Traver, McNamee, and Clinton Peaks

Traver Peak

Overview

Traver, McNamee, and Clinton Peaks are a set of 13ers located in the Mosquito Range of Colorado. This was my first ascent of these peaks, though I have summited many other nearby including North Star Mountain, Drift Peak, and Fletcher Mountain to the north and Mount Lincoln, Mount Cameron, and Mount Democrat to the south. This was my first trip back to the Mosquito Range since my climb of Horseshoe and Peerless Mountains in 2014. These peaks are all class 2, allowing for some off trail, choose your own route adventure. I didn’t see anyone on my ascents of the peaks, so there is solitude to be had while you enjoy the climb, but as you descend back to Wheeler Lake plan to see many people. I hope you enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in the hills.

Directions/Trailhead Information

Wheeler Lake

The Montgomery Reservoir Trailhead is located at—latitude 39.356791°, longitude -106.082845°. There is a parking area that will accommodate about a dozen vehicles. We arrived at 5 am, and were the first to arrive, but when we left the parking area was full. There are no restrooms at the trailhead. From the Denver you have the option of using I-70 W or US Hwy 285 S. We took I-70 W heading towards the mountains. Take exit 203 onto CO-9 S heading towards Breckenridge. Drive south along CO-9 S for about 21 miles heading over Hoosier Pass, reaching the CO-Rd 4 intersection, turn west. Follow CO-Rd 4 for 0.8 miles, then take the higher road to the right. Follow this road to the trailhead which is 1.7 miles from the intersection of CO-9 S. There is a concrete wall with an open parking lot. The road to the TH is hard packed dirt road that is accessible for all vehicles. Note that these mileages are approximates, not exact distances.

Wheeler Peak

The Climb

I met up with Brian in the Denver area about 3 am, and after the 2 hr drive we arrived at the TH around 5 am. By 5:15 am we were on the trail with headlamps on. The approach trail for this climb is on a rough 4WD road that heads to Wheeler Lake. This starts by passing the old Magnolia gold mine, within the first quarter mile. After the mine the road becomes incredibly rough, so I wouldn’t try driving up the road unless you have a modified rock crawler.

It sounds funny to say it, but the road presented us with most of the morning obstacles. The road is an intermittent pond/creek throughway more than a passable hiking trail at times. When we had to detour around the water, we soaked ourselves with the leftover rain fall on the willows, so we weren’t winning from the start. I’d consider wearing some Chaco’s up to Wheeler Lake if I head back this way just so you can stay on the road and walk right through the ponds, it would be way more efficient anyway.

As we approached the 11,800 ft contour the creek coming from Wheeler Lake was raging, and the road was a full-on river. We started to make our way up the east side of the creek till we came upon a snow bridge around the 12,100 ft contour. At this point Brian decided to call it a day and I headed up for the peaks by myself.

North Star Mountain

The upper road which is part of the standard route for these peaks was covered in snow, with drifts flowing into the west side of the lake. Because of this I decided to hoof it straight up one of the snow fields to get into the upper basin around the 12,400 ft contour. I didn’t have any snow gear so I kicked steps in on the ascent. My route took me to the “bergschrund” (not a real bergschrund, but the same concept) where there was a significant gap between the snow and the rocks. I had to traverse around a bit, and it got a little uncomfortable since I didn’t have any foot traction or axe with me. I did have my trekking pole and I kicked good steps, moving with extreme caution. By the time I made it onto the rock my legs were pretty tired from the kicking, so it took a bit for me to recover.

The upper basin was still holding a fair amount of snow, so I wasn’t sure what was the best direction to climb the peaks. I decided to head up Traver first, primarily because it had a bare ridge and I knew nothing other than my physical condition would be an issue with ascending this peak. As I gained elevation on the ridge, I could see this was the right approach for these peaks as the base of Clinton was holding most of the snow. My preference would be to walk/slide down that later in the day when it was soft. The east ridge of Traver was giving me a run for my money, I was huffing and puffing, but still gaining ground. The route was consistent large boulders, so moving up was rather efficient. I reached the summit of Traver Peak around 9 am.

Climax mine

From here I had two options – 1) head back down the route and wake up Brian from his nap, or 2) continue the loop and let him get some rest 😊. Well, that was an easy choice, so onto McNamee Peak I went. There is only about a 250 ft descent to the saddle between Traver and McNamee, so a lot of climbers wouldn’t consider these separate peaks. The general rule is peaks need to have 300 ft of prominence between them to be “ranked” peaks, but to me if there is a name on a peak that’s good enough. Anyway, back to the climb. The ridge walk to McNamee took about 20 minutes from Traver. It is a gradual ascent to the top, where there is a lot of debris from old radio towers or something similar. From the summit there are great views of the Climax Mo-W mine. Most people would not get too excited about that, but I on the other hand work in the field of geology so I find it quite impressive. So next time you turn your lights on at home you can thank Climax for the filaments in your light bulbs.

Me on the summit of Traver Peak

The ridge to Clinton seemed to be the longer section, timewise it took me about 25 minutes to gain the summit. A quick stop at the summit and I was on my way down to the basin below. The descent was rather nice, the upper section had fairly loose rock that would give a bit on each step, then the snow field was great for plunge stepping. I thought about a glissade, but the slope was a bit steep for me. Once I made the initial descent into the basin it was a walk to the drop into Wheeler Lake. I was glad the snow had softened up, making it an easy descent to the lake.

I found Brian in the area I left him about 4 hours earlier. The loop took me a while longer than I initially expected, but I’m glad I stuck to it. We took the scenic route back to the TH in attempts to bypass the ascent route up the flowing creek. It wasn’t an awful route since it bypassed most of the willows, but it was probably not the most efficient route we could have taken. We were back to the TH a little before 2 pm.

Parting Notes

This was a great climb, challenging physically and mentally since I don’t get out as often as I’d like to. I’d recommend this route, and would do it again. I think the route would be best in dry conditions, but I’ll take 3-13ers in one climb anytime I can. I have another TR in the works for the second day of our climbing weekend. In the meantime, happy trails and stay safe in the mountains. Cheers!

Date: July 26, 2019

Trailhead Elevation: 10,980 feet

Traver Peak: 13,855 feet

McNamee Peak: 13,773 feet

Clinton Peak: 13,812 feet

Total Ascent: 3,050 feet

Class: 2

Distance: 10.6 miles

Moving Time: 7 hr 39 min

Stopped Time: 0 hr 52 min

Climbing Partners: Brian

GAIA GPS Link: Traver, McNamee, and Clinton Peaks

 

GPS Track