Stanley Mountain

July 14, 2024

Stanley Mountain | 12,530 feet

7.5 miles; 2405 feet elevation gain

Total time: 3 hours 32 minutes

I have hiked Stanley Mountain many times before from the other side, via Berthoud Pass - blog here. I recently discovered this route and decided to explore it from this side. I have done part of this trail before, along the CDT, to hike Vasquez Peak which is another incredible hike in this area that I highly recommend.

This trailhead is just a quick drive from Denver and the parking lot is huge and accessible in any car. I went in with low expectations, I have no idea why, but this hike absolutely blew me away, it is so beautiful. I highly recommend it at this time of year because there is plenty of running water and incredible wildflowers. It is a very well maintained class 1 trail all the way to the summit and amazing views the whole way. The climbing is gradual for the first 2.5 miles until you reach the tree line and then it is more strenous for the final mile to the summit. We saw a few people on the summit, from the other route, but only saw one couple and a CDT-through hiker on our route and we didn't start until 10am on a Sunday. Such a hidden gem for being so close to Denver. There is noise from the mine throughout most of the hike but I barely noticed it. I will definitely repeat this hike!!