Fletcher Mountain

Nick and the pyramid of Fletcher Mountain (C.Archer photo)

Overview

Fletcher Mountain is in the Tenmile Range of Colorado. In the past I have climbed the nearby peaks—Quandary Peak, Pacific and Atlantic Peaks, and Drift Peak; this will be my first ascent of Fletcher Mountain. I imagine this is a fairly popular climb due to its location near Breckenridge as well as it being short in mileage. This area is accessible in all seasons, but this would be a tough climb in the winter months, where avalanche danger may pose a considerable risk. The website 14ers.com has a route page describing the Fletcher and Drift Mountain Traverse that can be used as an additional information source in your planning of this climb. The climb to the summit is all above tree line, offering great alpine views with possible mountain goat sightings.  I hope you enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in the hills.

Directions/Trailhead Information

Draw heading into rock glacier country (C.Archer photo)

The Blue Lakes Trailhead is located at—latitude 39.386688°, longitude -106.100326°. There is a small parking area that will accommodate about 30 vehicles at the end of the road. There are no restrooms at the trailhead. There are two options to approach the trailhead from the Denver area—US Hwy 285 S and I-70 W, these directions will approach from I-70 W. From the Denver area make your way to exit 203 at the intersections of I-70 W and CO-9 S. Follow CO-9 S for approximately 18 miles to Blue Lakes Rd. Turn right (west) and follow Blue Lakes Rd for approximately 2.2 miles to the Blue Lakes Trailhead. Blue Lakes Rd is a rough dirt road, but does not require 4WD. I would say this trailhead is accessible to all vehicles.

Nick making his way through the rocks (C.Archer photo)

The Climb

The ascent of Fletcher starts from the Blue Lakes Trailhead. There are a few random trails that make their way around the reservoir so it may be a little tricky making sure you are on the correct path. None of these are official trails, therefore they are not maintained. They are kept up by foot traffic from everyday climbers such as ourselves. From the Northern point of the dam a trail will start, within a few hundred feet there will be a split, take the higher trail and avoid following the low trail around the waters edge. This trail will start to cut across the southern flanks of Quandary Peak. After crossing the initial rock glacier that feeds all the way into the reservoir, the trail will start heading up a draw between Fletcher Mountain and Quandary Peak.

Southern view from Fletcher Mountain (C. Archer photo)

There is a cut-in creek drainage that parallels the edge of the southwest rock glaciers from Quandary Peak, the trail mirrors the creek as you start gaining elevation. Eventually the rock glaciers from the west and east merge and from there you will lose the creek for the majority of the remainder of the climb. As you continue to make your way up the route, the path makes a northwest bearing rather than heading directly the to the saddle separating Fletcher and Quandary. Once you gain the alpine tundra plateau out of the cirque there is a short walk to the base of the Fletcher pyramid. As you make your way to the pyramid, stick to the southeast ridge and follow that directly to the summit.

View north from Fletcher Mountain (C.Archer photo)

Some adventurous people will attempt to combine Drift Peak with Fletcher as we attempted. We did not succeed in combining the two. I was a little uncomfortable with the last push up Drift. I will not give any advice to this route as I cannot guarantee we were on the best line to ascend the summit of Drift. You can see the route we were on by looking at the GPS Track below. If you are just out to climb Fletcher, I would descend the same line you used for the ascent.

Parting Notes

The data below reflects the attempt of adding Drift Peak with Fletcher Mountain. We did not complete this addition, but came very close to doing so. Keep this in mind as the time, distance, and elevation gain will not accurately reflect data for only climbing Fletcher Mountain. This was a great climb that travels through some beautiful alpine tundra, as well as beautiful geologic structures. Some day I will probably come back to complete the traverse from Fletcher to Drift, though it is not on my list of climbs to complete anytime soon. Until next time, cheers!

GPS Track

Date: September 3, 2017

Trailhead Elevation: 11,707 feet

Fletcher Mountain: 13,907 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 2,277 feet

Class: 2

Distance: 5.4 miles

Moving Time: 4 hr 41 min

Stopped Time: 2 hr 26 min

Climbing Partner: Cole

GAIA GPS Link: Fletcher Mountain (2017-09-03)