Atlantic Peak West Ridge 13er Trail Guide

January 19, 2021 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 1 comment

Atlantic Peak is a Colorado 13er and centennial at just under 13,850ft. The 87th highest peak in Colorado has two main routes to the summit: from the east and from the west. The West Ridge is the most common way to hike this mountain during the spring and winter while also providing the shortest hike to its summit during summer and fall months. Atlantic Peak via the West Ridge is a class 2 hike with a lack of trail for about 50% of the hike.

Atlantic Peak Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Atlantic Peak via West Ridge

Atlantic Peak Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)

Distance: 7 Miles RT from Road, 4 Miles RT from upper TH

Elevation Start: 10,967ft (Road), 11,503ft (upper TH)

Highest Point: 13,841ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,000ft (lower TH) – 2,450ft (upper TH)

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hours RT – Longer range of that with snow

Difficulty: Moderate Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 2 What does this mean?

Season: Year Round – Expect snow November – June

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Atlantic Peak West Ridge

Trailhead: Mayflower Gulch

Getting Here: The hike up Atlantic Peak via the West Ridge starts from Mayflower Gulch which is located off CO-91. The lower TH is about 17.5 miles north of Leadville and 6 miles from I70 to the north. You can enter Mayflower Gulch TH into your GPS. If you have a higher clearance AWD or a standard 4×4, you can continue up another 1.5 miles to the upper TH. This portion of the drive will not be accessible during winter months (November 23rd – Mayish) as the road is closed.

Fees: There is no fee to hike Atlantic Peak

Parking: The “main” parking area is located right off CO91 and can fit about 20-30 cars. This spot is popular on most summer weekends and can fill up. During the winter, this spot is also popular for backcountry skiers and snowboarders but is generally not SUPER busy. There are no restrooms at any point during this hike including the TH. If you do drive to the upper TH, parking is more limited with space for about 5-10 cars.

Summary

Camping: Sleeping in your car is commonplace for the lower TH with no legal camping spots in the area. If you continue up the road there are ample spots to throw up a tent for the night including near the upper TH. In general though, this is not a fantastic spot to camp.

Dogs: Atlantic Peak via the West Ridge is dog friendly for most dogs. This hike does have some sections of loose rock, no trail and a few higher Class 2 moves. During the winter, I wouldn’t recommend hiking with a dog here unless they are good off leash and used to dealing with snow.

Make it a Loop: Atlantic Peak via the West Ridge is an out and back hike. If you want to extend the hike you can add on neighboring Pacific Peak via an easier class 2 scramble. Adventurous hikers can tack on neighboring Fletcher or Drift Peaks via the Mayflower traverse which consists of several class 5 sections. Note* As of this publishing, I have not done either of these routes myself.

Trail X Factors: Willows

Willows have been put on this earth to annoy and frustrate hikers while making the difficulty of any hike 5x harder. The hike up Atlantic Peak is no different. If you head here in the early winter or spring when snow levels are lower, trudging through the willows can be a nightmare. They are full of small streams, ruts and if THICK willow bushes. In the winter when snow levels are higher, these willows can simply be hiked over. Summer willow hiking will be equally as bad as the spring or early winter. This section of hiking is located right after the upper TH and lasts for about 2/10 of a mile.

Hike Tip(s): Regardless of the time of year you head to Atlantic Peak, chances are you will be doing some route finding. After you head to the upper TH, your best bet to get through the willows and up Mayflower Hill is to stay straight with a slight left angle to your line. When you are in the area it will be pretty obvious that the farther right you stay, the harder your elevation gain is which is completely unnecessary while also posing a much higher avalanche risk in the winter and spring months. Once you do gain the first ridge, stay straight (north) before heading right (east) up to the saddle of Atlantic Peak.

Best Views: This hike truly has great views from the time you leave your car to the time you get to the summit. Mayflower Gulch is beautiful with awesome views of neighboring Fletcher Mountain, the Mayflower Traverse and Drift Peak. From the summit, views of Pacific Peak and Quandary Peak are obvious with a great view west to the Collegiate Peaks as well.

Atlantic Peak Hike Route (West Ridge)

Gear Needed

14er Packing List
Hiking Boots or Trail Runners
Backpack

Protection from Sun – almost entire hike is without shade
Optional: Map of area or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
Optional: Hiking Poles

Optional: Headlamp
Winter Only: Snowshoes
Winter Only: Gaiters

Winter Only: Microspikes
Winter Only: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
Winter Only: Mountain Axe

Winter Only: Crampons
Winter Only: Crampon Bag
Optional: Hiking/SkiPoles

Optional: Climbing Helmet
Optional: Mountaineering Boots
Optional: Ski or Snowboard

Optional: Camera
*Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

My Trip to Atlantic Peak West Ridge: November 2020

I always have to re-learn that having snow = no hike is “easy” unless you are very lucky. This was the case with Atlantic Peak via the West Ridge. I arrived to the TH around 9AM thinking that I would be able to knock out this 7 mile hike in about 3-4 hours. Needless to say that did not happen.

Juno was my hiking partner on this day as I know how much she loves the snow and since this was only a class 2 hike, I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal. Our first obstacle of the day was the willows which were a major pain when you have a dog on a leash that is 20ft long. Once we threaded the needle through them, we slowly made our way up the snowy slopes of Mayflower Hill. The snow was mostly sugar and led us through loose rocks galore!

Towards this point of the day after hours of slow going hiking, I decided to fly my drone. I got some great shots but the cold weather drained the battery much quicker than I was used to and ended up crashing it (twice). The first crash took me a solid 2 hours of looking for it and right before I gave up, I found it! I also dropped my phone along the way, cracking the screen. Like any idiot, I decided to push my luck and fly it again. This time the crash was much easier to find but presented a lot of damage to the drone. No more flying for the day.

We ended up making it up to the summit of Atlantic Peak a solid 4 hours after starting our day. The views were beautiful and the hike down was relatively uneventful but we didn’t return to the car until 4PM. Atlantic Peak and I will be seeing other people for quite some time….

Check out some pictures from our hike up Atlantic Peak via West Ridge below and then watch the virtual trail guide.