit perch. We took a moment from the top to peer down Torreys famous Kelso Ridge with its crux section, the knife edge, just below the summit. The route looked plausible and exciting, and like it would perhaps be a good place to warm up for more difficult ascents such as on Capitol Peak, or Little Bear.

Looking back on Grays from Torreys:

View north from the summit of Torreys Peak:

Our hike out from Torreys was smooth and gentle with the exception of being forced to constantly dodge the long train of people still on their way up the mountainside. Once again I was astounded to observe people beginning their hike as late as ten or eleven. Though the weather was benign enough, and the mountain easy enough, that these people were likely able to reach the summit, we were reminded the very next day of why it is crucial to being a climb on a big mountain early in the morning. But more on that later....

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Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of www.coloradomountaineering.com and its authors. None of the content can be used or reproduced without the approval of www.coloradomountaineering.com.
Climbing and mountaineering are dangerous!! Please see the DISCLAIMER page
For information about how to contact us, visit this link