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ENLARGE
Special to the Daily
Lime Park and peaks to the north are visible from the top of the Iron Edge hike, which will be led Sunday as part of the Hidden Gems series.
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ENLARGE
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The climb is steep in places but the rewards are magnificent and worth the workout to reach the ridge. This picture is taken just beyond the Peter Estin Hut looking south across Lime Park and at the Upper Fryingpan Basin.
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ENLARGE
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The trail climbs through aspen woods and ascends steeply for about two miles up the north side of Mount Charles. This is a view of Gold Dust Peak, taken from an area near Charles Peak.
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EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado — On Sunday, hikers are invited to experience one of the most spectacular ridgelines in Eagle County, on the free Hidden Gems hike to the Iron Edge in the Sawatch range south of Eagle. This is a more difficult hike that explores the nearly 15,000-acre proposed Woods Lake expansion to the Holy Cross Wilderness area.
Beginning at 9,400 feet at Fulford Cave campground at the headwaters of East Brush Creek, the trail climbs through aspen woods and ascends steeply for about two miles up the north side of Mount Charles toward the Peter Estin 10th Mountain Division hut. From the hut it climbs another mile through deep pine forests where riotous lupine bloom nearly purple; and then it opens up at the top of Mount Charles on the 12,000-foot Iron Edge ridgeline.
Views to the south of this narrow ridge take in a royal row of peaks from Sopris to Snowmass, Capitol, the Maroon Bells, and the Frying Pan Wilderness. Lime Park spreads out below in emerald beauty, cut by a limestone gorge that gives the park its name.
Beginning at 9,400 feet at Fulford Cave campground at the headwaters of East Brush Creek, the trail climbs through aspen woods and ascends steeply for about two miles up the north side of Mount Charles toward the Peter Estin 10th Mountain Division hut. From the hut it climbs another mile through deep pine forests where riotous lupine bloom nearly purple; and then it opens up at the top of Mount Charles on the 12,000-foot Iron Edge ridgeline.
Views to the south of this narrow ridge take in a royal row of peaks from Sopris to Snowmass, Capitol, the Maroon Bells, and the Frying Pan Wilderness. Lime Park spreads out below in emerald beauty, cut by a limestone gorge that gives the park its name.
To the north rises New York Mountain, Craig Peak, Gold Dust Peak and others in the Sawatch. Below are the azure waters of Mystic Island Lake and Lake Charles. To the east, couloirs of ice drape the craggy north-facing cirques of Fools Peak.
Just before reaching Fools Peak, the hike will drop down from the ridge to the north, and loop down through the valley below, connecting with the Lake Charles trail. This trail descends five miles, returning to the Fulford Cave campground.
The hike gains 2,600 feet in elevation and is 10 miles, with the majority of the distance in the descent. The climb is steep in places but the rewards are magnificent and worth the workout to reach the ridge.
Don't forget your camera on this hike! It will be great opportunity to shoot a potential winning photo for the Hidden Gems Wilderness photo contest. Professionals and amateurs are invited to enter this contest, which will be judged by renowned landscape photographers John Fielder and David Hiser and Aspen Music Festival photographer Alex Irvin.
Just before reaching Fools Peak, the hike will drop down from the ridge to the north, and loop down through the valley below, connecting with the Lake Charles trail. This trail descends five miles, returning to the Fulford Cave campground.
The hike gains 2,600 feet in elevation and is 10 miles, with the majority of the distance in the descent. The climb is steep in places but the rewards are magnificent and worth the workout to reach the ridge.
Don't forget your camera on this hike! It will be great opportunity to shoot a potential winning photo for the Hidden Gems Wilderness photo contest. Professionals and amateurs are invited to enter this contest, which will be judged by renowned landscape photographers John Fielder and David Hiser and Aspen Music Festival photographer Alex Irvin.
Learn more about the photo contest, the Hidden Gems Wilderness proposal and register for this hike at www.whiteriverwild.org. Call Collin Stewart, hike coordinator, for more information at 970-963-3977.
The Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign aims to protect the last roadless, pristine places in and around the White River National forest by expanding existing wilderness and adding new areas. The goal is to protect watersheds, mid-elevation areas that offer more biodiversity, critical wildlife habitat, and to ensure the landscape that is key to our recreational and tourist economy.
The Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign aims to protect the last roadless, pristine places in and around the White River National forest by expanding existing wilderness and adding new areas. The goal is to protect watersheds, mid-elevation areas that offer more biodiversity, critical wildlife habitat, and to ensure the landscape that is key to our recreational and tourist economy.
