One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: June 14, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1987_0509_14erFlight2.htm)
I finally matched up a name -- Palisade Mountain -- with a prominent peak southwest of Fort Collins. I'd heard of the mountain for some time, and had also long wondered what that jagged-looking summit west of Loveland was on the north side of the river. I picked up the Drake 7.5-minute quadrangle when a store opened, and headed up the Big Thompson Canyon looking forward to a workout.
Palisade rose above steep cliffs on the north side of the canyon just below the town of Drake. It was across the river from Sheep Mountain, 8450', a humongous tree-covered hump also shown nicely on the Drake quad. Unlike Palisade, Sheep Mountain had a trailhead down by Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park, and a 4-mile trail to the summit.
The canyon road curved around the bottom of Palisade Mountain right about at the Idylwilde Dam spillway and rest area (5970'). I stopped here at 1050 to study the map, and decided it was a reasonable starting point for a "direct" ascent -- up the Palisades. Apparently you could cross a bridge down at V-S Park and make an easier climb, still without a trail, but it cost 250' more (negligable) and about two miles (significant) on the round trip. As nasty looking clouds were already forming to the west I decided to go the direct way.
Because of the late start and ominous weather I didn't expect to make the summit. Most of the time I was in deep gullies though, or could get in one if a lightning storm began. Immediately after leaving the road I began scrambling (using hands as well as feet) most of the time. I worked around and up a little to the east of a direct line to the summit. This approach yielded some cactus and talus, but mostly lots of steep, firm rock, fun and challenging to climb.
To my surprise the clouds dissipated into a vague haze as I climbed. Before long I was looking way down to the canyon floor and across (west) to the pinnacles of the Palisades. At any point I could have headed more east to easier terrain, but I had a great time route-finding up the solid rock with only occasional minor exposure. My limiter wasn't the terrain but the heat...
Eventually I clambered over an edge and onto the tree-covered summit ridge. Another 10 minutes or so brought me west to the summit of Palisade Mountain itself, which was marked by a huge wood tripod. It was the highest of about seven rock knobs set back from the south cliffs. You could see it clearly from Fort Collins and Loveland. The view from the top was nice but not awesome. On this day it was roasting hot and sunny on top, calm, and bug-ridden!
After munching and resting I headed back down much the same way. I discovered that the main gully off the ridge about 1/4 mile east of the summit was a very nice route full of large, stable boulders. Steep, but deep in shadows -- nice on a hot day. On the way down I found a large antler draped over a projecting rock.
My total altitude gain was 2300' in 2:30 -- not great, must have been the hot weather -- and it took me 1:45 to return to my car. It was a good work-up climb, except that I should have carried more than 1.5 quarts of water!
I discovered that the foothills west of Loveland and Fort Collins were not really so mysterious. There weren't that many significant peaks, as you could see on the Larimer County map, and most of them were visible from one point or another. Peaks like Sheep, Palisade, White Pine, Buckhorn, and Greyrock formed the lower skyline.
(Next trip report: 1987_0620-21_QuandaryPeak.htm)