BETA PHOTO: Lone Eagle Peak with Stettner route shown.
Description
Lone Eagle Peak, though a mere 11,900 feet high, is one of the most remote and beautiful granite peaks in Colorado. It sits just west of the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks near Pawnee Pass and is host to a classic Stettner route, the 5.7 north face, a must-do for the grade.
The Lone Eagle Cirque can be approached from the east over Pawnee Pass or from the west starting at the Monarch Lake trailhead. No matter which way you go it's a long hump. There is plenty of potential for new (trad) routes and bouldering in the Crater Lake/Triangle Lake area. This area is quite pristine. Do your best to keep it that way!
Getting There
Access the Brainard Lake Recreation Area via the Peak-to-Peak Highway. Drive west past Brainard Lake to the Long Lake trailhead and follow the Pawnee Pass trail 4-5 miles to the pass at 12,500 feet on the Continental Divide. Descend the west side of Pawnee Pass (very steep), passing Pawnee Lake en route to a junction with the Crater Lake Trail 3 miles below the pass. Hike a gentle uphill mile south to Crater Lake (camping permit required -- you can get these at the National Forest Service office in Boulder). Lone Eagle Peak is the towering pinnacle just south of and above the lake.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Lone Eagle Peak:
This moderate alpine rock route is classic both for the quality of the climbing and the sheer ambience of the wall it tackels. The long approach to Lone Eagle Peak ensures solitude and the cirque itself is un-matched for beauty in the entirety of the Indian Peaks.Despite the moniker, most of the climbing takes place on the east side of the peak. Scramble southeast up a steep grassy slope for 200 yards from Crater Lake to the base of the east fa...[more]Browse More Classics in CO
Getting There #2 Take US 34 north out of Granby. Exit to the east on Arapaho Bay Road. Skirt the southern side of Grand Lake; the road turns into solid gravel, smooth and well-kept, no 2WD worries.
Pass Arapaho Bay and continue towards Monarch Lake Trailhead. Park and start hiking east on Cascade Creek Trail. Follow signs towards Crater Lake, Lone Eagle dominates.
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