W0C/SP-113
Eagle Rock
2960 m / 9710 ft

Oct 12, 2015 solo
Sep 5, 2016 with N0TA and WA2USA

By KX0R

Eagle Rock is a prominent summit about 2-1/2 miles west of Tarryall Reservoir, on the west side of South Park.

Key Points:

• Pike National Forest
• OK dirt road access
• Prominent metamorphic rock outcrop
• No marked trail
• Fun Class 2 scramble
• West side parking at ~ 9310 feet
• Fine HF site
• Awesome views of South Park
• No red tape or special rules
• ~ 0.8 mile round trip, south side parking
• ~ 550 vertical feet, south side parking

• SOTA Classic!

Driving Directions:

To access Eagle Rock, start by driving to South Park, either via Highway 285 from Denver, or via Highway 24 from Colorado Springs. Continue to Tarryall Reservoir via the Tarryall Road, Highway 77, which runs from Highway 24, near Lake George, to Highway 285, at Jefferson up north. Near the south end of Tarryall Reservoir, turn west off Highway 77 onto dirt road 23 – the Turner Gulch Road. Follow Road 23 around the Reservoir and west about 2-1/2 miles. Where Road 23 forks off to the south at the top of a hill, keep right – Forest Road 146 heads off to the northwest – look for a sign. Follow the rough 2WD dirt road 146 down a rocky hill into a valley and back up, for about a mile from Road 23 to Eagle Rock – you can’t miss it on the right! The road passes directly south of Eagle Rock. Note that the road numbers on Google Maps differ slightly from the USFS Visitor Map for Pike National Forest.

Park off the road on the south side; or drive around to the west side of the Rock, and follow a small road up closer to the summit. A look at the satellite image shows the Rock and access clearly.

The Climb:

Hike up to the saddle on the south side of the Rock. There’s no marked route, but social paths lead up over the rocky ground. Look up toward the summit, pick a reasonable route, and start up the south side of the outcrop. Several gullies ascend the summit, and the climb is steeper toward the top. The scramble is mostly easy, but it’s Class 2+ in a few spots. The only exposure is on top, near the cliffs around the sides.

Except for a few loose rocks and numerous bushes, the climb is fun! The ascent is about 0.4 mile, with about 550 vertical feet from the road south of the Rock; it’s slightly shorter from the west side.

There are fine views of South Park and the local terrain from the top of Eagle Rock; in particular, Observatory Rock W0C/SP-102 stands prominently 3 miles to the northwest.

Useful Details:

Activating Eagle Rock on HF requires a little creativity. The summit’s large enough for a decent wire antenna, but there are few supports; guying a pole is the obvious choice. I wanted to save time for climbing and activating Observatory Rock, and because of wind on top of Eagle Rock, I set up just below the top on the south side. This made for a fast, easy activation. With my pole attached to a large bush, I tied my 52-foot wire up near the peak.

Eagle Rock is a superb HF summit. There’s no development for miles, and the noise level is very low. Operating from this prominent rock is similar to being on a 500-foot tower!

I made 7 contacts on 40M CW, followed by 16 contacts on 20M CW. The activation lasted 26 minutes, and I could have made more contacts on other bands. However, my focus was on Observatory Rock. I wasn’t sure if I could access it or activate it in the time remaining, so I packed up and headed down quickly.

Please see my report on Observatory Rock W0C/SP-102 for the rest of the story.

The decision to try for a dual activation worked out well. Activating both Eagle Rock and Observatory Rock is reasonable with good weather. It was the middle of the week, and no one else was on either summit when I was there.

I saw no hunters near either mountain, but there certainly were hunters out there in the National Forest that day. During hunting season, wear hunter orange and be careful.

Eagle Rock is a fine SOTA peak, and it’s a SOTA Classic!  If you like a challenging activation, I recommend it; it’s a good warm-up for Observatory Rock. It was well worth the long drive from Boulder!

73

George Carey Fuller
KX0R

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!! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers... there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required - enjoy!