Fletcher Mountain 13er Winter Hike Guide
Fletcher Mountain is a 13er and centennial located just outside of Breckenridge, Colorado. This Ten Mile Range Peak is a great spot to hike year round, but particularly in the winter as it has relatively low avalanche risk and good trailhead access. Fletcher Mountain is not a super technical hike in the winter making it a good intermediate to moderate winter and spring climb. This hike starts from the Blue Lakes Trailhead and will typically have much less traffic than neighboring 14er Quandary Peak.
Fletcher Mountain Winter Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Fletcher Mountain Winter
Fletcher Mountain Rating: ★★★★(4/5 Stars)
Distance: 7.5 Miles RT – From Winter Closure
Elevation Start: 11,314ft – From Winter Closure
Highest Point: 13,958ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,300ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 8-10 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (depending on snow level) What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 What does this mean?
Season: Year Round – Winter Route is typically November – May
Directions to Fletcher Mountain
Trailhead: Blue Lakes TH
Getting Here: Quandary Peak is most commonly accessed through the ski town of Breckenridge. Take I-70 to exit 203 and follow this road straight until you reach Breck. Once through the town, continue on for about 8.8 miles until you reach Blue Lakes Road (County Road 850). Continue on County Road 850 for about 2 miles until you reach the reservoir/dam. In the winter, access to this road shuts off after about a half mile or so adding 4 miles to the hike (included in the distance above). You can enter in Blue Lakes Trailhead into your favorite navigational device.
Fees: As of 2021, there is no fee to hike this trail.
Parking: Parking for Fletcher Mountain in the winter depends on the time of winter you visit. Once the road closes down low parking is limited to 5-10 cars at max. If you are able to drive up to the upper TH there is a larger area to fit 10-15 cars. Neither areas have restrooms.
Summary
Camping: Fletcher Mountain is not a good spot to camp, much of the land around the TH is privately owned and once you get up higher, the terrain is very rocky.
Dogs: If you were hiking Fletcher Mountain without snow then this would be a dog friendly hike. However, in the winter there is deep snow, a number of avalanche prone slopes and a very exposed ridge on the summit where a slip or fall would be deadly. Lea e the dog at home for this one.
Make it a Loop: Fletcher Mountain can easily be paired with neighboring Quandary Peak via the West Ridge. If conditions allow, extending the hike to neighboring Drift Mountain is also very common. Really, there are endless options to extend the hiking here if you are looking to do so.
X Factors: Trailhead & Snow Levels
Who doesn’t like a shorter hike, I know I would never complain about less miles. If you are able to start from the upper Blue Lakes TH, the hike up Fletcher goes from a longer day to a quick outing in the mountains. Similar to snow levels. Usually you can get away without having snowshoes on this trip but after a large storm, not having them will end any day short of your summit aspirations. Reading recently trip reports and understanding what the weather has been like in the area recently is vital when preparing for this one.
Hike Tip(s): When hiking Fletcher Mountain be sure to understand the avalanche forecast from CAIC and also know how to evaluate avalanche terrain when planning your trip. Although Fletcher Mountain is not loaded with it, there are two or three steep slopes that could slide, especially with poor conditions.
Speaking of poor conditions, the final ridgeline can be night and day from the conditions you had the rest of the hike. Massive cornices, bulletproof snow and high winds are very common. Pick your line carefully and be sure to understand the risks of cornices as well.
Best Views: The hike up to Fletcher Mountain has outstanding views from start to finish. Honestly, it’s very hard to go wrong with views on this one, especially in the winter. From the summit views south are my favorite but honestly close your eyes and take a picture and it will probably be good.
Fletcher Mountain Winter Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Dakine Poacher Winter Backpack
- Hiking/SkiPoles
- Headlamp
- Climbing Helmet
- Mountain Axe
- Crampons
- Crampon Bag
- La Sportiva Mountaineering Boots
- Microspikes
- Gaiters
- Optional: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
- Optional: Snowshoes
- Optional: Ski or Snowboard
- Optional: Goggles
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *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.
Our Trip to Fletcher Mountain: April 2021
Winter 2021 slipped by without too many outings. Partly because I was actually working again (What is that?) and avalanche conditions were, how do I say this nicely, fu**ing horrible. Needless to say, I was glad that spring was here and my friend Rick and I were ready to get our lazy asses back into mountain shape.
The plan was to hit Fletcher Mountain via the standard southeast ridge. A quick 4-5 mile hike, we’d be home by lunch to meet our wives for some beers. The day started off with the harsh reality that we now had to hike 4 more miles than anticipated due to the winter TH closure. Hot start. The day was also extremely windy (check out the virtual guide below to see it for yourself) and our progress was very slow given the variable conditions.
We slowly made our way to the final ridge which, in dry conditions, was class 2. What greeted us was bulletproof ice that neither of our microspikes had any business dealing with. My crampons were conveniently in the car, a great spot for them. When we did reach the summit, the winds were so strong we could hardly stand. Our time there was short. All in all this hike reenergized me for the spring snow climbing season and was a beautiful day on the mountain. Fletcher Mountain is a great winter or spring route and one that, if you are prepared for, I would highly recommend.
2 thoughts on “Fletcher Mountain 13er Winter Hike Guide”
Great info as always. You mention reading trip reports, but I seem to be having trouble finding up-to-date reports about obscure and less-traveled peaks. Do you have any insight as to where I can find relevant, current info on some of these less popular routes?
Yeah its tough sometimes, outside of 14ers.com I generally try to search hashtags on IG and in general, just show up to the TH preparing for the worst (conditions, drive, access etc.)