Sawtooth Ridge to 14er Mt Blue Sky Hike Guide

Sawtooth Ridge is a classic class 3 ridge scramble and alternative route to the summit of 14er Mt Blue Sky. In order to start this hike, you must first summit Mt Bierstadt. The two “14ers” located about an hour from Denver are connected by Sawtooth Ridge which is a Class 3 section of trail that involves lots of rock scrambling. Hiking both peaks takes the better part of a day, but is an extremely rewarding hike. Experience with class 3 hiking, exposure and a high level of fitness is recommended if you plan on hiking this loop.

Sawtooth Ridge to Mt Blue Sky Quick Facts

Video Recap: Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge

Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 11.76 miles RT 

Elevation Start: 11,669 ft

Summit: Mt Bierstadt 14,060 ft, Mt Blue Sky 14,260 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,700 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 8-9 Hours RT  Total (2 Hours to Mt Bierstadt Summit, 2 Hours For Sawtooth Ridge, 1 Hour to Mt Blue Sky, 3 Hours Back to Trailhead)

Difficulty: Hard What does this mean?

Class: Class 3

Season: July – October (Hiking Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge of this range is very dangerous without proper equipment and training)

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Directions to Sawtooth Ridge

Trailhead: Guanella Pass

Getting Here: This loop is most commonly accessed starting at the Mt Bierstadt trailhead via Guanella pass. Most people access the pass from the town of Georgetown (north) but if you are feeling crazy, it can also be accessed from the south from the small town of Grant.  If traveling from the north, take I70 until you reach Georgetown 228 and follow the signs to Guanella Pass. Guanella Pass can be entered into your favorite navigation app or device. 

Parking: Free parking is available at the base of the trailhead. The lot can fit about 20 cars and there is additional parking in another lot about 100 yards away from the lower lot. If both lots are full, you are screwed, go home. Just kidding, there is ample parking available along the road.  The parking area does have a few public bathrooms, but it might be a good idea to bring your own TP. Mt Bierstadt does get extremely busy on weekends, so arrive to the trailhead early or visit on weekday if you want to avoid the crowds.

Dogs: Dogs are allowed on this hike, but I would strongly recommend against bringing them if you plan on bagging Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge. Sawtooth ridge is tough for someone on two legs, let alone 4. If you have a small dog you can pop in your bag that might be the one exception to my statement above. There are several sections of Sawtooth that involve class 3 and potentially 4 (depending on your route) scrambling in which case you will most likely have to carry your dog through.

Summary

Camping: Camping is available on Guanella Pass Road in a few different forms. There are a couple of official camp sites and even more car camping spots. Both areas fill up very quickly on the weekend (especially during the summer).

Make it a Loop: This hike is a loop, but if you are looking to extend the hike you can add neighboring Mt Spaulding. This will add an extra hour and couple of miles of hiking to the trip. 

Trail X Factors: Sawtooth Ridge

Most people who plan to hike Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge loop are aware of the impressive Sawtooth ridge. However, seeing this massive ridge in pictures and experiencing it in real life are two completely different situations. The ridge is extremely dangerous if it is wet or snow covered without proper gear and experience. There have been deaths on the ridge, so plan on taking your time and using your best judgement to get through this section of the hike. This is not meant to be a “Debbie Downer’ or scare you away from hiking, but it is the reality of this section of the Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge.  However, if you are prepared, this ridge can be extremely fun, secluded and challenging! Sawtooth Ridge was a major factor for me giving this hike a 5 star rating.

Mick’s Tips:

Tip 1: Lots of hikers enjoy using hiking poles, especially on steep, high altitude trails. For Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge, I would strongly recommend against using them. There are several sections of this loop that require three points of contact to get through and having hiking poles in your hands will only make your life more difficult. If you absolutely NEED to bring your hiking poles with you, I would recommend a pair of retractable/foldable poles so that you can free up your hands. Some websites recommend a pair of climbing or outdoor use gloves for the Sawtooth ridge, I personally did not use them but they could help reduce the amount of “stress” that is put on your hands during this hike.

Tip 2: Who doesn’t love a bonus tip?! On my way down from the Mt Blue Sky & Mt Bierstadt loop, I had a somewhat difficult time finding the trail that brings you into the lovely willows below and back to the trailhead. If you find yourself in a similar situation, look for a water source and follow it down into the gully below to reconnect with the trail. The trail down toward the trailhead essentially follows the snow melt streams until it reaches some of the ponds below and feeds into a larger river. Once you reach the willows themselves, good luck  try to follow the trail as best as possible. 

Best Views: If photographing the sunrise and stars is your jam, Mt Bierstadt is a fantastic spot to do both. The wide open valleys that surround the peak offer great views of the stars and sun when it eventually does rise. Get to the trailhead early and bring a tripod to photograph the stars or sunrise before you start your trek up to the Mt Bierstadt summit. The Mt Blue Sky & Mt Bierstadt loop is also a great opportunity to photograph mountain goats that live in the surrounding areas.

Sawtooth Ridge to Mt Blue Sky Hike Route

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: Garmin inReach
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• Optional: Headlamp
• Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
• Optional: Camera and Lens
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
• Optional: Climbing Helmet
• *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 Sawtooth Ridge to Mt Blue Sky: June 2016

Mt Bierstadt

I arrived to the Mt Bierstadt parking lot around 5:15AM and the lower lot was nearly full of fellow hikers looking to catch a glimpse of the sun rising over the peaks to the east. As I started my trek, all I could think was how different the area looked compared to just a few months ago when snow blanketed the entire valley. The trail started in the willows where it continued for about a mile until it reached the first stream crossing of the day. I saw other hikers taking off their boots and walking through the ice cold water which sort of blew my mind. The last thing on the planet I wanted at 5:30AM was wet, freezing feet. I headed about 50 yards downstream where I used a log to cross the small stream.

After the stream crossing, the hike began to pick up its incline for about a half mile. This stretch of the trail ranged from flat to fairly steep and I slowed my pace down a bit so that I did not waste any energy. I reached the first false summit of the day and Mt Bierstadt’s true summit was now visible in addition to the gnarly looking Sawtooth ridge. From this point, the trail gradually snaked its way up the west side of Mt Bierstadt until it reached some late spring snow that was hanging on to dear life.

The snow was fairly easy to trek through, but I imagined it would be a major pain in the butt as it warmed in the summer sun. After a few snow fields, the summit of Mt Bierstadt was in site and all that separated me from the top was a large boulder field. This section of the hike involved minor scrambling for about a quarter of a mile until I reached the summit of Mt Bierstadt. Unlike some mountains in Colorado, Mt Bierstadt has a fairly small summit area and has a definite “peak” at the top of its 14,060 feet.

I was happy to be at the summit but knew that my day had just begun as I stared down the barrel of the Sawtooth Ridge.

Sawtooth Ridge

Sawtooth ridge loomed in front of me and for a second, I did let the massive cliffs on either side of the ridge get in my head. My thoughts went to a completely rational place “If I were to fall off these rocks, I would probably die within a matter of minutes” …great prehike thoughts, amiright?!

I quickly got out of my head and started hiking the ridge. After a few minutes, I knew that this small stretch of the Mt Blue Sky & Mt Bierstadt loop was going to take a while. Every move required thought and a plan of how to attack the next part of the trail. As many websites mentioned, the west (left) side of the ridge is much steeper than the east (right). The wind was almost nonexistent on the east side of the ridge which was why I tended to favor that side. I tried to stay as high on the ridge as I could, knowing that eventually I would have to climb out on the left towards the Mt Blue Sky ridge line.

After about 20 minutes I took a break to take in the beautiful scenery and high elevation lake towards the east. I attempted to put on some spray sun screen and it was laughable how quickly the spray dissipated into the abyss. I am sure I got about 1% coverage from each spray of the small tin can, solid stats. However, I was having so much fun! Sawtooth Ridge was keeping me on my toes (literally and mentally) and I loved how alive it made me feel. Eventually I continued down the trail and reached the last section of the ridge.

This final section of the ridge has a few different ways of tackling it, but I stuck to the right for the first section and eventually worked my way back towards the left side that brought me up and out of the ridge (see image below). 

Mt Blue Sky

After conquering Sawtooth, I continued west towards Mt Blue Sky ridge line and summit. As I worked my way towards Mt Blue Sky the winds began to pick up and I had to add some extra layers to fight the gusts. The trail snaked its way up to the ridge line and eventually headed west along the side of the ridge. After about 30 minutes of walking, I spotted some cars and knew I had to be getting close.

I hiked over the last ridge line and immediately saw Jackie’s smiling face waiting for me in her car a few hundred yards below. To my excitement, Jackie was joined at the summit by some beautiful juvenile mountain goats. I was so pumped because I had never seen these amazing creatures in person before. Needless to say I snapped too many several pictures before enjoying the summit views. 

We enjoyed some time at the summit together, snacked on some GOD AWFUL beef jerky (seriously it tasted the way a sharpie smells) and eventually parted ways. She was headed to the car to drive down the Mt Blue Sky highway and I was taking the non-lazy scenic route down which involved another few miles of hiking.

Descent

As I have made very clear in the past, I generally despise the descent down to the car. You have pitched your flag at the summit, snapped some beautiful pictures and at this point are mentally checked out from the hike. For some reason, that awful experience did not happen to me on the  Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing mountain goats Jackie or the food I had just consumed, but for whatever reason I was equally excited to head down as I was to summit both “14ers”.

I slowly made my way back along the Mt Blue Sky ridge line until I reached the large open field that separated Mt Bierstadt, Mt Blue Sky and Mt Spaulding. At this point, I sort of lost the trail for a bit, but eventually reconnected with it in the gully I had been following (see picture below). Finding a source of water and following it down has helped me descend mountains in the past and this hike was no different. At this point, the trail turned very steep with footing composed of loose gravel and small rocks. It was not the most pleasant stretch of trail, but it quickly ended and the infamous willows began.

True story, as I was writing my notes about the trail on my iPhone I typed “Willows are overrated. Have waterproof shoes and you will be fine.” I later typed, “Lol at me.” The second part of my statement was indeed true, I did need waterproof shoes. However, what I did not realize was how massive of an area the willows spanned. I thought it was just a small section of mud and snow melt. Oh no, no, no. I later learned the willows were essentially the entire lower section of the valley surrounding Mt Bierstadt. Long story short, the willows were a pain in the ass. My feet got soaked, my arms looked like I was attacked by a cat, and I had acquired a new mud tattoo along my entire right leg.  My best advice for getting through this section is to stay on the main trail as much as possible. Follow the trail? No way, I would have never thought of that! Trust me though, it is a lot harder then it sounds (thats what she said). Following the trail may involve getting your feet muddy or wet, but you will be at your car soon anyway where you can get out of your wet footwear. I tried to outsmart the willows and out loud I eventually said “Ok, I get it. You win!” as if the willows were a living group of people that had taken over my brain.

Even after the terrible end to the day, the Mt Blue Sky via Sawtooth Ridge hike was one of my favorite hikes I had been on in a long time. The loop provided fantastic views, rock scrambling, and was challenging enough to make me use many of my mountaineering skills without ever feeling like I was in too deep.

Sawtooth Ridge to Mt Blue Sky Virtual Trail Guide