Colorado Mountaineering: Grays and Torreys

Morning light on Mt. Elbert

The mountains of Colorado have become crowded. Hell, Colorado as a state has become crowded. Everyone who's tried to climb a mountain here (especially the really popular ones like Longs or Elbert) has seen just how busy they can be. Trains of humanoids zig-zagging up the mountainsides by the hundreds have become a common sight. On a busy weekend, these peaks more resemble an amusement park than a wilderness adventure.

But just which peaks are the busiest of all? While there are no stats that tell us 100% accurately how many people attempt these peaks in a given year, we have used data from several popular websites to make our best guess.

Methodology

To create this list, we used the ticklist or summit log data from three popular mountaineering websites: listsofjohn.com, 14ers.com and Summitpost.org to create a score for each mountain based on the number of people reporting ascents of each of Colorado's 14ers. We then averaged the scores together (weighing all three websites equally) to come up with an aggregate rating which we hope indicates which peaks are the busiest.

Possibilities for Error

There are several ways in which error could be introduced with this method. For example, all three of these websites are more likely to attract mountaineering enthusiasts (people so heavily engaged in the sport they are willing to not only register for such a site but actually log their ascents), thus eliminating "casual" climbers who might be drawn to certain types of mountains, like Mount Elbert (since it is the highest point in Colorado) and Longs Peak (since it is close to Denver and located in Rocky Mountain National Park). This could potentially skew the data.

Another possible error could lie in the relative "power" of each peak. In other words, people might be more likely to report and ascent of Mount Elbert, since it is the state high point, than they are of Quandary Peak, which does not carry the same clout, resulting in under-reporting of mountains that are viewed as less interesting. Repeat ascents are also not likely to be accurately accounted for since, while all three of these websites (I believe) allow you to report repeats, most likely people are far less willing to do so.

Anyway, without further ado, here is our list of the eight busiest peaks in the state of Colorado.

Near the summit of Quandary in the snow

1. Grays Peak

It is not really a surprise that Grays Peak tops this list. With its convenient I-70 access, it relative proximity to the large Front Range cities, and its "easy" standard route, Grays Peak is about as user friendly of a 14er as there is.

2. Mount Elbert

Since Elbert is the highest peak in the state, and its standard route requires little more than a sturdy pair of legs to climb, it makes sense that it would land near the top. However, I suspect the data is skewed in Elbert's favor due to its stature and the fact that people would be more likely to report ascents of Elbert as compared to other, less famous peaks.

3. Quandary Peak and Mount Bierstadt (tie)

These two Front Range peaks came out tied in overall aggregate score. Both peaks are conveniently accessible to the Front Range big cities, and both have somewhat abbreviated routes on well-beaten trails to their summits. It is no wonder that they both two of Colorado's busiest mountains.

5. Torreys Peak

As the companion summit of Grays Peak, the inclusion of Torreys is no surprise. Since many climb these two peaks together, the difference between them is likely a result of the standard route on Grays Peak being just that much easier than Torreys, leading to a number of people making the summit of Grays but electing to turn around and not complete the route to the top of its neighbor.

6. Mount Democrat

As the first peak reached in the standard DeCaliBron (Democrat/Cameron/Lincoln/Bross) loop, Mt. Democrat is an obvious addition to this list. As with Grays, that it places higher than Lincoln, Cameron or Bross is indicative of the fact that it is usually the first of the 4-mountain loop to be climbed and not everyone is successful in completing the tour.

7. Mount Lincoln

Since we did not count Cameron (it is not a "ranked" peak) Mount Lincoln is the second peak of the Decalibron and it makes sense that it would score just a hair lower than Democrat on the aggregate rank.

8. Longs Peak

The north face of Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park

The North Face of Longs Peak from the Boulderfield

I was surprised not to see Longs higher on this list. The immense popularity of the Keyhole Route always seemed a cut above the others. However, it is a more difficult mountain, and more dangerous than any of the others on the list. In addition, one has to wonder how many of the people who climb this mountain fall into the aforementioned "casual" hiker group and were drawn to this peak due to its position within Rocky Mountain National Park but were not likely to register for one of the three websites used for our raw data.

Honorable Mentions
The following peaks nearly made the list: Evans, Pikes, Sherman, Bross and Massive.

So which peak was the least popular? While a "Top 8 Least Popular 14ers" may make an interesting topic for another post, it appears that (we didn't run the bottom peaks through the same number crunch) the least busy 14er in Colorado is the only one you have to pay an exorbitant fee to climb: Culebra.

Popular or not, these mountains represent some of the most beautiful high peaks in the state and are all worthy to climb despite the crowds. Hike them, enjoy them, take care of them. Just don't go up there expecting privacy....

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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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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Top 8 Busiest Colorado Peaks

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Grays & Torreys