Overview
Mount Buckskin
and Loveland Mountain are a pair of 13ers in the Mosquito Range of Colorado. This
was my first ascent of these peaks. I have known about the pair for years, but have
tried to avoid the insanity of the Kite Lake TH since it’s also the TH for
4-14ers in the area. I was able to convince my friend Chris to join me for an
early morning ascent, so I would have some conversation in the hills for a
change. This is a great climb where there isn’t any technical difficulty, so
most climbers in decent shape should be able to enjoy this ascent. I hope you
enjoy this trip report and find it helpful in planning your next adventure in
the hills.
Directions/Trailhead Information
The Kite Lake
Trailhead is located at—latitude 39.327648°, longitude -106.129677°. There
is a parking area that will accommodate a few dozen vehicles, as well as
overflow parking along the road. There are restrooms
at the trailhead, and a $3/day use fee. Camping is available for $12 on a first
come first serve basis. The drive from my place was about 100 miles taking
about 2 hours. From the Denver area make your way into the mountains on US
Hwy 285 S. Follow US Hwy 285 S till you get to Fairplay, then head
north on CO-9 N heading towards Alma. In Alma turn west onto Co Rd 8 (Buckskin
Street) and follow this road for 5.5 miles ending at the TH parking lot. The
access road is dirt road that gets a bit rough near the TH. I would recommend
high clearance, but 4WD is not required. Further descriptions of the trailhead
can be found at the link I provided above. Please note that the mileages
provided are approximations and are not exact distances.
The Climb
 |
| The slope up Mount Buckskin |
Chris and I
made it to the TH a little before 6 am on a Saturday. The parking lot was
already full, so we ended up parking about 50 yards down the road. I was last
in this area in 2012 when I climbed the Decalibron
with my father. Back then the TH was insanity, with hundreds of climbers
heading up to the 14ers, and today would be the same. This is in part why I’ve
avoided climbing these peaks, but as I work my way through the Mosquito Range,
they were a good option for a short day in the mountains.
With fall creeping
in on us, the darkness followed. At 6 am, it was still pitch black out, so it’s
still headlamp time till about 6:30-7 am in this area. The trail set off from
the west side of the outhouse, thankfully there wasn’t an awful aroma in the
air like my experiences with the outhouses near the Stevens Gulch TH that is
used to climb Grays and Torreys Peaks. Once we hit the trail, we wouldn’t see
anyone for hours, which is one of the best parts about climbing 13ers. There is
a decent trail that heads towards Lake Emma.
 |
| Me and Chris on the summit of Loveland Mountain |
Just past
the 12,200 ft contour, we left the Lake Emma trail started cross country in the
dark. The clouds had rolled in and at this point we were walking through the
mist, so navigation was a bit of a challenge. We knew to stay above the willows,
and we weren’t in them, so that was good enough for us. The tundra was a bit
marshy with one steam crossing along the traverse to the base of the rocky
slope near 12,400 ft contour. We took the path of least resistance to the top
of the initial slope to about the 12,800 ft contour. Here you will pass under some
low power lines. The route from here is “choose your own adventure.” We stuck
to the grassy patches in-between the rocks as much as we could. After a lot of
huffing and puffing we made the ridgeline. Follow the northwest ridgeline for
about a quarter of a mile to the summit of Mount Buckskin. We summited at 7:44
am, just about 2 hours from the TH. Not my most efficient ascent of the year,
but we still averaged about 1,000 ft per hour, so I was fine with that.
From Buckskin
the traverse to Loveland Mountain follows the southern ridgeline. This had a
pretty good climbers’ route in place, so we made good time. It took us about 45
minutes to complete the traverse and we weren’t rushing it by any means. The
wind was whipping pretty good, so it was quite a chilly walk. Chris gave me
some chocolate covered coffee beans, and that was just the ticket for the
summit. It was now 8:30 am, so we were right on my climbing schedule. I needed
to be back home by 1 pm today, so the schedule was important to stick to. After
hanging out for a bit it was time to get moving and start generating some heat
again.
 |
| Looking back at Buckskin from Loveland |
Part of the
decent includes re-ascending part of Mount Buckskin. It wasn’t as horrible as I
thought it would be, maybe adding 200-300 ft. For our decent of Buckskin, we
had to battle the clouds. Navigation wasn’t as easy since we couldn’t pick any
markers to head for. We did pretty well, staying on a similar path as our
ascent. We ran into a marker for the Ajax mine mid-mountain. Turns out its not
really a mine, but a claim, but it was well staked. Soon after this we saw our
first climbers on route for the day. There were three people heading up like we
did to avoid the 14ers crowd to the north. Neither of us was too keen on rushing
down the hill, so we took our time and made it back to the TH by 10:45 am.
Parting Notes
This is a
great short climb within 2 hours of the Denver area. The week off from the gym
and a bit of sickness made me work for this one a little more than I thought I
would have to, but in the end, it was a great choice for my limited time. I’m hoping
to get one more twofer in the Mosquito Range—Ptarmigan and Weston Peaks before
the snow flies, so hopefully another TR will be on the way in a couple of
weeks. In the meantime, happy trails and stay safe in
the mountains. Cheers!
 |
| GPX Track |
Date: September
28, 2019
Trailhead
Elevation: 12,033 feet
Mount Buckskin:
13,796 feet
Loveland
Mountain: 13,692 feet
Total
Ascent: 2,179 feet
Class: 2
Distance: 4.5
miles
Moving Time:
4 hr 30 min
Stopped
Time: 0 hr 54 min
Climbing
Partners: Chris
GAIA GPS Link: Mount
Buckskin and Loveland Mountain
