Ok, so I'll need a re-do, being that I was literally 50 yards from the peak before all hell broke loose, I'm talking, snow storm, thunder, lightening, I was ok with the snow, but when a heard the lightening, I was like, ok I'm not touching Grizzly today. Being that it was my third major hike, I had know idea how to dodge lightening. I was actually blindsided on the way back with the snow fall, but I learned a valuable lesson, check more than one weather forecast, because when I started my journey the skies were partly cloudy.
Very fun alternative to dealing with 14er traffic. Easy class 1 trail most of the way with some up and down sections. Great views on top minus the forest fire smoke.
Had a lot of fun taking the pup on her first hike. Trailhead from loveland pass gets full early. Great different route to greys and torreys, but be ready for a workout if making that trek!
Great intermediate level hike at good altitude. If you want to feel more comfortable hiking some of these bigger mountains, this is a good training peak. It tests your will power too, as the hike bike is nearly as hard as the hike there.. Up and down and up and down. Took my group about 2.5 hours to reach from Loveland pass.. But most can probably do it faster.
Boots and trekking poles recommended. Some fk the ascents are steep with a lot of loose rock and scree and the poles/boots made a big difference with that. I also recommend a windbreaker.. No explanation needed.
Get there before 8am because the parking lot fills fast. Plus, the storms can get nasty here.
Very enjoyable day hike from the top of Loveland Pass. Ascending and decending along the way as you follow the continental divide, but nothing outrageously difficult. The last pitch up to the top of Grizzly Peak is pretty steep and there's a lot of loose rock so pay attention and try to stay on the trail. It's all above treeline so bring sun and wind protection... and keep a very close eye on the weather as storms can come outta nowhere.
Very cool medium difficulty high alpine hike. The view of Torreys and Greys from the top of Grizzly is pretty epic. The view of summit county is breathtaking.
This picture was taken on descent from Torreys peak towards Grizzly peak on 19 July of 2015. Grizzly is the highest point on the right. This is absolutely one of my favorites peaks. Views are amazing in any whether. I am visiting it every year. If you decide to climb Grizzly, count on fact that it is quite a descent-ascent from any side. If you want a shorter hike, start from Greys/Torreys trail, that starts from HWY70 this will take about ~3 hours to Torreys one way, plus about 1-2 hours to Grizzly (depending on your abilities) But if you want a long way - start from HWY6 Continental Divide pass, from there it will be about 4 hours one way to Grizzly and about 5,5 Hours to Torreys (One way) On this hike, we started from HWY 6 went to Torreys via Grizzly and then came back to HWY 6 parking, took us almost 12 hours both ways. Anyone who has problems with knees, legs, heart etc - i DO NOT recommend this route, its hard for trained people like myself and will be extremely challenging for someone who does mountain hikes once in a while. Feel free to contact with any questions. Also check out many other videos on QUBEX DATA RECOVERY channel, that's where they are posted.
