Stanley Mountain - 7.7 Miles Round-Trip

Stanley Mountain is located 3.85 miles west of Berthoud Pass along the Continental Divide Trail. This airy alpine trek climbs steeply through treeline then levels in open tundra for two miles to the summit. Good trail conditions and mild grades are ideal for families, an acclimation hike and winter travel.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

Views are exceptional throughout, highlighted by Vasquez Peak and the Mt Flora massif. Visitors will also enjoy diverse alpine ecology and wildlife on the hike to Stanley Mountain:

From Berthoud Pass, cross HWY 40 to the braided trail on the west side of the road. Choose the well-defined track that cuts SW across the hillside and ignore social trails heading straight up.

The trail rises steadily in a healthy subalpine forest with emerging views to the east. Look for grouse and snowshoe hare in this prime habitat.

It clears treeline (.85 miles : 11,850’) and levels on a high, thin ridge to the base of a steep wall (1.25 miles : 11,930’). Strenuous switchbacks reach open tundra (1.55 miles : 12,253’) where travel eases up another ridge to the Vasquez Peak Wilderness Boundary (1.85 miles : 12,370’).

Here the trail bends SW and moderates atop the Divide, undulating subtly over three distinct basins which can be cumulatively taxing at these elevations.

As with many segments of the CDT in Colorado the east side drops precipitously, while the west slopes gently down. Glass untracked basins below for elk and moose on this fast-moving stretch.

The trail rises up the south side of a third basin (3.5 miles : 12,370’) with your first glimpse of Stanley Mountain, a nondescript rock pile just off trail.

It runs just below the unmarked summit with a very short scramble to the top (3.85 miles : 12,521’). This unassuming nub is easy to miss, but a decisive drop just past it is a reliable indicator.

Vasquez Peak (12,947’) stands prominently to the west, accessible off the CDT on a sparingly defined but intuitively followed route. This is a challenging extension that should only be attempted by experienced hikers under favorable weather conditions.