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Cathedral Spires
For someone interested in hiking and snowshoeing,
each in its own season, the month of November can be a frustrating time. The
first couple snowstorms of winter arrive during the month and blanket your
favorite trails, making for some miserable “post-holing.” But the
snow isn’t quite deep enough yet to cover rocks and logs, so the
’shoes stay hanging on the peg in the garage. The temptation is just to
grow fat on the couch, watch the Broncos, and wait a month for the snow to
really pile up.
But if you’re determined to stay in shape, there
are places, pockets really, that escape the brunt of winter and offer
year-round hiking opportunities. The area called the “South Platte”
by rock climbers and hikers alike—roughly equal distances southwest of
Denver and northwest of Colorado Springs in the Pike National Forest—is
just one such place. This sheltered valley, bordered by the Rampart Range on
the east and the Kenosha and Tarryall Mountains on the west, typically receives
little snow. Dotting the area are huge hunks of coarse red granite that offer
fine destinations on a warm November day. And for our money, the most
spectacular of these “peaks” is Cathedral Spires (8,600
feet).
The sheer rock towers of Cathedral Spires
present a formidable face above the North Fork of the South Platte River. To
reach the trailhead from Denver, take U.S. Hwy. 285 southwest to Pine Junction
and turn left on Colo Hwy 126. About a quarter of a mile before the town of
Buffalo Creek (and two miles after the town of Pine), turn left on a well
graded, dirt road that follows the river. You’ll see the pull-off on the
left in about 2.5 miles and about one mile before the tiny settlement of
Foxton. There is a sign about seasonal closure for raptor nesting—not a
problem in November.
From directly in back of the parking area, walk
up the embankment and pick up the trail that goes north–northwest up the
drainage. If you lose the occasionally faint trail, simple follow the drainage
as it curves northward in 1.25 miles, up to the 7,800 foot saddle just west of
the peak. The going is easy through the forest, and visibility is good because
there isn’t a lot of undergrowth in this dry, gravelly soil.
From
the saddle, make directly east for the peak until rocks begin to bar the way.
Contouring left here through the trees, you’ll likely have to tromp
through some snow on this shady north slope. Once due north of the top, there
is a short, steep, and slippery pull up to the summit rocks. A short scramble
through a notch and you’ll find yourself on a comfortable bench on the
sunny south-facing side. Its a delightful place to enjoy lunch, soak up some
rays, and gaze off at the snowy bulk of Pikes Peak. Scramble around on the
summit rocks but don’t even think about trying to find another way down.
Return the way you came. But before you go, check out the view of other nearby
rocky crags like Raleigh Peak, Chair Rocks, and Long Scraggy Peak, equally good
destinations for blowing away the November blues.
Several individuals in the Denver and Pikes Peak groups
contributed to this report.
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