Ruby Mountain, whether it was named for its coloration or for what miners found or hoped to find around it, is a striking peak. Like so many other mountains in the mineral-rich areas of Colorado�s ranges, Ruby is streaked with intense hues, most notably red, though yellows and oranges and darker colors mark it as well.

Located above spectacular Horseshoe Basin in Colorado�s Front Range, Ruby Mountain is directly connected to the famous and popular (many would say too popular) Grays Peak by a rugged ridge, but you will not find anything close to the Grays crowds on Ruby. In fact, you probably will not find anyone else on the mountain at all. No trails climb it, and most visitors to the area are off-road driving enthusiasts, explorers of mining ruins, hikers heading for well-known destinations (Argentine Pass, Grays Peak, Mount Edwards), or just plain sightseers.

Those who climb Ruby Mountain will have incomparable views of the surrounding area, including very private, very quiet views of Grays Peak towering to the north. What�s more, they can choose from several options for climbing the mountain, ranging from Class 2 on steep talus to Class 4 up tight gullies and precarious rock. The routes described on this page will cover 2 options, a Class 4 climb and a Class 2 descent.

After I climbed Ruby, I left feeling that it was hands-down one of the top mountaineering experiences I have had in Colorado, and although I am not a state native and lack the extensive knowledge of the state that some other SP members do, I have climbed peaks, including some challenging and/or obscure ones, in all the state�s major alpine ranges. It is rare that I climb a mountain and feel much desire to climb that same one again. Ruby Mountain is one I would gladly revisit-- for me, it�s all about the beauty of the mountain and the surroundings, the variety of routes, and the solitude amidst a range that can often seem to provide very little.

Ruby Mountain is ranked #419 among Colorado's peaks.

Ghost Towns and Mine Relics

Ruins

A visit to the area around Ruby Mountain is also a tour through the region's mining history. People who enjoy ghost towns and old mining ruins will find many fascinating sites throughout Horseshoe Basin, and they provide nice detours along the way out after a hike or climb to the high peaks ringing the upper basin. Numerous sites are easily accessible via passenger cars, but the most dramatic ones, those stained with age and with towering peaks looming behind them, will require 4WD or some walking to reach. There are some interesting ruins in the vicinity of the upper parking area described in the Getting There section.

Gold and silver were the principal ores sought during the mining days. The ores mined along Peru Creek were transported to Georgetown, on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, via a road over Argentine Pass and connecting to the now-defunct town of Waldorf (completed in 1871). The terrain was too steep and unstable to make the road reliably safe, so it was eventually abandoned. Now, all that remains of the road west of the Divide is the trail to Argentine Pass, but you can still drive up the east side from Waldorf on a rocky, steep 4WD road. Although the boom eventually went bust, one can still find precious metals and gems here. My wife found some silver-streaked rock up at Argentine Pass, and I found amethyst on the summit of nearby McClellan Mountain. But don't go out expecting to find a fortune.

Courtesy of RyanS-- this also happens to be the pond mentioned in the Getting There section.

Ruby (left) from the ridges of Mount Edwards-- by Larry V

Getting There

To enjoy all that�s great about Ruby Mountain but minimize the approach, you will need a 4WD vehicle. If, though, that is not an option, you can still get close enough to the peak to make it worth doing.

From U.S. 6 at the eastern end of Keystone, take the signed road to Montezuma. This road is easy to find if one is traveling eastbound, but there is no direct access to it for westbound travelers, who will have to watch for the road and then make a U-turn to get to it.

At 4.3 miles from U.S. 6, look for a parking area on the left. Beside it, a dirt road heads east. This is the Peru Creek Road, and it is passable to passenger cars for approximately 5 miles, after which the road becomes markedly steeper and rougher, soon requiring high clearance and 4WD if one is to continue on. The Peru Creek Road becomes a very scenic drive after about 3 miles, passing many relics of the area�s mining heyday as it climbs through an open, verdant alpine basin, through which runs a chalk-white stream colored by calcium carried by the water. Peru Creek and some of its tributaries often strongly resemble the glacial streams that one finds in the Canadian Rockies.

There is a good-sized parking area on the left side of the road at 4.7 miles (11,100�), and this is a good spot to park a passenger car (starting from here and following the route described on this page will add about 3 miles RT and over 1000� to your climb). There is a gate (open in the summer) at 4.8 miles, and at 5 miles is the trailhead for Argentine Pass (11,300�-- the TH, not the pass), which also has some parking and is about as far up the road as one should go in a passenger car.

But if you have 4WD and can use it, you can continue on at least 1.2 more miles, where the road forks. Take the left fork (the right climbs steeply to some more mine ruins and is used by hikers heading for Grays Peak) for another tenth of a mile to a small de facto parking area by a willow-encircled pond and just before a crossing of a narrow stream. The elevation here is approximately 12,100�. The road continues beyond this point, leading about another half mile to a 12,200� lake (and past that to more mine ruins) at the base of Ruby Mountain�s northern end, but following the road further requires a sketchy water crossing. The road crosses just above the outlet of the pond, which is rocky and shallow enough in late summer, but the outlet drops sharply into a boggy spot, and one slip of the tires or mistake in wheel placement could mean you are mired. It�s easier, then, to park at the 6.1-mile mark and finish the approach from there.

View of the upper parking area from way above

Routes

Routes overview-- click to see a key for the numbers and markings.

A nice thing about Ruby is that it has several interesting ways up it. There are two sections that stand out, and both offer at least two decent routes: the notch separating Ruby from Grays Peak, and the east ridge. This section will detail parts of those routes, with emphasis, of course, on those that I did. All of them lead to the false summit at the northern end of the mountain, and then it's a short, easy walk to the real summit. No matter the route, if you start from the parking area described in the preceding section, you are looking at 3-5 miles RT and around 1200' of elevation gain. If you start from someplace else, adjust distance and elevation-gain estimates accordingly.

All photos in this section contain pertinent route information in the captions. Please click on them for details.

East Ridge

Consider one of three options: contouring around the mountain to attain and follow the ridge itself (Class 2), hiking up talus to the prominent cliff bands on the northern side of the ridge (Class 3-4), or the long, steep, sandy-colored scree slope to the right of the cliffs (Class 2). I went through the highest and furthest-right cliffs, and details follow. I used this route to reach the crest of the ridge, after which I followed the Class 2 ridge to the false summit at Ruby�s northern end and then finished with an easy hike to the true summit.

As the 4WD road approaches the 12,200� lake at the head of Falls Gulch below the Ruby-Grays ridge, a rugged rock face, just right of which is a steep, yellowish talus gully, appears. Ascend the talus and scree to these rocks, and then let the fun begin. With very careful route-finding, one might be able to keep the climbing here at Class 3, but the mountain just seems to funnel you into very steep, tight gullies with lots of loose rock and solid rock bands that nevertheless require tricky moves. At times, you may find yourself surprisingly and uncomfortably exposed and surrounded by bad rock; it�s not the rock of the Elks or the kind of exposure that makes for falls of hundreds of feet, but the rock and exposure are bad enough to kill you, so respect this mountain.

The climbing ends on airy slabs after only about 150', but it's worth it considering that most peaks in this area of the Front Range offer little other than walk-ups unless one gets quite creative and daring. It's then a Class 2 trek up to the false summit that from below looked as though it just had to be the true one. Near that false summit is also where the true summit comes into view for the first time along this route (the true summit is easily seen from lower in Horseshoe Basin but not from the upper parking area or the early parts of the climb). Along the ascent there are spectacular views of upper Horseshoe Basin and the Continental Divide, and there is also a fine view of the 12,838� notch dividing Ruby from Grays, as well as the exciting-looking south ridge of Grays (easily Class 3, likely harder in spots even by the easiest way, assuming one follows the ridge itself).

Notch Route

To the right of the false summit, a ridge drops down to a 12,838' notch separating Ruby from Grays Peak. The direct way is to ascend to the notch via the steep gully-like scree slope leading directly from the notch almost to the lake at 12,200' (described above with the East Ridge route). From the parking area, this slope looks obscenely steep, but from the lake it looks a little more reasonable. I used it for a descent route, but it was steep enough, and loose enough in places, to make for pretty miserable going if ascending it. However, it's Class 2 all the way, ideal for hikers and for scramblers who like their rock to be a little better than what it's like on the east ridge's cliffs.

From the notch, a faint goat trail leads along the right side of the ridge, climbing about 400' to the false summit. This is easy Class 2 hiking.

A variation of the Notch Route can be found by climbing the rock and cliff bands to the right of the scree slope. The upper sections clearly have Class 3 going on them, but getting up there may be the trick. Lower down, the cliffs are steeper and look more challenging. One could also hike up the scree gully and then traverse right to the easier rock to scramble the rest of the way to the ridge, but that doesn't make too much sense, as you would expend a lot of energy getting high up the mountain only to detour right before heading back left to reach the notch. It would be better to try the rock route the entire way.

And On to the Summit

From the false summit, you also finally get your first glimpses of what lies on the other side of Ruby Peak; directly below is upper Ruby Gulch, and the vista in the distance stretches from the Mosquito Range to the Gore Range, with the Sawatch on the far horizon. Pikes Peak is even visible far to the south, and you can make out the Sangre De Cristos on very clear days.

The hike to the true summit is easy and mostly flat, involving very little elevation change even on the final �push,� if it can really be called that. This final hike may take fewer than 10 minutes to do.

And now the true summit is a short walk away...

Summit Views

Red Tape, Camping, Links

There is no red tape concerning fees or permits, but do respect private property in the area.

There are no developed campgrounds along the Peru Creek Road, but there are numerous opportunities for dispersed roadside camping.

Contact White River National Forest for more information, including gate openings/closures for the Peru Creek Road. Phone number: 970-945-2521.

Images



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