Impression
Ptarmigan Peak is a decent hike that starts in Silverthorne, Colorado and ends up at 12,498 feet. I did this hike on June 27th, 2017. The views in all directions are quite amazing once you reach the summit. In my experience, the summit was windy, and by that I mean 20-30 MPH winds. The peak is named after a bird, the Ptarmigan, which I actually did see on the trail once.
Some problems with this hike are the trees which have fallen on the path and the ability for horse and bike riders to use the trail. The fallen trees require you to jump over them or hike around them, not terrible but a bit surprising for such a popular trail. The horse riders leave lots of horse manure, which is annoying. The bikers can surprise you out of nowhere although they are rarely seen past the downed trees.
Near the summit there is another trail which you can follow along the ridge line. I didn't know this trail existed and since there were dark clouds that could cause lightning, I returned the way I came. It took about 2.5 hours to summit and around 5 hours overall to do this hike.
Directions/ Trail Details
For directions to the Ptarmigan Peak trailhead and more technical details about the trail, see the details: Ptarmigan Peak on SummitPost.org.
No Comments
