Mount Flora, Breckinridge Peak, and Colorado Mines Peak

Mount Flora from Breckinridge Peak

This is an area I like to come back to from time to time given the variety of peaks and trails. I first hiked Colorado Mines Peak in January 2013, then Mount Flora in July 2013. I came back to the area a few more times, hiking Mount Flora in October 2014, then Mount Flora and Colorado Mines Peak in January 2019. An advantage of the Berthoud Pass trailhead is the ability to access these peaks in all seasons. Fall, winter, and spring hikes are usually manageable but there may be windy and freezing conditions in those seasons that can present challenges. Lucky for us, this hike was the best weather I’ve had up here with clear morning skies and light winds.

To access Berthoud Pass from the Denver area, head up I-70W taking exit 232 onto US-40W, follow this to Berthoud Pass where there is a large parking area. In addition to the trips I previously mentioned, this trailhead is also great for access to Stanley Mountain with the route starting from the west side of the road. This is part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and is a popular trailhead in all seasons, so expect a lot of activity. The parking area is quite large, where there is a warming hut on the north end. The hut has pit toilets available to those that drank too much coffee on the drive up.

Drive time to the trailhead from Denver takes about an hour. We left around 5 a.m. so we could get an early start to the hike in hopes of avoiding any afternoon showers. We arrived a bit after 6 a.m., and there were about a dozen vehicles at the lot already.

The hike begins from the south end of the parking area. There is a large gate blocking an access road heading up to the top of Colorado Mines Peak where there are several structures. Follow the access road for a little less than a mile on the corner of the fourth switchback. On my GAIA route I have a point labeled CDT Split. A single-track trail starts from here and there is a sign for Mount Flora and other destinations. This trail traverses around the north of Colorado Mines Peak.

Nick on Breckinridge Peak

Other options are to continue up the access road to Colorado Mines Peak. A few more switchbacks will get you to the summit. This is the way I descended for this trip. Following my path, take the single-track trail, which will crest on the Continental Divide at about 1.6 miles from the trailhead. This is about the mid-point to the summit of Mount Flora.

My goal today was to summit Mount Flora by 8 a.m., which I’m happy to report that I was able to do. The trail is easy to follow where the crest of the ridge transitions from a dirt-based trail to broken rock. I want to note that I was comfortable with trail runners for the entirety of the trip, so boots are likely unnecessary, unless that is your preference.

Since we started so early, we were hiking directly into the sun. This was a minor disadvantage. The early start was definitely worth the cool morning and limited trail traffic. The summit area itself spans a fairly large flat area. There are many wind blocks and good places to rest. I feel like the summit cairn has changed over the years, so hitting one of the larger wind blocks was the summit for us. There were already quite a few people on the summit when we arrived, so be prepared for an active summit. If you are looking for solitude, this is not the place to go.

From the summit, it’s really choose your own adventure. It’s a great accomplishment to reach the summit of a Colorado 13er, so this could be the pinnacle of your day. Other options are to head north along the ridge to connect to Eva, Parry, Bancroft and more. Or you can choose our path which took us to Breckinridge Peak.

If your path takes you to Breckinridge, stay on the CDT dropping about 400 vertical feet where the terrain starts to level out a bit. My GAIA track has a point location where I deviated from the CDT towards the summit of Breckinridge. You will see a rock formation to head to across the tundra. This is the extent of the class 2 rating for this hike. It’s hard to tell exactly where the summit is so we walked the expanse to the east where there was a small rock cairn.

Square Top to Torrey's Peak

The views here give you a great shot of Witter Peak to the north, showing its rugged south face. There is a great loop I did years ago connecting Witter-Eva-Parry-Bancroft which I highly recommend. If you are seeking a solo summit, you will likely find that on Breckinridge, and some of these other peaks to the north. From Breckinridge’s summit, heading back is a simple yo-yo, or trace your path back.

As we were making our way back, I was feeling good, so I decided to tack on Colorado Mines Peak. On my GAIA track there is point marked Flora-CO Mines Intersect. Here there is trail that traverses over to the access road heading to the summit of Colorado Mines Peak. This adds about 230 feet of elevation gain to the route. There is a lot of structure on the summit, so more of a place to go to check a peak off your list. From the summit of Colorado Mines Peak, follow the access road back to the parking area.

This is a great area to go if you’re looking for easy access and multiple options. The area is busy, but the further you adventure from Mount Flora, the more peace you may find. It was another great day in the mountains. A great option if you are getting into hiking Colorado peaks, or for me, a great option to get back into something I love to do.

Hike Date: August 22, 2026Starting Elevation: 11,318 feet
Mount Flora Elevation: 13,124 feet
Breckinridge Peak Elevation: 12,864 feet
Colorado Mines Peak Elevation: 12,392 feet
Total Ascent: 2,319 feet
Class: 2
Total Distance: 8.89 miles
Total Time: 4 hours, 58 minutes
Moving Time: 4 hours, 11 minutes
Stopped Time: 47 minutes
Climbing Partner: Brian
GAIA Link: Flora-Breckinridge-Colorado Mines
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app

Mount Sniktau and Cupid

Mount Sniktau

It’s been a long time. Too long if you ask me since I’ve been on a mountain above tree line. I’ve been caught up in several things, but primarily the root cause is an aggregated list of excuses. Lucky for me, I have my good climbing buddy Brian, and from time to time he needs to set me straight and get me back into the mountains.

I often say that the mountains give us all an opportunity to visit old friends. Well, this hike was a bit of that and more. The first time I hiked Mount Sniktau was back in March, 2012. That trip was my first Colorado 13er. I followed that trip up with a hike of Cupid and Grizzly Peak in April, 2012. So, now it’s been 14 years since I’ve visited the summits of these old friends. The conditions of March vs August are much different, and I have to say much more comfortable.

Those of you in Colorado who drive I-70W towards the Eisenhower Tunnel get a nice look at Mount Sniktau from the freeway. This peak sticks out over the southwestern portion of the Loveland Ski Area. The hike itself starts from Loveland Pass which is just shy of 12,000 feet in elevation. This is a busy place and presents its own set of concerns with all the parked cars, people crossing the road and the traffic heading over the pass. If you intend to hike these peaks from this trail head, I highly recommend an early start. We arrived just before 6:30 a.m. and the parking area at the trailhead was already full. There is additional parking available on to the south of the pass, and this is where our hike began.

We set off from the car around 6:30 a.m. We got the pleasure of adding another .3 mile and 80 feet to our hike given our parking situation. Not bad going up in the morning, but as the cars filled in, our way back was far less comforting where we had to walk on the road at times. To put everyone’s mind at ease once you are at the trailhead, which I mark as the White River National Forest sign on the west side of Loveland Pass, there is a trail that will lead you to both of these summits. If you are up for it you can continue on to Grizzly Peak or do several variations of these peaks. I’m not certain if there is an official name for this trail, but the southern portion is labeled as Grizzly Peak Trail on the GAIA Topo Map.

Torreys, Grays and Grizzly from Cupid

I joked with Brian when he suggested this hike, calling it the “stairway to heaven”. I think he soon found out what I meant. There is no warm-up, you get right to gaining elevation. From the trailhead to cresting the ridge is about 900 vertical feet in about a mile. I believe a lot of visitors do this as an acclimation hike if they come here to climb 14ers. Whatever you are here for this certainly is a nice way to get the blood flowing early in the day, and nothing beats a slow steady pace.

From the ridge crest, follow the trail heading to the north. You will gain one false summit before reaching the true Mount Sniktau summit. This section has less vertical gain, approximately 350 feet in just under a mile, but this is all at elevation which presents its own challenges. In the Front Range you will be hard pressed to find a much better view, especially if you are out hiking on a blue-sky day like we had. You are surrounded by the giants of the Rocky Mountains. I love it. It really brings you back, when you are on these summits, to each of the climbs of these surrounding peaks. A great motivator to get back into the game.

Nick and Brian on Mount Sniktau

We saw a fair number of people along the way, but somehow Brian and I were able to have the summit to ourselves for a bit, which is a true treat for a Saturday morning in Colorado. I had an initial goal of summiting in an hour and half, and was able to meet that goal, so I was very pleased with how my body reacted given I have been out of this game for quite some time.

We didn’t linger too long since we wanted to get over to Cupid. On our way towards Cupid, there were droves of people on the way up Sniktau, maybe 30-40, so just a reminder of how important that early start is. It didn’t take us long to get back down to where we crested the ridge earlier. From there, there is a quick drop of about 200 feet then a gain of about 400 feet. This seemed to go pretty quick and before we knew it, we were on the summit of Cupid and is was only 9:20 a.m.

The Grizzly Mountain Trail skirts around the Cupid summit, so you will need to head off trail for a bit to truly claim the high point. Most people are heading towards Grizzly, so here we had another summit to ourselves. We could have been adventurous and headed off towards Grizzly, but it’s important to ease into these mountains if you have been away for a while. I look forward to coming back with Brian so he can summit Grizzly on a future hike.

Trail Junction

For the way back, there is a trail that cuts across the southwest face of our initial ridge crest point from earlier. This was nice, allowing us to skip the additional gain and descent. There are large cairns that mark the trail junction on the ridge as well as on the junction on the main trail for to Mount Sniktau.

The descent went far better than I anticipated. I chose to use my Topo Athletic trail shoes with gaiters, and both worked really well. I enjoyed not having my big boots on and the gaiters helped keep rocks out of my shoes. Trekking poles were also a big bonus on this descent. All in all, a great gear selection for this hike.

We finished the hike around 10:30 a.m. A great 4-hours in the mountains and we were able to summit two Colorado 13ers. I liked that I had not previously hiked these peaks together, but I absolutely didn’t mind visiting my old friends again. Hopefully this is a start to get me back in the mountains more consistently. Either way what a great way to feel alive! Happy trails everyone.

Hike Date: August 1, 2026
Starting Elevation: 11,897 feet
Mount Sniktau Elevation: 13,242 feet
Cupid Elevation: 13,112 feet
Total Ascent: 1,716 feet
Class: 1
Total Distance: 5.58 miles
Total Time: 4 hours, 3 minutes
Moving Time: 3 hours, 22 minutes
Stopped Time: 40 minutes
Climbing Partner: Brian
GAIA Link: Mount Sniktau and Cupid
*All data is tracked using the GAIA app