SOUTH TARRYALL PEAK
(11,206’)November 9, 2017
By Tim Briese
10.3 miles, 2900’, 7:50 roundtrip time
I parked at the Spruce Grove Trailhead off the Tarryall Road and at 8 am walked down the road through the campground and crossed the bridge over the Tarryall River, and started hiking north on the Lizard Rock Trail with my lab Abby.
view of south tarryall peak from the trailhead. the route goes up the other side of it.
the trail goes underneath this boulder right on the other side of the river
The elevation at the river is about 8500’. It was 22 degrees and cloudy but the sky soon cleared and it turned into a beautiful pleasant day. This is a scenic area, with meadows, forests, and rock formations to treat the eye.
on the lizard rock trail. south tarryall peak is to the upper right, just off the photo.
lizard rock
After hiking 2.6 miles I reached a trail junction at a pass east of Lizard Rock at 9300’. After a nice break in the sun I headed uphill to the east on the Hankins Pass Trail. There was a half inch or so of snow on this excellent trail and I clipped along and reached 10,020’ Hankins Pass at 1030, 4.2 miles from the trailhead. I could see the rounded hump of South Tarryall Peak above the trees to the southwest which was helpful in choosing my route from the pass.
view of south tarryall peak from hankins pass. i headed up toward the ridge at the left.
I began bushwhacking south-southwest up through the trees aiming generally for a slight saddle on the ridgeline east of South Tarryall. This moderate bushwhack was a fun adventure. There was an inch or two or snow on this north facing slope but not enough to bother my climbing. When I reached the ridge at 11,000’ I encountered downed trees everywhere, perhaps victims of the Hayman Fire in 2002.
on the bushwhack up to the ridge
approaching the ridge
the ridge to the summit
I bushwhacked 0.2 miles west up the ridge to the summit, weaving around a maze of downed logs and boulders, on a faint trail in some places which others had blazed before. I checked out some boulders on an eastern point in case it was the top before proceeding a little further to a higher spot to the west which was the true summit.
this looked like it might be the summit but it was not
the summit of south tarryall
I stepped on top at 1145. The summit was an unexpectedly spectacular vantage point, with great 360 degree views that perhaps exceeded those of any other peak I have climbed in the Lost Creek Wilderness. Of course it helped to have a beautiful clear day, too. I could look down at the Tarryall River Valley running in both directions, and could see distant peaks to the northwest, the Sawatch Range to the west, the Sangres to the south, Pikes Peak, the Tarryall Mountains, Bison Peak, McCurdy Mountain, and even my truck far below at the trailhead. As I gazed about I thought about how much I like to visit the LCW.
a view to the northwest up the tarryall river valley
the sawatch range to the southwest. my truck is parked along the road in the lower left part of the photo.
the sangre de cristos
pikes peak
bison peak is to the left and mccurdy mountain is to the right
It was warm and sunny on the summit with only a slight breeze so I lounged around enjoying it for over an hour. What a blessing to be able to hike to a place like this! At 1 pm I finally left the top and bushwhacked back down to the trail at Hankins Pass on mostly the same route I had come up, then continued on down the trail.
heading back down the summit ridge
rock formations in the lcw
heading down the trail west of hankins pass
if you are ever tempted to complain about your lot in life, persevere, and remember that others have had it worse
on the way back down the lizard rock trail
I arrived back at my truck at 350. I saw no one else on the hike today. It was an adventure wrapped in peaceful solitude. Before heading for home I sat on the tailgate of my truck for a while enjoying the grand scenery and the surrounding rock formations bathed in the warm and golden late afternoon sunlight.
south tarryall peak in the late afternoon sun
