Turtle Rock - Fourmile Road- Unnamed Point 9,620 Feet
Photos and Video of The Fourmile Region Northeast of Buena Vista, Colorado - March 8, 2009
The Fourmile area located northeast of
Buena Vista, Colorado doesn't get a
lot of respect. Like much of the hilly and mountainous region east of the
Arkansas River
from Buena Vista all the way down to Salida,
these peaks don't compete with the massive mountains in the Sawatch Range,
west of the valley. Yet during the winter months,
when snow is too much of an obstacle in the Sawatch Range,
outdoor adverturers tend to gravitate to places like Fourmile.
On this beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon, I hiked to an unnamed summit
(alt. ~9,620 feet) near the winter gate of Fourmile Road. I also include photos of Turtle Rock
and mountain scenery along Chaffee County Road 375 (known as Fourmile Road). I think I came up
with some scenic photos!
-Steve
Contact:
Twitter: @stevegarufi
Facebook: ColoradoGuy.com Fan Page
Myspace: http://myspace.com/stevelonghair
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Turtle Rock
First of all, how to get to this area: From the
Buena Vista traffic light,
travel east on Main Street. Make a right (north) on Colorado Street. Take that road approximately three miles,
where it becomes a dirt road. Fourmile Road (Chaffee County Road 375) is a right turn
just before one reaches Turtle Rock and the Midland Tunnels (top photo).
BOTTOM: So does Turtle Rock look like a turtle? (A photo from Fourmile Road.) |
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Another photo from Fourmile Road.
A campground exists near the base of the rock on its east side. My knowledge
is limited, but I'm 98% sure Turtle Rock can only be summited with the use of ropes and
all that - real rock climbing! :) |
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One more view of Turtle Rock as I was coming back down Fourmile Road after my hike. |
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The Hike
The hike begins. It was a little boring at first. In fact,
I wondered if this was going to be a waste of time as I walked up this modest hill. |
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The ascent is minimal - probably only about 300 to 500 feet at most from the gate.
TOP PHOTO: The unnamed point comes into view on the right.
BOTTOM PHOTO: A trail travels north-south. Looks like
its used for mountain biking, although there are spots where there are ruts from
4-wheel drive vehicles.
I followed the trail to those rocks! |
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At the base of the rocks. From this vantage point,
I could not tell where the highest point was among these rocks. I tried to scramble
up some of these crevaces with trees, but came back down. |
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I walked on the west side of the rocks.
Look at the top photo: Doesn't that look like a person's face? I
scrambled up, then had this view (right photo) of a very steep rock slope.
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I continued to scramble around and walked around this spot...
Then on the east side, it was a short ascent to the top. |
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The Summit - Unnamed Point (9,620 Feet)
So beautiful. It's a shame this point doesn't have a name! |
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TOP: The Fourmile Region.
BOTTOM: The view to the South. |
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Ahhhhh ...
Mt. Princeton! This is the view to the southwest.
The town of Buena Vista, CO sits in the valley toward the left. Homes outside of town can be clearly seen. |
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The lighting was horrible facing west thanks to the sun's position in the afternoon.
TOP: Mt. Yale and Mt. Columbia.
MIDDLE: Facing northwest.
Mt. Elbert,
Colorado's High Point, is the snow-capped mountain farthest to the right.
BOTTOM: The view to the north. Oh and yes, it really was a steep cliff to the west and northwest.
Be careful if you visit! |
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One self-photo. It was great to be up there! :) |
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