W0C/SR-061
Mount Sherman
4278 m / 14036 ft
Sep 28, 2016

By KX0R

Mount Sherman is a rocky, high, alpine summit in a historic mining area about 10 miles west of Fairplay, Colorado.

• High altitude hike
• Very popular 14-er climb
• Rocky trail goes all the way to the top
• Spectacular alpine scenery
• Excellent HF site
• 4.7 miles round-trip
• ~2000 vertical feet total
• *** SOTA Classic! ***

Driving Directions:

• Drive west on Highway 285, and cross Kenosha Pass
• Continue west on Highway 285 to Fairplay
• Drive south from Fairplay about one mile
• Just past the turn-off for Highway 9, Highway 285 goes up a little hill
• Turn west at the top of the hill on County Road 18, the Four Mile Creek Road
• This unpaved road is OK for several miles, but it gets worse as it heads up into the mountains. 4WD is not required, but many parts of the road are rocky and rough.
• Follow CR 18 up scenic, historic Four Mile Creek, past old mines and mills.

• The last mile or so is rough and steep. There are many rocks too large for low-clearance vehicles. Some vehicles with medium clearance may make it OK, if driven carefully.

• Parking lower along the road is possible – some parking is available about one mile down, near 11,600 feet.
• The road ends at a gate near an old mine; there’s a large parking area.
• This is the Fourmile Creek Trailhead, also called the Mount Sherman Trailhead.

• This trailhead is at 12,200 feet
• It’s about 12 miles from Highway 285 to the trailhead.
• This is a very popular trailhead, because Mount Sherman is one of the most-climbed 14-ers.

The Hike:

• Because of the high altitude, this trip is recommended only for experienced climbers with a high level of physical fitness.
• Google Maps show none of the trails near Mount Sherman
• GPS is very useful in this area
• The hike is relatively simple, but it isn’t marked well with signs, etc.
• Hike up the road past the gate, and stay on the mine road as it ascends mostly north, up past various old mines and historic structures, into a high basin at about 12,900 feet.

• A well-used foot trail leads west from the basin at 12,900 feet up to the saddle at about 13,125 feet. There are a few cairns marking the correct route.
• At the saddle, Mount Sherman stands high to the northeast; Mount Sheridan stands less high to the southwest.
• Follow the trail northeast up the moderate ridge

• Continue climbing up past 13,500 feet, as the ridge narrows and becomes steeper and rougher.
• At 14,000 feet the trail reaches the long, flat summit ridge.

• The actual summit is near the middle of the ridge.
• Several rock piles and wind shelters are available.

Additional Details:

Unless the wind is extreme, or people are already there, a wind shelter may be a good place to set up radio gear. I had some wind, so I guyed my pole to rocks near a convenient shelter north of the summit. It was easy to run the wire along the ridge and set up my gear in the shelter.

Mount Sherman is a perfect HF summit. It falls away in all directions, and there are no higher peaks nearby to affect skip signals. There’s little development with AC power nearby, and the RF noise level is very low. I had no problem making 43 CW contacts on three HF bands!

Sherman is an OK VHF/UHF peak, because it looks out across most of South Park, as well as into parts of the Arkansas Valley. The SOTA page shows many 2M contacts.

The summit offers great views of numerous peaks and most of South Park. The immediate area near the mountain is impressive – White Ridge extends far out to the east – it’s very bright. Pikes Peak stands alone across South Park, 66 miles to the southeast.

Other high peaks stand for miles along the top of the Mosquito Range to the north. Mount Sheridan is only about 1.3 mile southwest, and the ridge continues 1.6 miles south to Horseshoe Mountain.

The ridge stays high for many more miles. It seems like everything in sight is over 4000M! The Sawatch Range isn’t far away, with numerous higher peaks to the west. . Dozens of SOTA peaks are visible.

Mount Sheridan W0C/SR-070 offers a reasonable dual activation nearby. Activating Sheridan adds about 2 miles and 650 vertical feet to the trip up Sherman. I activated both peaks, but I started with Sheridan. It was a long day, but so nice that there was almost nothing to worry about.

I saw only a few people on Sherman, mostly because my visit was late in the season. It was perfect weather, with little wind, and sunny all day. It’s incredible to be in such high places with ideal conditions! It was nice to contact so many chasers with my tiny radio!

Mount Sherman is a SOTA Classic for all the reasons detailed above, and Mount Sherman and Sheridan are a SOTA Classic Dual Activation!

73

George
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!