Quandary Peak Quandary Couloir 14er Hike Guide
Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir is a great way to summit one of the most popular 14ers in the state of Colorado while avoiding many of the crowds on a more technical line. The Quandary Couloir is one of the steepest ways to ascend the mountain and a common descent is snowboard or ski from the summit down the east bowls back to the parking lot. The Quandary Couloir is a moderate snow climb which I recommend for more advanced hikers.
Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir
Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 10.5 miles RT (from lower parking lot)
Elevation Start: 10,855 ft
Highest Point: 14,265 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,600 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 6-8 hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult What does this mean?
Class: Class 3 – What does this mean?
Snow Grade: Moderate snow steepness/exposure – tops out around 50 degrees in the middle
Season: December – May (depending on winter)
Avalanche Forecast: This route and area is avalanche prone, check conditions here.
Directions to Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir
Trailhead: McCullough Gulch
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). Follow this for a few hundred yards and you will see the lower parking area on the right. In some winters, you might be able to drive further up the road (McCullough Gulch 851 Road), but that completely depends on the winter. You can enter McCullough Gulch Trailhead into your favorite navigational device.
Parking: NOTE: As of 2021, parking reservations are now required to hike this 14er depending on the month you want to hike it, find out more information here. Parking in the winter/spring will vary from year to year, but usually will be at the larger lower lot located right off of Blue Lakes road. There are generally two porta potties at this parking lot but can sometimes be tricky to close due to snow levels/freezing. This lot will generally fill up on weekends, especially in the spring as the weather gets nicer so be sure to get there early.
Fees: As of 2021, there is an optional fee to hike Quandary Peak. Read more about that information at the link listed above in parking.
Summary
Camping: In the winter, camping options may be very limited and could only be sleeping in your car, depending on snow level.
Make it a Loop: Quandary Peak via Quandary Couloir is generally a loop hike where you hike the couloir and descend the standard trail or ski/board down the slopes back to the car. If you do plan on skiing/boarding the Quandary Couloir, plan on hiking/skinning about 2-3 miles back to the car after you descend.
Trail X Factors: When hiking the Quandary Couloir of Quandary Peak, the biggest x factor will be the snow inside the couloir. When we hiked it, the snow was soft in most areas making for a somewhat easy time getting our crampons into it. We were also extremely lucky that we had a boot track to follow which saved lots of effort as we worked up the Quandary Couloir. If you have to break trail, you 100% will expend a lot more effort. If the snow is hard packed or even worse, icy, multiply that physical exertion by two times.
Hike Tip(s): Before heading hike Quandary Peak, be sure to check the weather and avalanche forecast. In regards to weather, you will want to keep an eye on cloud coverage and temperature. If the sun is blasting with warm temperatures, it will have an affect on what you pack for the day (sunscreen, snowshoes, layers etc.) The site I have linked above is the one I generally use for checking the weather forecast. Regardless of the weather, I would highly recommend hitting the snow earlier so you don’t have to posthole your way to the base of the couloir.
In terms of avalanche forecast, I generally check Colorado Avalanche Information Center to see what the forecast is for the day I am hiking. Even if you do not plan on snowboarding/skiing down Quandary Peak – avalanches can be triggered by hikers as well. Always know before you go and if it doesn’t look good – reschedule your hike.
Best Views: I am a bit jaded with the views from Quandary Peak since I have hiked it five+ times now. On this trip up Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir, I enjoyed the steep aspects inside the couloir itself, looking north into the valley below. In terms of summit views, Quandary Peak has the best views southwest and west in my opinion.
Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir Hike Route
Hiked up the couloir and then boarded/skied the bowls back to the car.
Gear Needed
- 14er Day Hike Packing List
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- La Sportiva Mountaineering Boots
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Microspikes
- Gaiters
- Mountain Axe
- Optional: Ski or Snowboard
- Optional: Crampons
- Optional: Crampon Bag
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
- Optional: Snowshoes
- 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 Quandary Peak, Quandary Couloir: April 2019
Spring hiking doesn’t always go according to plan. Hell, most things trips involving nature don’t go according to plan. My friend Nick and I had originally wanted to hike up Whale’s Tale Couloir and then ski/board down it. Due to poor road conditions, we changed our plan at 5AM in the morning and decided to drive over to Quandary Peak instead. We had both been up Quandary Peak a number of times, but this time we were planning on climbing the Quandary Couloir and descending the mountain via ski and snowboard. We arrived to the trailhead parking lot by 6:30AM and you would have thought it was a ski resort with how many other cars were there. Luckily, as we hit the trail, we found out that most folks seemed to be heading up the standard trail. In fact, we had the entire approach towards the Quandary Couloir to ourselves.
A deep winter meant that we were forced to hike an additional 2-3 miles due to a road closure. This hiking was no problem since the sun was not even up yet which made the snow covering the ground crunchy and firm. It appeared that someone had skied this route a few days before, so not only did we have a trail to follow, but also had some previous weight to pack down the snow a bit. Due to this, we luckily did not need any snowshoes, which was great since neither of us had them on us. We hiked for a few miles and eventually turned off the frozen road and entered the woods. This is where the fun began.
Although we had a ski path to follow, someone on skis distributes their weight much better than someone in mountaineering boots. We didn’t post hole a ton, but when we did fall through the snow, it was waist deep. The sun was now up and the snow was starting to soften a bit which made things slightly worse. Nevertheless, we continued hiking through the woods on the north side of Quandary Peak, passing a series of old cabins and a mine entrance. After a bit more hiking we encountered the toughest section of the morning. It appeared as though the skiers were able to pass right over this fallen tree, however, our poorly distributed weight had us postholing up to our waist in the crusty snow. We eventually were able to find a couple of footholds that supported us and we continued on. At this point, the sun was blasting the snow but we were close to the entrance of the Quandary Couloir.
We continued to hike up a small hill and reached a small frozen lake which does not have a name. Here, we were able to see a group of 4 other hikers who were about half way up the couloir. They had done a great job creating a boot track up the couloir which would save us some work later on in the day. At the lake, we took a quick break to pop on crampons, refuel and started our way up the 900 foot stairmaster.
As we entered the couloir, we quickly realized that the snow inside it was so nice and there was still a bit of shade which saved us from being too hot/exposed to the sun. Nick informed me that this was pretty much perfect conditions inside any couloir and to “not get used to it”. I thought back to my time going up Missouri Mountain’s couloirs and the snow was not nearly as nice. Not only was the snow nice but that group of hikers ahead of us had done a great job breaking trail.
At the described “crux” of the couloir the angle of the couloir increased to about 50 degrees. The snow in this section was icy and made for a tough time getting crampons into it. We eventually conquered this section and saw the final turn in the couloir. We approached this section and the snow got steep again, without a doubt steeper than the crux was. This was probably due to the high level of snow we had received that winter which resulted in much deeper and steeper snow than usual.
Nick and I traded off on breaking trail, but he finished up as we exited the Quandary Couloir. Both of our legs were burning after the 900 feet of elevation gain so it was a really welcome site to see the ant line of people working their way up the standard route of Quandary Peak. On the summit, it was a zoo. There were easily 15+ people, 3-4 dogs, it was literally a madhouse. Our original plan was to enjoy a nice rest before heading back down, but between the dark clouds moving in and the frat house of people on the summit, we decided to enjoy a quick beer and then got ready to make the ski/board descent.
The ride down was great, the north bowl had firm snow but still allowed for solid turns. After the north bowl of Quandary Peak, we had to hike a small section (about 100 yards) but then strapped back on the board/skis and started our final descent. This lower section had much softer snow and the turns were the best on the mountain. We flew through this area and entered the trees, eventually hooking up with the standard trail. We made quick work of this final section and arrived to the parking lot about 10 minutes later.
It took us 5.5 hours to hike up Quandary Peak and Quandary Couloir and only 30 minutes to get down (with the hike). It was a tremendously fun day on the mountain! I would highly recommend Quandary Peak via the Quandary Couloir for anyone seeking a moderate couloir climb with the option to ski or snowboard down the mountain. The best part about snowboarding Quandary Peak vs so many others in Colorado is being able to ride/ski from summit to car without having to skin/hike out.
