RMNP - Deer Mountain Trail

RMNP - Deer Mountain Trail

It was projected to be a gorgeous day; temperatures in the low 50s, clear, and little wind.  For once the weather forecasters were right.  I headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike the Deer Mountain Trail.  The trailhead is at the junction of US36 and US34.  To the south is Upper Beaver Meadows and Deer Mountain to the North.  The trail reports indicated that the trail was well packed down, so I decided to leave my recently repaired snowshoes at home, but I did take my YakTrax.

Trailhead

The trail starts with a slight climb up to the ridgeline, then a walk along the ridge to the base of the mountain.  While on this part of the trail, I encountered a small band of deer.  They weren't the least bit worried about me, so I was able to stand and take a few pictures.

Deer not worried about me

Looking for something to munch on

The trail conditions were as expected and with the still low temperatures the ice and snow were manageable without any traction.  At this point you can get a good view of the Continental Divide and Upper Beaver Meadows.

Continental Divide & Upper Beaver Meadows

I soon encountered the first turn to climb the first of what would become fourteen switchbacks between the bottom and top of the mountain.  The going was steady, but not difficult.  The trail switches back and forth primarily in amongst the trees, but with occasional glimpses of the Mummy Range to the North and the Continental Divide/Long's Peak to the South.

Mummy Range (Mt Chapin, Mt Chiquita, Mt Ypsilon, Fairchild Mtn)

Mt Ypsilon, Fairchild Mtn

Mt Ypsilon

Long's Peak and the Continental Divide

After the initial climb, you come to a long stretch of rolling forest before the final ascent to the summit.  Lower down on the mountain there were plenty of deer tracks, with a few fox and coyote tracks.  However, up on the plateau there we nothing but trees and snow.

Snow & Shadow

Trees & Sky

After the climb to the summit I encountered breathtaking views in all directions.  To the east stretched Estes Park, the Big Thompson Canyon, and the Plains beyond.  A picture just does not do this view justice.

Estes Park, Lake Estes, Big Thompson Canyon, & Plains

To the North & West lay the Mummy Range

Mummys (Fairchild Mtn, Hague Peak, Mummy Mountain)

 Mummys

To the South lay the Continental Divide

Continental Divide

Continental Divide

and Longs Peak

Long's Peak

Right then and there, I decided that this was the best hike yet of 2016.  I sat down had a bit of a snack, admired the view, and was thankful for the opportunity to be there on such a stunning day.  I headed back down.

The trek back down was uneventful, but by now the snow and ice had a thin layer of melt on top of them, so the YakTrax were in order for the lower half of the descent.  There had been no one on the trail during the ascent, but it was starting to get busy on the way down.  I ran into about 10 people along the way.  While it was only a six mile trip, I think it may have been the best six miles in the last six months.  Awesome!!

Overall Track Statistics for RMNP - DeerMtn,   1027 data points

 Length 6.005 miles  :  Garmin Length 6.229 miles

 Start Elevation - 8900.10 feet

 Maximum Elevation - 10024.05 feet

 Minimum Elevation - 8899.11 feet

 Date of Hike - Jan 22, 2016

 Start Time - 09:11 AM

 End Time - 11:59 AM

 Total Duration -     2:47 hours:min

 Total Ascent - 1630.81 feet

 Total Descent - 1592.85 feet

 Net Ascent - 37.96 feet

 Maximum Grade - 19.64%

 Average Speed -  2.15 mph :  Garmin Average Speed  2.22 mph

 Maximum Ascent over Mile - 592.95 feet

 Maximum Speed over Mile -  2.98 mph

 Maximum Gain over Mile (%) - 11.02%