W0C/PR-036
Kelso Mountain
4004 m / 13164 ft
July 13, 2014
First Activation
By KX0R
Kelso Mountain is a minor summit adjacent to the mighty twin 14-ers Grays and Torreys Peaks. I was surprised how much fun it was to activate Kelso!
Grays and Torreys from Kelso
To reach the trailhead, drive west of Denver on I-70, and exit at mile 221. Drive south and start up the rough Stevens Gulch Road 321. The condition of this road has deteriorated in recent years, and it may not be passable in cars. When I drove my old VW bug up in July 2014, the road was badly in need of repair at about 10,400 feet – I barely made it through a large hole in a steep eroded section. Inquire before going too far. This is a good place to avoid on a busy weekend. If you can get to the trailhead one way or another, a wonderful hike is possible.
Leave the Stevens Gulch Trailhead at 11,300 feet, cross the creek on a bridge and head up the trail to the southwest. After less than 2 miles, the trail approaches the saddle between Kelso and Torreys, to the north. About ¼ mile before the saddle, at a creek-crossing at 12,200 feet, leave the trail and hike north up the south ridge of Kelso. This is a beautiful alpine meadow filled with flowers – step carefully.
Alpine Sunflowers on Kelso Mountain
The remaining hike up to Kelso is about a mile and almost 1000 vertical feet. It starts steep and then gets easy toward the top of the ridge.
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- Kelso South Ridge
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- Kelso Summit
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- Kelso Summit Cairn
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- Torreys Peak from Kelso
The summit has a large activation zone with plenty of room to set up and activate. It is ideal for HF, but take a pole.
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- First Activation of Kelso
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- Kelso Activation Gear
This may not be a good VHF/UHF summit – other mountains partially block the path to the east. This area seems to breed storms, so get up there early, and don’t take a chance with dark clouds.
While it is possible to descend Kelso via a different route than the south ridge used for the ascent, those other routes are really steep.
With the many flowers and spectacular views of Grays and Torreys Peaks, on a nice summer day, Kelso Mountain is a SOTA Classic!
George Carey Fuller
KX0R
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- Flowers on South Ridge of Kelso
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- Columbines along the Trail below Kelso
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- Penstemons along the Trail near Kelso
!! 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!
