Hill Route Description

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Capitol Peak - Northeast Ridge from Capitol Lake

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Difficulty: Class 4
Exposure:
Trailhead: Capitol Creek
Start: 9,450 feet
Summit: 14,130 feet
Total Gain: 5,300 feet
RT Length: 17.00 miles
USGS Quad.: Capitol Peak
County Sheriff: Pitkin: 970-920-5300
National Forest: White River
Wilderness Area: Maroon Bells - Snowmass
Author: BillMiddlebrook
Last Updated: 10/2016
Trailhead
From Glenwood Springs, drive about 26 miles southeast on Colorado 82 and turn right on Snowmass Creek Road
(this is not Snowmass Village). From the intersection of CO 82, it's 9.9 miles to the trailhead and the remainder of
these directions assume you reset your trip-odometer at the intersection. Drive 1.7 miles to a junction and turn
right on Capitol Creek road. Continue to 6.4 miles where the road turns to dirt. There's horse-trailer parking in this
area and it's a good place to park if you have a low-clearance vehicle or the upper road is muddy. Continue up the
rugged, narrow (and sometimes slick) road to reach the trailhead at approximately 9.9 miles.
Route
Photo #1 is a view of Capitol from the trailhead. Two trails start here: 1) The Capitol Creek trail and 2) the Capitol
"Ditch" trail. The creek trail has long been the standard way to approach Capitol, but the ditch trail has become
more popular recently because it avoids the elevation re-gain required on the creek trail. This route description
uses the ditch trail. Walk to the west end of the trailhead parking area and start down the signed ditch trail. The
name of the trail soon becomes obvious because it parallels a water ditch (used for cattle) into the forest - Photo
#2. Follow the ditch for about 1.2 miles to a junction at 9,500' - Photo #3. Cross the ditch and hike up into the
forest on a good trail. Weave through the forest for a bit and, at 9,600', cross a stream and meadow before
entering the Maroon Bells Snowmass wilderness. Hike through aspens and open areas to reach a wide-open area
above Capitol Creek - Photo #4. Continue on the hillside for almost 1.5 miles to a point where the trail descends
slightly and enters a meadow near the creek - Photo #5. This area is a bit confusing because there are cattle trails
through the area. Angle left, cross the stream ( 39.19883 N, -107.08783 W), and intersect the main Capitol
Creek trail on the other side.
At the junction, turn right and continue south though meadows and small forest sections while Capitol Peak
remains visible for most of this hike - Photo #6. Cross a few small streams along the hike and reach an open area
(10,600') where the trail turns left and ascends an easy hill to reach 10,800'. Turn right and ascend a steep hill
before turning left (south) again, near 10,900'. Cross the Capitol Creek stream and parallel it as you approach the
Capitol Lake area - Photo #7. At 11,400', turn sharply right and hike up to the basin just below Capitol Lake -
Photo #8. There are several places to camp ( 39.16704 N, -107.08013 W) on the right, before the lake.
Near 11,600' and below Capitol Lake, turn left on a smaller trail and climb southeast toward the saddle between
Mt. Daly and Capitol - Photo #9. The trail is great all the way up to the saddle ( 39.16333 N, -107.07371 W)
and it's approximately 900' of gain to reach the top - Photo #10. This is the end of easy, trail hiking. From the
saddle, it's possible to turn right and climb south up the Class 4 ridge but this route describes the easier route of
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14ers.com 14er Route Description
circling around the east side - Photo #11. Begin traversing across the side of the slope where it quickly becomes
obvious that some route finding is necessary. Take your time and try not to lose much elevation as you cross a
couple of small gullies and steep terrain. After approx. 1/4 mile, the route becomes more obvious - Photo #12.
Again, the goal here is to traverse south under more-difficult terrain and cliffs - Photo #13.
Near 12,700', angle up to the right (Photo #14) to reach 12,800' where you'll see 13er "K2" up to the southwest -
Photo #15. Follow cairns or take your own line up to K2 - Photo #16. Climbing to the top of K2 ( 39.15408 N,
-107.07653 W) is optional but worth the effort because of the view excellent view of Capitol from the top - Photo
#17. If you gain K2, you can descend steep, class 3/4 rock off K2's west side to regain the route. As seen in Photo
#16, the easiest (requires careful maneuvering on loose rock) way around K2 is to turn right just below the top
and swing around to the west - Photo #18. Once on the west side, Capitol's northeast ridge comes into view -
Photo #19. Drop into a notch and climb onto a rock tower at the start of the ridge.
The remainder of this route has plenty of scrambling and exposed climbing along the ridge (Photo #20) and this is
a good place to take a serious look at the weather and make a go or no-go decision. The summit isn't far away,
but the remaining climb is time-consuming and not a place to be in bad weather. From the first tower, scramble
along the ridge for a bit to reach the infamous Knife Edge and crux of the route - Photo #21 and Photo #22. It's a
short, exposed section on the ridge that requires concentration and solid nerves. If you are spooked by exposure,
this area may twist you in knots. Scramble along the crest or walk along the left side while holding onto the ridge.
Experienced climbers can carefully walk across most of the Knife Edge. The last portion of the knife (Photo #23)
becomes quite "sharp" and the easiest way around is to walk along the left side.
Beyond the Knife Edge, scramble on or along the ridge - Photo #24 and Photo #25. After about 0.1 mile from the
Knife Edge, reach a notch with a steep gully down to the left. Cross the notch and begin climbing along the left
side of the ridge - Photo #26. From 13,800' to the summit, the easiest climbing is below the ridge crest. Traverse
and follow small cairns about 80 feet below the ridge crest. Above 13,900', continue left below steep rock - Photo
#27. Climb steep rock to reach a small ridge before turning right and ascending to the summit ridge. Photo #29
looks back down on the route and Photo #30 shows the summit ( 39.150166 N, -107.083221 W).
Notes
In summer, cattle can be a nuisance on this hike and they've made smaller trails off of the main, ditch trail. The
main trail is obvious but there isn't much signage.IMPORTANT: This route enters the Maroon Bells - Snowmass
Wilderness area. Wilderness areas have special regulations and restrictions for party size, dispersed camping,
campfires, etc. Also, dog owners should read the wilderness information carefully because some wilderness areas
prohibit dogs to be off-leash and/or limit how close dogs can be to lakes and streams. If you have questions about
the Wilderness area, please contact a U.S. Forest Service office for the National Forest(s) listed above.
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14ers.

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Capitol Peak - Northeast Ridge from Capitol Lake

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