Fools Peak North Ridge Colorado Hike Guide
Fools Peak North Ridge is a classic ridge scramble located outside of Eagle, Colorado in the Holy Cross Wilderness. This 12,953ft mountain sees relatively low traffic but has excellent Class 3 and Class 4 scrambling. The hike follows an established trail to Lake Charles but then requires lots of trail finding to gain the North Ridge of Fools Peak. After a long scramble on the ridge, hikers must work around a large cliff to finish the final 600ft of climbing on the mountain. On the way down, you can either descend directly down a gully from the saddle of Fools Peak or take a longer but much more mellow route down to Lake Charles.
Fools Peak North Ridge Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Fools Peak North Ridge
Fools Peak North Ridge Rating: ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 12.7 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 9,449ft
Summit: 12,947ft
Total Elevation Gain: 4,175ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 6-9 Hours RT
Difficulty: Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 3 – Easy to find Class 4 on this ridge as well – What does this mean?
Season: July – September
Directions to Fools Peak
Trailhead: Fulford Cave
Getting Here: From I70, take exit 147 (Eagle) take Eby Creek Road to Grand Avenue to Capitol Street. Follow Capitol Street for about .8 miles and then take a left onto Brush Creek Road. Take a right to stay onto Brush Creek Road and then take a left to continue on Brush Creek Road again. After about 10.5 miles, then bear left onto East Brush Creek Road. At this point the road will turn into dirt but will be passable for most cars. Drive for about 5 miles until you reach a fork in the road and then continue straight for about a mile past Yeoman Park Campground. Stay straight again here when the road makes a tight curve to the left. After this point the road will become a bit more rough, but is still passable with most cars. Drive for another half mile or so until you reach Fulford Cave Campground straight ahead and the small parking lot for the TH on your left.
Parking: This small parking area can fit about 10-15 cars and can get busy on weekends. If you need more parking, you can always park at the nearby campground. In addition, the campground, which is very close to the parking area, does have a non-plumbing bathroom as well. The campground right next to the TH does have a non-plumbing bathroom.
Fee: There is no fee as of 2021.
Summary
Dogs: I would not recommend bringing a dog up Fools Peak via the North Ridge trail. If you wanted to take them up the descent route, that would be perfectly fine.
Camping: On the hike up to Fools Peak, there are a number of spots to camp. Along the drive to the TH – you could park along the various County Roads or at the number of campgrounds along the drive. After you start hiking, you could easily camp at Lake Charles which has a ton of great spots to camp. Be advised though, both of these areas are very popular to camp at.
Make it a Loop: This hike is a lollipop loop as most hikers will descend via the gully near Fools Peak or hike the loop I described in my video trail guide. Both options are suitable, it just depends on the weather and conditions in the gully.
Fools Peak North Ridge Hike Route
Trail X Factors: Cliffed Out
When hiking the Fools Peak North Ridge route – you can scramble along the ridge directly for 95% of the route. However, there is one spot that you will reach, towards the top of the mountain, that ends in a 100ft cliff. Unless you like free soloing medium Class 5 – this is not a recommended option to descend. Instead, head down the slopes (in the northwest direction) to find a small path that works around this section. When I hiked this route – it took me a while to find this ramp, but it does have cairns and is not dangerous at all. If you find yourself in an area that seems too sketchy – it probably is.
Hike Tip(s): Since Fools Peak North Ridge is not a terribly popular route – you will likely be alone on your hike up this mountain. After you pass Lake Charles, there is no trail until the last few miles of your descent back to the lake. Due to this, I would highly recommend having a GPS or route to follow so that you have a general idea of where to go. Download my GPX track using the embedded map above.
Best Views: I have not spent much time in the Holy Cross Wilderness – but after this hike my desire to come back was at an all time high. From the time you reach Lake Charles to the time you summit Fools Peak – the views here are A+. I hit this in the fall and the foliage in the area is just stunning.
Gear Needed
- 14er Day Hike Packing List
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Climbing Helmet
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- 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.
My Trip to Fools Peak North Ridge: September 2021
My friend Rick originally planned to hike another route this weekend in September but after waking up feeling sick, I found myself flying solo. I quickly scrambled to make a backup plan and landed on Fools Peak North Ridge. Fools Peak had been on my (extremely long) to do list for a while and decided to make the drive out to Holy Cross Wilderness to give it a go. I didn’t know much about this one, just that it had some fun Class ¾ scrambling. I arrived to the trailhead and made the long 3-4 mile up to Lake Charles.
The hiking to the lake was extremely well marked, fast and straightforward. After walking around the lake and finding my way to the base of the ridge, I was ready for some scrambling. The ridge itself consisted of mostly solid rock with plenty of Class 3 and Class 4 options. I had no problem finding my way up this 12,000ft mountain until I reached a large gap in the ridge. Cliffed out. I knew this was going to happen, but spent far more time than I expected finding a safe way around. Eventually, after several failed attempts, I did find my way back to the ridge and resumed scrambling up to the summit.
The remaining rock was extremely solid – but sort of smoothed out in areas. Nonetheless, after some more scrambling I reached the summit of Fools Peak. The descent back to the lake had two options and I choose to take the longer but far easier slopes back to the Lake Charles trail and down to the lake. When I reached the lake again, it was now packed with campers with even more coming up to spend the night at this beautiful lake. Fools Peak North Ridge is a fantastic hike on a fairly secluded mountain in Central Colorado.
