Name: Mt. Massive Trail
Rating: 4.5

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Features Fall Colors · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Halfmoon Creek Rd, providing access to the Colorado Trail, Mt. Massive, and Mt. Elbert, is generally closed in winter, often as much as 5 miles below the trailhead.

Runner Notes

Although rocky and in some parts steep, Mt. Massive Trail provides means for an excellent run. Fast runners should expect 3-4 hrs round trip.

Description

Access this trail by running from the Mount Massive Trailhead (just a few hundred yards from the Mt. Elbert Trailhead). Continue north on the Colorado Trail for about 3.5 miles before turning left to access this trail at 11,300 ft.

Continue a quarter mile up a hill before coming to a clearing at 11,600 ft. Continue up through some willows, traversing PT 12,466. The grade will level out briefly as the Massive massif comes into view to the west.

Reach the saddle between Mt. Massive's summit ridge and South Massive. Here you may see runners coming up the Mt. Massive/North Halfmoon Trail. Stay right of the ridge crest and complete a 1/2 mile of class 2+ ridge scrambling to gain the summit.

Flora & Fauna

After breaking through a coniferous forest, expect to spend the day among pika and marmots. The wildflowers in this area are stunning and thrive as high as 14,000 ft.