Castle Peak is on your left and Conundrum is on your right. We met up with another climber as we headed down and across to Conundrum as we left Castle’s summit behind. From this point simply drop down about 50 feet, and then make the final 250 foot push to the top. The steep snow finger leading to the saddle between the two peaks looked like a great glissade as well. The Conundrum Creek Trail, in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, generally parallels Conundrum Creek weaving 8.5 miles and 2,500 vertical feet up the valley and through the woods and meadows to the popular Conundrum Hot Springs. Once in the upper basin Castle Peak came into view and towered above. The trail down from Castle Peak was very easy to find and follow all the way down to the ridge. The pools reside at 11,200 feet under the west face of Castle Peak. Travel steepens into the capacious upper valley topped by Cathedral Peak (13,943'), Conundrum Peak (14,022') and Castle Peak (14,265'), which Continue up steep, rocky trails similar to but easier than the ridge up Castle Peak. From the Conundrum trailhead (see this link for directions to this famous trailhead), hike for 8 From Conundrum Peak, looking north at the high peaks of the Elk Range–the very challenging summits of Maroon, North Maroon, Snowmass, Pyramid, and Capitol, are all visible. I hiked Castle Peak & Conundrum Peak in July 2017 via the standard trail and desended via the Castle Peak & Conundrum Peak saddle. But don’t be fooled – the day is still long. We noticed the trail heading up the NE ridge of Castle and decided we would do that route then circle around for Conundrum. An 8.5 mile hike up Conundrum Creek Trail brings you to spectacular hot spring pools at treeline near Castle Peak in the Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen, Colorado. While the trail here is rocky and hard to follow, it becomes easier on the ascent up Conundrum. Maroon Peak, South Ridge: The route heads south from Crater Lake along the West Maroon Trail for about 1.8 miles before heading west up Maroon Peak’s east slopes. Expect this bit to be absurdly steep. While a good mountain dog can do this hike, it's a long day full of loose, rocky terrain. The main trail will start to your left, with cut backs leading up to the main ridge trail up Castle Peak. Considering there are thousands of hikers that travel to the hot springs during the peak season, things must add up. Friday night I will hold a yoga session to prepare us for our long hike Saturday and post-hike Saturday we will open up the hamstrings, hips and stretch out our sore muscles with a yoga session back at our private accommodations: Expect to meet people and socialize on a Conundrum Hot Springs trip. See these links for road information. Descend northwest down loose rock to the Castle-Conundrum Saddle at 13,800 ft. Conundrum Peak. Conundrum Peak is an Elk Range mountain and named 14er that technically is a sub-peak of its neighbor Castle Peak as it doesn’t meet the 300-foot prominence requirement for official ranking. That little pile of snow across the gap is the real Conundrum summit. Then camp near the hot springs before you head back out to the trailhead. After scrambling/hiking around the ridge for about 15-20 minutes you will reach a high point looking directly at Castle Peak. Then caught the trail heading to the northeast ridge that began to give better views. Well, on a climb I’m the one usually concerned about the weather. If you are very ambitious, you can also hike this trail and bag two 14’ers, Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak in the same hike. He is not as avid peakbagger as I am, so he allowed me to go summit Conundrum while he enjoyed the summit of Castle to himself. If you want to hike both peaks and have enough time to enjoy the hot springs, I would recommend budgeting a day and a half to complete the hike. Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak ... option, we’d have to re-summit Castle and hike down which would add a lot of time leaving no room for escape if the clouds turned unfriendly. We had a key decision to make. Connects: Montezuma Basin Road (FSR #102), Castle Peak (14,279 ft), Conundrum Peak (14,040 ft) Ashcroft, CO – Hard – Hike -Rocky. Despite Conundrum being shunned on most 14'er lists, it is a worthy mountain with a beautiful profile and some high quality route. From Conundrum Peak, Colorado, 2014 . Mt. Many experienced backpackers like to connect the trails and pick up a ride down the other side from into Crested Butte. At 14,265 feet, Castle Peak is the highest of the mountains in the Elk Range. We summited Castle and enjoyed the views, then started hiking over to Conundrum Peak. Hike Report of Castle Peak. CASTLE PEAK. The views from both peaks are just amazing!! Our Conundrum Peak flag is made from high quality weather-resistant vinyl, and built to withstand the elements. Conundrum Peak, Colorado, 2014 . The trailhead for the Conundrum Creek Trail is so close to Aspen that particularly fit hikers could even hike there. Hayden looms at the start of the hike followed by views of Cathedral Peak, Conundrum Peak and Castle Peak. Nevertheless, it’s a great peak that’s often included as it doees have an official name. Whether you choose to make it a day hike or a spend the night adventure, the Conundrum Hot Springs Trail is a rare and precious jewel for the experienced or determined hiker. By now we could see Conundrum, the wide basin with its snow field, and the small ice-filled lake in the middle. Meeting the People. This is a rocky trail near Ashcroft, CO. Light and compact you can easily roll it up and pack it with you to the peak. Below is a photo looking back on the main trail leading up to Castle Peak. The Conundrum Hot Springs are notorious for crowds. INTRODUCTION As an "unofficial" 14'er, Conundrum Peak is probably the least famous and least climbed of all the Elk Range 14'ers. After a spring and summer of snow, rock, mixed, and international climbs I have decided to get back into 14er bagging. The two 14ers are connected by a saddle. A good look at the route from the summit of Castle all the way over to Conundrum Peak. This last section is very steep but is over much quicker than one might think. Well, I decided the clouds were still of the There was some fresh snow on the trail, but nothing too deep. Conundrum Peak sits next to Castle and tops out at 14,060 feet but because of Conundrums' proximity to Castle, it doesn't qualify as an official fourteener. Conundrum Peak. The Trail. The ridge up Conundrum looks a bit sketchy, but it wasn't bad at all. After picking up your required overnight permit, start your morning with a coffee in Aspen, then drive out 15 min to the trailhead at the end of Conundrum Creek road.The trail is a straight shot 9 miles up the valley, through expansive meadows and an always incredible view of the mountains and aspens that cover the slopes. The Conundrum Creek Trail continues 2 miles and 1700' up to Triangle Pass. So off we went up the trail to the ridge crest. There were some areas of poor trail conditions, but for the most part, it was issue free. Castle Peak & Montezuma Basin The climb on the northeast ridge up to Castle was really interesting and challenging. From here, the trail gains a lung- and leg-busting 2,800 vertical feet in a mile, crossing loose, scrabbly ledges to reach Maroon’s south ridge. Castle and its neighbor Conundrum Peak are an excellent choice if this is your first adventure onto one of these peaks. The standard route on Castle starts up an old 4wd road (for those with an appropriate vehicle, you can shave off most of the distance by driving some of this) and snakes its way up into a beautiful valley above tree line. The hike itself starts easily enough. It takes an 8.5-mile uphill hike to reach Colorado’s Conundrum Hot Springs, which sit at an elevation of 11,200 feet in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness near Aspen. Here is a photo Chad took of Conundrum Peak. Take in the views of the 14er Castle Peak, and nearby Cathedral Peak from this hike. Summit: Castle Peak 14,279’ on July 16, 2013 at 9:20 am, 3 hours 20 minutes from the car. It's a straight forward hike up Castle Peak with a decent trail through the rocks. Once you make the first saddle, entering the bowl of the mountain Castle Peak will come into view. ! The hike in is distinguished by expansive meadows, aspen groves and moderate grades to the Hot Springs. Here’s a closer look at the wall above the top snowfield: ugh! Conundrum Summit. --- PRE-HIKE ---This was only the second 14er hike I've ever done (although the fifth 14er, thanks to the DeCaLiBro hike I did about 2 weeks earlier), and it was certainly a step up from the first both with regard to elevation gain and mileage. Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak are a pair of 14ers located outside of Aspen, Colorado. The land manager requests dogs be leashed. Conundrum Peak and Castle Peak are usually climbed together. As climbers do, we ended up hiking about the same speed and generally becoming engaged in conversation. Nethetheless, we are in the company of giants. As I walked down to the ridge, I began to check out the slopes in the middle. Avoid holiday weekends and perhaps peak season if don't want to fight for campsites. Hayden looms at the start of the hike followed by views of Cathedral Peak, Conundrum Peak and Castle Peak. The springs are at treeline in a valley topped by Cathedral Peak (13,943'), Conundrum Peak (14,022') and Castle Peak (14,265'), which share a similar geologic make-up and appearance to Maroon Bells. Conundrum Peak, is Colorado's 41st highest 14er at an elevation of *14,060 ft (4,285 m), and located in the Elk Range of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Trail: Conundrum Couloir, Class 2, ~ 3 miles, ~2000 ft elevation gain. Glacier Gorge, Long's Peak. 1. Climb Conundrum’s South Ridge, sticking to a trail along the ridge crest as much as possible, to the lower summit. Clouds were all around, and Conundrum was off in the distance (the second peak after the ridge). Access to this trail requires use of either Castle Peak or Conundrum Couloir (Snow Route) trails. The Glacier Gorge Trail is simply spectacular. 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