Pacific Peak East Ridge Colorado 13er Hike Guide

Pacific Peak East Ridge is a classic ridge scramble located in Summit County of Colorado. The route up to this 13er and Colorado centennial is mostly without a trail and requires lots of trail finding during the first ¼ of the hike. Once on the ridge, hikers are given almost a mile of excellent class 2 and 3 scrambling with several options to increase the difficulty of the route if desired. This is a great scramble in the Tenmile Range of Colorado. 

Pacific Peak East Ridge Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Pacific Peak East Ridge

Pacific East Ridge Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)

Distance: 7 Miles Descending the Ridge, 8.25 Miles Descending Southeast Slopes

Elevation Start: 11,050ft 

Highest Point: 13,950ft 

Total Elevation Gain: 3,450ft 

Estimated Time to Complete: 7-9 Hours RT

Difficulty: Difficult  What does this mean?

Class: Class 3+ – What does this mean? 

Season: May – November (expect snow outside of this period). 

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Pacific Peak East Ridge

Trailhead: North McCullough Gulch Trailhead

Getting Here: First, navigate to the popular Quandary Peak trailhead outside of Breckenridge, Colorado. From the trailhead, continue for about a hundred yards and turn onto CR 851. Continue for about 1.5 miles on this rougher dirt road before reaching a “Y” in the road. Take a right here to go downhill onto the much more rough dirt road. I wouldn’t say this is 4×4, but it certainly requires higher clearance and careful driving. The starting point is about a mile down this road where it abruptly ends. However, it makes the most sense to park about halfway down unless you want to hike back on the ridge. If you do drive all the way to the marker below, you will need a 4×4 for the last 100-200 yards. 

Parking: Parking here is extremely scattered with no more than 2-3 cars in each spot. If you drive to the North McCullough Gulch trailhead proper, there is room for about 4-5 cars if parked carefully. There are no bathrooms once you depart the Quandary TH.

Fee: As of 2021, there is no fee to hike this one. IMPORTANT: reservations are not required so long as you park past the “Y” in the road as described above. If you do not, parking reservations are required which you can read more about here. 

Summary

Dogs: Although dogs are allowed, I would not recommend bringing them on this hike. For me, there are just too many class 3 sections on loose rock that I wouldn’t want to handle Juno on. In addition, the hike down the southeast slopes of Pacific Peak are just plain dangerous for humans and dogs alike. Leave the pups at home for this one. 

Camping: Your best bet for camping is a handful of dispersed camping spots after the “Y” in the road on CR851. They are all fairly close to water and there is probably 3-4 total. There is a small spot to camp right at the start of this hike as well. 

Make it a Loop: Pacific Peak East Ridge is commonly made a loop by hiking down the southeast slopes of Pacific Peak. Be warned, this route requires a very steep section of loose rock and dirt and lots of trail finding. In addition, this will add another mile or so of hiking to this hike. 

Hike Tip(s): Have a GPS for this one. From the start where you have no trail and require lots of bushwhacking to the descent where you will also need to do route finding. Having a general line to follow and a topo map will be a lifesaver on this hike. 

XFactor: Descent Route

After you have an awesome time on Pacific Peak’s East Ridge, you have a few choices on your descent: go back the way you came or go down the southeast slopes of Pacific Peak. Retracing your steps along the ridge is a good option but requires clear weather, lots of time and plenty of energy. If you decide to head down the other route, be sure to have hiking poles, patience and a GPS or general idea on where to go. Once you descend from the saddle head right to a small lake and basin that will eventually connect with a trail that leads down to McCullough Gulch. I got extremely lost in this section as you can tell from my tracks below. 

Best Views: The hike up Pacific Peak East Ridge is truly beautiful from start to finish. High alpine lakes, rugged ridgelines, the chance to spot a mountain goat and of course views from the summit in all directions of the surrounding Ten Mile range peaks. This hike is one of my favorites in the area and offers A+ views.  

Pacific Peak East Ridge Hike Route

Please ignore my descent line, it is not correct. View this map for a more accurate map and read my descent route above for thoughts on how to properly find the trail.

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 Boots (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 provi

My Trip to Pacific Peak East Ridge: August 2021

I have had the Pacific East Ridge on my list for a long time and finally found the perfect day to send it. I arrived at the TH around 6:30AM and started the hike up the steep slopes. Through aspen trees, on some minor scrambling and finally up to the open fields covered with the last wildflowers of the season. I worked up another round of steep grassy slopes and ran into a huge family of mountain goats. At least 10-15 of them were enjoying their breakfast on a beautiful day. 

Eventually, after some more hiking, I arrived to the East Ridge of Pacific Peak. The scrambling started off easy, maybe low class 2 but started to get more difficult as I traversed across the ridge. Eventually, the terrain turned to class 3 with some minor exposure on both the north and south sides. I hiked through the solid rock, climbing small towers and descending them on the other side. About half way through, I ran into a small section of larger class 3 climbs and even a mini knife edge. The scrambling was great, but very slow going. Luckily, there was only one spot on the ridge where I cliffed out but was able to stay directly on Pacific Peak’s East Ridge direct for the majority of the traverse. 

After finishing the ridge, I was dropped right in front of Pacific Tarn, the highest lake in North America and was less than a half mile away from the summit. I crossed a large boulder field, climbed the few hundred feet remaining and was shortly after standing on the summit of Pacific Peak for the second time in my life. I soaked in the solitude on views on the summit for 10-15 minutes before starting my descent. 

On the hike down I took the southeast slopes route which turned out to be pretty miserable. Loads of extremely loose rock and dirt along with some major route finding I was not prepared for. I took this descent far too easy and didn’t have enough beta leaving me zigzagging across the valley trying to find the proper way down. I eventually did, but it was certainly not the easiest route down the mountain. When I arrived on the McCullough Gulch trail, the day hiking crowds made it hard to miss that I was finally on the home stretch of the hike. I powered through the last few miles and made it back to the car by 2PM. 

Pacific Peak East Ridge was an awesome day and certainly earned its classic nametag. If I had to repeat this hike, I would probably try a different descent route given the struggles that I had on my trip down the mountain. 

Pacific Peak East Ridge Colorado 13er Virtual Guide