Cement Mountain East Ridge

Dogs Leashed

Features Views · Wildlife

The trail starts through the woods in a beautiful forest, it eventually opens up to expansive fields of surrounding hills before climbing up Cement Mountain and getting even more views from the summit there!

Start from the Deadman Gulch trailhead, on singletrack in the woods going uphill. The trailhead is a little bit past where Google maps directions say to go, so go slightly further than it says and you should reach a parking lot.

You're in a very shaded forest at the beginning for the start of the climb. You're basically going uphill the whole time to the junction. The first trail junction comes at about 2.5 miles in, go right here and start to head down the hill. Go right again at the next junction which isn't too far from the first.

After the junctions, the trail opens up to offer some really nice views as you run through sloping fields, you may even get to see some elk on this trail. After the fields, you enter woods again for a while, the trail can be pretty mucky after it rains.

Once you see the ridge, you can start trending towards it but there isn't really a trail for reaching the ridge so it is up to you if you go for it sooner or later. But the easiest way is to join the ridge as soon as it's in view, by a cluster of trees when the slope is less steep. If you wait and stay on the Cement Mountain Trail for too long, you'll be doing some bushwhacking to gain the ridge.

Once on the ridge, keep heading towards the summit. Soon you can find a faint trail and maybe even a few cairns but if you don't see them, no worries, you can continue up just the same. Gaining the ridge early means some elevation gains and losses as you follow the curvature of the top, but it isn't anything too crazy.

Once you reach 12,207 feet you've made it to the summit! There should be a summit cairn there to let you know you've made it. If the weather is clear, you should have great 360° views of surrounding mountain ranges; but be careful, weather rolls in quickly on the ridge. When you're done enjoying your achievement, reverse your route and head back to your car.

In total, this run is about 14.5 miles with 3,400 feet of elevation gain.

Deer, elk, chipmunks