OverviewByers Peak stands out as a prominent, highly visible mountain to the west of the town of Fraser in southern Grand County, and is an easily identifiable and beautiful landmark. It is also the highest point in the Byers Peak Wilderness Area. Despite having only two main trailheads, there are many routes and loop hikes available. Just one possibility is to combine Byers Peak with Bills Peak.
Byers Peak is a very popular peak, but doesn't receive quite as much attention as other (14er) peaks in the area due to its lower height.
The summit has excellent views of all the peaks in the Vassquez Moutains, the Never Summer Range, Indian Peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park, Williams Fork Range, and the Gore Range.
Also included on this page, will be two lesser summits, Bottle Peak (11,583 feet) and Ptarmigan Peak (11,773 feet). These peaks are directly north of Byers Peak, and are climbed from the same trailheads as Byers Peak. They are not high by Colorado standards, but are interesting small peaks or high hills and are certainly worth climbing.
Final piece of trail on the normal route to summit |
Getting ThereOld (Bottle Pass) and New Byers Peak Trailheads
There are a few routes to get to the trailhead, but this one may be best. From Highway 40 at the shopping center near the canter of Fraser, turn south on County Road 72 for .2 miles. Turn right on Fraser Parkway for .8 miles. Turn left on County Road 73 and follow it for 7 miles. There are a few side tracks, but stay on the main road. Make a left here and drive to the parking lot at end of the road. This section of road is slow going, but you should be able to manage it with no trouble without a 4WD vehicle. The Old Byers Peak/Bottle Pass Trailhead is located back down the road another .4 miles and is at a clearly marked parking lot.
Note: SP member Skibabeage writes: The Forest Service has declared the area surrounding Byer's Peak a wilderness. The gate is now permanently closed at St. Louis Campground and access is on foot only up the road. It's a long slog to the trailhead!
If this is the case, it will add eight miles round trip to the routes from the east!
Keyser Creek Trailhead
East of Parshall (not far east of Kremmling) and on Highway 40 between mile post 197 and 198, turn south onto Country Road 3. Follow County Road 3 until you reach County Road 32 (FR-139), between mile markers 15 and 16 on County Road 3. Follow County Road 32 for 4.7 miles and turn right on FR-136 on the road marked for Lake Evelyn and Bottle Pass Trail. The small parking area at the trailhead is reached after another 3.9 miles. The roads are sometimes washboard, but any vehicle should be able to reach the trailhead in good weather.
Byers Peak from St. Louis Creek road |
Routes OverviewFor full descriptions, rather than references to other routes/route combinations, please refer to the descriptions for each individual routes. The routes below contain much cross-references, and are meant to be an overview showing the many route possibilities.
New Byers Peak Trail
Note: This trail is not the one shown on the topo map.
This is a newly constructed trail and has become the standard route on Byers Peak. From the Byers Peak Trailhead, follow the well marked trail east and slightly south to a west-east tending ridge near point 11,052. After topping the ridge, the trail more or less follows it until reaching the hard-to-see Old Byers Peak Trail at the timberline at 11,600 feet. There is supposed to be a sign at the junction, but it was gone in August 2003. For this reason, the Old Byers Peak Trail is hard to spot. From the junction, the trail follows the north ridge of Byers Peak to the summit. There is some easy class 2 scrambling on the last part of the ridge. The summit is 2.4 miles from the trailhead and has 2200 feet altitude gain. (See note: The gate is now permanently closed at St. Louis Campground and access is on foot only up the road. It's a long slog to the trailhead)!
If this is the case, it will add eight miles round trip to the routes from the east!
Old Byers Peak Trail
Note: The beginning of this trail is not shown on the topo map.
From the trailhead, follow the trail marked for Bottle Pass up the hillside. This part of the trail is newly constructed. The trail switchbacks up to the ridge through the forest. Once the ridge is reached, there is a trail sign/junction (junction A, for purposes of this page). Turn left (south) along the Old Byers Peak Trail. This trail isn't used nearly as much as the New Byers Peak Trail, and offers solitude. Parts of the trail are a bit faded, but fairly easy to follow, since the trail stays close to the ridgetop. The trail more or less follows the ridge and reaches the New Byers Peak Trail at timberline. The new trail is then followed to the summit. If you plan to ascend one trail, and return via another, it is recommended that you ascendthe Old Byers Peak Trail and decend the New Trail. The reason for this is that its easy to miss the turnoff to the Old Trail while descending because the junction is not marked. The summit via this route is 3.1 miles with 2200 feet elevation gain.
Keyser Creek
The Keyser Creek route is on the west side of Byers Peak and is less used than the eastern routes. From the trailhead, follow the trail (an old logging road) south up the Kesyer Creek Valley. You will pass a trail juction, with a trail marked for Bottle Pass, but continue along the old logging road. The trail reaches a marked junction after 1.8 miles. For the purposes of this page, this will be refered to as Junction B. Take a left for the trail marked Byers Peak Trail (Note: I used the Keyser Creek Trail to climb Bills Peak and haven't seen the short mile connection between the two trails). The trail is not shown accurately on the map, and it switchbacks up to the ridge and intersects the trail described under the Old Byers Peak Trail description at junction A. The total distance from the Keyser Creek Trailhead to the summit is 5.3 miles with 2800 feet elevation gain.
Byers/Bills Peak Loop
There are many options for a loop hike combining both Byers and Bills Peaks. Climb Byers Peak by any of the three routes described above. From the summit of Byers, follow the somewhat rugged ridgeline SW to Bills Peak. A faint trail exist in places. From Bills Peak follow the Keyser Creek route for Bills Peak to junction B. If you started at the old or new Byers Peak trail, turn right at the junction (marked for Byers Peak) and follow the trail back to the trailhead. See the above route descriptions after Junction B. If you started at the Keyser Creek Trailhead, reverse the route described in the Keyser Creek route from Junction B. The total distance using the New Byers Peak Trail/Keyser Creek Routes from the Old Byers Peak Trailhead is 10.3 miles with 4400 feet elevation gain. From the Keyser Creek Trailhead, the total distance is 12.3 miles with 4600 feet elevation gain.
Bottle and Ptarmigan Peaks
From the Old Byers Peak (Bottle Pass) Trailhead, follow the trail to Junction A (see above). Follow the sometimes faded trail north, staying right along the ridge to Bottle Peak. The route to Ptarmigan Peak is clearly visible. Follow the very faint and fairly steep track down to Bottle Pass. From Bottle Pass, climb the NE slopes of Ptarmigan Peak to the summit. The one way distance to Ptarmigan Peak is 2.2 miles with a total of 1550 feet elevation gain.
Byers-Bills Peak Ridge |
Red TapeNo permits are required to climb Byers Peak. Parking at the trailheads is free.
When To ClimbThe most popular season is July through September. Expect to walk through some snow at least as late as mid July. Byers Peak would make a fine winter ascent, but you must walk a much longer distance.
Beware of thunderstorms in the summer months!
Byers Peak in February |
CampingCamping is available below the trailhead at the Byers Creek Campground. Check with the Forest Service (970-498-2770) for the current fees. Because Byers Peak lies within the Fraser Experimental Forest, overnight camping is not allowed except at designated camping areas. For information on current camping restrictions and other camping areas in the vicinity, contact the Sulphur Ranger District.
Mountain ConditionsBecause it stands in relative isolation above the Fraser Valley, Byers Peak experiences frequent and strong winds, even on good-weather days. Be sure to bring a lightweight windbreaker. The section of trail above timberline is short, and can be downclimbed quickly and easily In the case of inclement weather, but it is always wise to watch the skies.
For current road and trail conditions, contact:
Sulphur Ranger District
9 Ten Mile Drive
Granby, CO 80446
970-887-4100
WEATHER FORECAST
Below is the climate summary for nearby Berthoud Pass at 11,315 feet elevation. These are all averages, so expect more variation, but this will give you a good idea about the climate at higher elevations around Byers Peak. *National Weather Service Data 1950-1985.
| MONTH | HIGH | LOW | SNOW DEPTH | DAYS W/PRECIP | | JAN | 21 | 1 | 42" | 19 | | FEB | 24 | 2 | 52" | 16 | | MAR | 29 | 6 | 63" | 20 | | APR | 36 | 14 | 67" | 17 | | MAY | 45 | 23 | 53" | 16 | | JUN | 54 | 32 | 17" | 11 | | JUL | 62 | 39 | 0 | 14 | | AUG | 60 | 38 | 0 | 14 | | SEP | 53 | 31 | 0 | 11 | | OCT | 42 | 21 | 3" | 10 | | NOV | 30 | 10 | 14" | 15 | | DEC | 23 | 3 | 29" | 18 |
Images
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Vasquez Mountains
