Saturday I went on a hike with the local outdoors group Colorado Explorers. The hike was up the Twin Sisters, a pair of peaks located on the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, on an island of NPS property along the Tahosa Valley.
The trail is a moderate hike, 3.7 miles each way, with an elevation gain of 2,268’. The trail switchbacks its way up the western slope of the mountain, leaving the Lilly Lake area at 9,160’, and repeatedly crossing the boundary of RMNP and Roosevelt National Forest.
Around 11,000’ the trail rises above treeline, offering astounding views of the surrounding mountains, including Estes Cone, Mount Meeker and Longs Peak, as well as the town of Estes Park. The trail ends at the rocky saddle between the two “sisters.” The western peak is 11,413’ high, with the eastern true summit at 11,428’ a sort distance away. The saddle between the two is maybe 100 yards wide. A long ridge runs southwest off the saddle for 1.6 miles to a third, much less visited, peak of 10,432’.
From the top there are views in every direction, from the eastern plains and cities of Fort Collins, Loveland, and Longmont, to the dramatic western vista of the Continental Divide, including an unparalleled view of Longs Peak. We had overcast skies as far as the eye could see for the whole hike, so the weather was not cooperating with us on the views. The top of Longs was shrouded in a white, cloudy blanket, hiding its peak from view. But overall the clouds were high and you could still see for a good distance.
The trail is a moderate hike, 3.7 miles each way, with an elevation gain of 2,268’. The trail switchbacks its way up the western slope of the mountain, leaving the Lilly Lake area at 9,160’, and repeatedly crossing the boundary of RMNP and Roosevelt National Forest.
Around 11,000’ the trail rises above treeline, offering astounding views of the surrounding mountains, including Estes Cone, Mount Meeker and Longs Peak, as well as the town of Estes Park. The trail ends at the rocky saddle between the two “sisters.” The western peak is 11,413’ high, with the eastern true summit at 11,428’ a sort distance away. The saddle between the two is maybe 100 yards wide. A long ridge runs southwest off the saddle for 1.6 miles to a third, much less visited, peak of 10,432’.
From the top there are views in every direction, from the eastern plains and cities of Fort Collins, Loveland, and Longmont, to the dramatic western vista of the Continental Divide, including an unparalleled view of Longs Peak. We had overcast skies as far as the eye could see for the whole hike, so the weather was not cooperating with us on the views. The top of Longs was shrouded in a white, cloudy blanket, hiding its peak from view. But overall the clouds were high and you could still see for a good distance.
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| Longs Peak and Mount Meeker rise into the clouds. |
Once at the saddle, the wind had picked up causing us to dig through our packs for additional layers and gloves. Several of us then scrambled to the true summit in order to stay moving and keep warm. Surprisingly, it was warmer at the peak because there was no wind, so we stuck around for a quick bite to eat.
A few of us decided to summit the western peak too, and once the three of us were back at the saddle, the whole group had reformed and we headed back down as a wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow started to fall. Once we descended back into the trees it turned to just rain, but soon stopped.
There were nine of us on the hike, and on the way down it became apparent that we were a very well traveled group. Discussions about trips spanned the globe, across Peru, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. (After further research, Bhutan is definitely a new dream travel destination for me.)
This was my second time going up Twin Sisters and it was a really nice hike. And our timing was perfect, as soon as we were back down and in the cars, it started really raining. Today I checked the RMNP trails conditions webpage, and learned that all hikers were turning back and there were no full ascents on Longs Peak attempted yesterday, due to high winds and treacherous wet/icy conditions.
[Sources: Lisa Foster, Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide; NPS.gov/romo/planyourvisit/hikes.htm; nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/trail_conditions.htm]
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