Engelmann Peak + Robeson Peak + Bard Peak + Mount Parnassus

July 29, 2024

Engelmann Peak + Robeson Peak + Bard Peak + Mount Parnassus | 13,362 feet + 13,140 feet + 13,641 feet + 13,574 feet

9.3 miles; 4903 feet elevation gain

Total time: 6 hours 26 minutes

You may remember my attempt at this loop last fall, if you don't check out my post. Last attempt I unfortunately suffered from altitude sickness, which was a first for me but an awful experience. Since then I have wanted to come back for redemption. I wanted to give myself some time to have great summer fitness before attempting so here we are at the end of July with a Monday off work and a perfect afternoon weather window.

The route starts at Ruby Gulch Trailhead and begins up the road for about 1 mile. You then branch off the trail and head into the trees, staying to the left of the ravine/gully. This segment is completely off trail until you reach the tree line. There are a few cairns marking the route but it is a good old bushwhacking time. It is very consistently steep with lots of downed trees. Once you reach the tree line the steepness amplifies as you climb directly up to the ridgeline. This section is a mix of grassy tundra and very loose rock. It was absolutely draining especially in the heat of the day; the ridgeline never seems to get closer. When you do eventually reach the ridgeline you still have a significant amount of climbing to do through grassy tundra and talus, but you follow this ridge to the summit. There is no trail for 90% of this ascent although you can see your objective once you emerge from the trees.

From the summit of Engelmann the remainder of this glorious route is in view. It is a quick walk over to Robeson Peak, you lose about 520 feet before regaining about 350 feet. There was a summit register in the rocks to sign! Then you begin the beautiful ridge walk to Bard Peak, it starts out with a small descent and then a flat grassy section before you reach the edge of the dramatic cliffs that line the face of Bard Peak. Then you ascend about 650 feet to the summit. We stayed as close to the ridgeline as we could along this section to avoid adding any distance. It is a rocky terrain with a faint trail in sections. The views from Bard Peak were my favorite of the day. You have unobstructed views of the Sawtooth connecting Mount Blue Sky and Mount Bierstadt, breathtaking views of Grays and Torreys Peak and the beautiful ridgeline that you will soon walk to Mount Parnassus. As you come off the summit you will, again, stay ridgeline. There is a trail for this segment, albeit faint. You lose about 600 feet before regaining about 500 feet to the summit of Mount Parnassus.

We had originally followed to plan a more traditional route onto Woods and down the ridge but I was low on water due to the heat so we explored another option that we had seen from Robeson. We descended to the saddle of Parnassus and Woods and then headed down, in between the remaining cornices into Ruby Gulch. There was a lot of loose rock on the descent but nothing too bad. Once in the gulch we navigated through the willows until we connected to the Ruby Gulch trail. There is a lot of water down here which felt amazing to splash on our face and soak our hats in. The wildflowers in the gulch were also incredible!! From here we trail ran all the way back to the car.

I absolutely loved this route. The front range has been my playground this summer due to my lack of motivation to drive much further and this route was definitely a favorite. I would absolutely repeat it.

Time Breakdown

Start time: 11:55AM

Engelmann Peak: 2:05PM (2 hours 10 minutes)

Robeson Peak: 2:50PM (45 minutes)

Bard Peak: 3:50PM (1 hour)

Mount Parnassus: 4:50PM (1 hour)

End time: 6:20PM