Lone Cone Peak

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A short trail to the epic, exposed, Class 4 NE ridge of Lone Cone Peak. Such a fun out-and-back route to above tree line and the terminus of the Lone Cone Peak Trail #5642 with the option to tack on a lollipop loop for those with the experience and skill.

See this guide to the Classes of terrain difficulty (YDS) for more information on distinguishing Class 1 from Class 5: coloradomountaineering.com/….

The Lone Cone Peak Trail #5642 has a turn off just a short ways in, turn left here and start heading uphill. The trail starts in a pine forest with a gradual incline. Meander through the woods for a while till you reach the rock at the base of Lone Cone.

You can continue up straight, to the jagged rocky ridge in front of you, or you can cut right across the rock field and ascend the easier ridge on the other side.

The ridge in front of you is a Class 4 ridge (hard scrambling/easy climbing, explained here: coloradomountaineering.com/…). It's mostly Class 3+ but has some pretty exposed moves and overall, the whole ridge has quite a bit of exposure. It's so much fun and the views along the ridge are awesome! The rock is pretty stable but check your hand holds just in case. It's easiest to stay true to the ridge, the rock is more solid here.

After that section, there is a short section of Class 2 rock before you start climbing more. And then it's back to Class 3+ or 4, as you climb up the slabby face till you reach the summit. This part is also really fun. Lots of stable rock and good hand holds to help you up, but the slope isn't too intense here.

From the summit, you can see the La Sal mountains in Utah, the Wilson group of 14ers, the Sneffels Range, Colorado canyon country, and more!

You can descend the same way as you went up, or make it a lollipop loop and descend Class 2 rock till you feel comfortable or see a game trail, and cut right to make it back to where you started.

Car to car you're looking at 4.4 miles and around 2,000' of elevation gain. This is a pretty short route to get to such an awesome climb, it's definitely worth the trip!