Augusta Mountain and Mineral Point

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Lake · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Augusta Mountain is such a cool trail and although it is off-route at times and off the beaten path, there are still trails to follow here and there and ultimately it's pretty easy to follow. Plus a gorgeous ridgewalk and an opportunity for a nice icy swim, make this trail and peak total winners!

Drive Slate River Rd from Crested Butte till you reach Poverty Gulch Rd and a river crossing on your left (look at the map for details). If you've got a beefy 4x4 rig, you can cross the river. If not, park here, and cross the river on foot. A 4x4 can cut a couple miles off of the route if you keep driving up, but it's not a bad run either, so do whatever feels best. This trail description mileage count is if you park at the Slate river, so if you don't, just subtract from where you started.

Immediately after the river, keep left and follow the road until the road runs out and you're left with a trail. Keep continuing up on that, following the switchbacks. This is an old mining road that eventually leads to Augusta Mine.
As you continue to climb up, the views of the valley below just get better and better, plus you'll see picturesque waterfalls and a few lakes on the way up. This run would be great anytime of year but it is exceptional in the fall.

After 4.5 miles or maybe a smidge more, you should reach Augusta Mine. You can't go inside, but it is neat to look at. Just before the mine, there's a trail and a cairn to your left. This is the recommended way to reach the upper bowl, but if you want a more direct approach, you can head straight up over the rock by the mine. The latter is not ideal, but it is apparently the Angel Pass Trail. Take the switchbacks. It's much simpler.

Follow for a while till you see on your map that you want to go up right and the trail continues left. You can depart from the trail here and make your way toward the lakes.

From the lake you have a couple options, you can gain the ridge at the lower point and have a longer ridgewalk to the summit (as shown as the approach on the map), or you can continue up in the basin and climb up whenever you choose to do so. Either way goes, and it's up to you.

If you decide on the longer ridgewalk, you'll ascend to Angel Pass and be rewarded with incredible views of the hills and valleys on Kebler Rd and the Horse Ranch Park area. Continue on up the ridge to the summit and receive even more spectacular views when you reach 12,559' and the tippy top of Augusta Mountain.

From here, the well-known Mineral Point is just a short ridgewalk away, and if you're looking to make the day a twofer, head on over that way. This is a fun route that starts out on an old mining road and eventually leads to some lakes and off-trail choices for gaining the ridge and the summit. The 360° views are something extraordinary as well!