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| Bearpaws Peaks |
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| Parika Peak |
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| Bowen Mtn |
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| Arapaho Ridge |
1. The peaks in the area are easy tundra hikes. Granby has a City Market and Dollar General.
2. BOWEN, FAIRVIEW, PARIKA - these peaks can be done as a loop. FR750 is a good road to the TH for trail #1141. I walked it to Bowen Pass. The last water is a big spring below the pass at the junction with the CDT. I went up the ridge from the pass to a faint trail at N40 21918, W105 56248 el 12200. It drops a little then goes along the right side of crags then the rest is obvious. One narrow ledge beyond there will worry some but a route 20 feet lower can be used then back up a chute. Take a 20 foot handline for the squeamish. I didn't think the ledge to be risky. I came back and walked the ridge and then under peak 12442 to an elk trail at 22370, 56381 el 12200 and then on over Fairview and up to Parika. I came back to the trail that goes over the shoulder of Fairview and then went straight down tundra to the saddle el 11396 and on to 22328, 57217 and soon hit the trail again then on back. 7 and a half hours, 9.3 miles with 3600 gain and mostly on tundra. Nothing harder than class 2. It would only add 250 to go over peak 12442. The USFS topo shows the trails best. Posted 2025
3. CASCADE MOUNTAIN el 12303 has trails nearly the whole way from FR750. A logging road works well for the return. I walked trail #1141 from FR750 to Bowen Pass then took a trail up the ridge. It runs to the right of peaks including Ruby then almost to the top of Cascade. I then dropped to the saddle east of peak 11550 and went down a trail on the left. Once on the floor I moved far right and walked meadows to a passage at N40 21395, W105 57951 and then on to the logging road at 21639, 57906 el 10640. I went on to a fork at 21708, 57884 and went right to another fork at 21954, 57861 and right again and walked left of the creek down to FR750. 6 hours, 8.7 miles with 2800 gain. Easy tundra and meadows. Posted 2025
4. MOUNT CINDY el 12047 can be done as a loop including Bearpaws Peaks. FR740 is maintained as far as Teller City. Some cars might make it another half mile to good campsites along FR758. Then it's 3 miles of rocky 4wd road to a fork at FR7581A. That's the last parking spot for 4wds. I rode my cycle a little more and parked at N40 23994, W105 58148 el 10100. Then I walked the road to the Jack Creek TH. At the 11000 line I went straight up a clearing to cut a switchback and hit the trail running on a closed road. I should have tried going straight on up to the ridge but I walked the trail up. At 24035, 55657 el 11200 I came to the last good stream. I kept going up to the ridge and walked a fading road on it to peak 11740. The road seems to drop to the Michigan River but I went up an elk trail to el 11680 then skirted left of the summit and on up the ridge. A crag is in the way so I took an elk trail at 24777, 56123 el 11700 to get around it on the left. From the summit of Cindy I walked the ridge to Bearpaws. An elk trail runs left of center into the east saddle of peak 11570. A camera was attached to a tree there. I skirted left around the peak then up to the ridge that leads to Bearpaws. I took a trip out to the high peak then came back to the ridge out to peak 11590. I skirted that one on the right then went over the left shoulder of the next peak then down to a wide tundra drainage at 24327, 58299 el 11040. I went down the center then moved left at a steeper part then on down tundra and came to some deadfall. I went left around that then hit the road at my cycle. 6 hours, 9 miles with 2400 gain. All easy terrain. One compromise on that rocky road is to drive halfway to a campsite at the 9560 line along Jack Creek. That would make it a 12 mile hike. An ebike might work for a mile past Teller City. Posted 2025
5. CDT LOOP - one hike I thought about but skipped is to start at the Illinois River TH and walk to the CDT then on to trail #1141 near Bowen Pass then back on that trail to a bike waiting at that TH. It might be 10 miles of hiking.
6. TELLER CITY was a late 19th mining town. A loop trail with displays leads past log cabin ruins. Cars can get there. Posted 2025
7. RADIAL MOUNTAIN el 11241 - a trail goes up from Willow Creek Pass to a T at el 10000 where a dirt bike trail crosses. Then there is deadfall on up the ridge but I could weave or step over all of it. It clears up at el 10700 and it's a clean ridge to the summit. 3 and a half hours, 1700 gain. Posted 2025
8. PARKVIEW MOUNTAIN el 12296 - an easy 4wd road goes to 11050 from BM 9485 at mp 21 on highway 125. Near timberline there is a fork so stay left across a dip to a parking area. ATVs can go on to el 11300 then a rocky trail leads to tundra and then it's just pick an angle to get on the SE ridge and up to the lookout. It took me an hour to the top from el 11050. I wouldn't take any rig wider than a jeep on that road. My 125 made it easily. EBIKE VERSION - FR730 is mostly smooth to el 10300. I would ride that far then walk FR751 over the ridge to the other road and go up then back down the NE ridge. Cars have to park at the pass and use a trail from there but could do the same loop. Posted2025
9. SHEEP MTN and HYANNIS PEAK - a one way hike is the best in the range. I started at Grassy Run TH and walked the trail up to Arapaho Ridge then kept going to the CDT. I took a 2 hour side trip to Hyannis then went on over Sheep to trail #1187 but that trail is gone. I made it to my bike at Longs Lake anyway. The best version is to start on the CDT at FR107 el 10600 and it's an all trail walk of about a 11 miles to Grassy Run TH. Some deadfall on the descent slows things down by 15 minutes. The version I did took 7 hours. Next time I'll start on the CDT and skip Hyannis and include Red Hill. That would be a 5 mile side trip total. The USFS topo shows the trails. FR106 and FR715 are good roads for cars and the others are good high clearance roads and all ebikeable. Posted 2025
10. SHEEP MOUNTAIN el 11819 has a trail most of the way. FR106 is a good road to the T at FR730. Then go right to FR107 and up to the crest on easy high clearance roads that are ebikeable. The CDT runs along the crest to the peak like the USFS topo shows. 3 hours, 40 minutes and 7.5 miles with 2000 gain. The other SHEEP MOUNTAIN el 11361 has a road up to the top but is closed at el 10700. OHVs don't have to obey that and go all the way up. Posted 2025
11. HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN el 11495 has a fairly easy NE ridge. FR106 is a good road to the T at FR730. Then go left on FR730 which is easy 4wd and ebikeable. In 2 miles park and there is a trail going up to the NE saddle of the peak where the CDT crosses. Just before the CDT there is a clearing in view on the right. That leads up the ridge to the summit. It took one hour with 1100 gain to get to the summit. Then I dropped back to the CDT and walked it up to peak 11466 and then walked a tundra ridge north to peak 10972. That's the best part. I took a left turn at that peak and on down tundra to the road. I ran out of tundra and walked the forest for 4 minutes to hit the road and walked it back. That leg of the hike took 2 and a half hours with 1300 gain. FR730 goes on a dozen miles to the highway but gets narrow and rocky. Posted 2025
12. GRAVEL MOUNTAIN el 11769 - FR123 departs highway 125 at mp 17 and goes up Willow Creek. After a bit over 10 miles the road tops out in the west saddle el 10600 of peak 10724. I parked there and took a bad right fork then right at the next fork and on to 3 forks. I stayed far right to a meadow then straight up to a saddle el 11200 on the NE ridge then up. 2 hours, 1100 gain. Cars can go several miles up FR123 then ebike it. High clearance can make it all the way to the saddle. The hike is not in the burn area. Posted 2025
13. ELK MOUNTAIN, CORRAL PEAKS - these are easy ones. Turn off highway 40 at mp 194.6 and take county 21 into the forest as FR112.6. It's a good road to FR111 el 9990. That's a good high clearance road to a fork el 10560. The right fork is gated and the left fork is rough for a short way to a grassy road at N40 09525, W106 08375 el 10700. I could have drove a jeep on up to the summit of Elk. Back on FR112.6, keep going to 11875, 08335 el 10500 and turn left on easy 4wd for a third mile to a closure. Walk on up the closed road to the saddle between the Corral Peaks then it's easy to climb each one. The USFS topo shows roads the best. I saw a low clearance car almost at the Corral Peaks and still going. The first campsite is 3 and a half miles in on county 21. Posted 2025
