County Road 322A

Dogs Off-leash

Features Views

This is a steep road with few rocks, so it's an excellent option for those looking for high altitude elevation gain that's easy on the ankles.

From the center of Buena Vista, drive west on County Road 306. In 0.7 miles, turn south on CR 321 and drive 7 miles. Come to a fork and bear right onto CR 322. Drive under a mile to another fork, one for a ranch and one, clearly signed, for Mt. Princeton. Turn right for Mt. Princeton. Park here (8,900 ft) if you have a Subaru or less, or continue driving up the road if you're piloting something burlier. Over 3 miles up the road there are some radio towers with pullouts for 8 cars or so. There are a few campsites here as well, around 10,800 ft. Unless you're comfortable driving on a narrow shelf road with rock steps and bumps, park down low. There's nowhere to turn around for 3 miles.

From the upper TH at the radio towers, continue running up on CR 322A (the road away from, not toward, the radio towers). Continue for about 1.5 miles on the road before coming to a fork. Turn right onto Mt. Princeton to summit the 14er, or stay left. Quite honestly, I don't know why you'd stay left, but hey, you can. The jeep road continues up along 13er Tigger Peak for about another 0.6 miles and is accessible by car for 1-2 months of the year.