退隱山林: Fifth time summiting Torreys Peak (July 19, 2025)

Grays Peak & Torreys Peak from Grays Peak trail

Today, my daughter and I accompanied my grandson Beibei and granddaughter-in-law Regina to climb two 14ers peaks—Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. Beibei and Regina climbed both peaks consecutively, while my daughter and I only climbed Torreys Peak. We agreed to meet at Torreys Peak. Three generations of family climbing a 4,349-meter mountain together was quite fun!

Beibei and Regina only took 7 hours and 25 minutes to climb both 14ers peaks, including waiting for my daughter and me at the summit. My daughter and I, on the other hand, took 8 hours and 12 minutes to climb Torreys Peak alone. Time really flies!

Mountain Introduction:

Grays Peak and Torreys Peak are two mountains in Colorado with elevations exceeding 14,000 feet (mountains exceeding 14,000 feet are referred to as 14ers in mountaineering circles). The first ascent of Grays Peak and Torreys Peak was by botanist Charles C. Parry, who named the two mountains after his two famous colleagues, also botanists Asa Gray and John Torrey. However, Asa Gray and John Torrey did not actually see the two peaks until 11 years later in 1872.

Torreys Peak, at 14,267 feet (4,349 meters), ranks eleventh among Colorado's 14ers. Less than a mile south lies Grays Peak, ranked ninth at 14,270 feet (4,350 meters). Hikers typically climb both peaks together. The most common route starts from the Grays Peak Trailhead (11,280 feet (3,438 meters), ascending Grays Peak from the east ridge, then descending along the north ridge to the saddle between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. From there, hikers ascend Torreys Peak from the south ridge. After reaching Torreys Peak, they return to the saddle via the same route and take a shortcut downhill. The entire route is approximately 8.2 miles (13.2 kilometers).

Another route to Torreys Peak is the Torreys Peak - Kelso Ridge route, which leads directly to the summit from the northeast ridge of Torreys. It's a more challenging route, and I've summited twice using this method.

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Jacob & Regina's Two 14ers Climb Summary:

Mountains Climbed:

Grays Peak: 14,270 ft/4,350 m

Torreys Peak: 14,267 ft/4,349 m

Trailhead: Grays Peak Trailhead, 11,280 ft/3,438 m

Climbing Distance: 8.2 miles/13.2 km

Total Elevation Gain: 3,868 ft/1,179 m

Climbing Time: 7 hours 25 minutes (including 1 hour waiting for family at the Torreys Peak summit)

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My Torreys Peak Climb Summary (with daughter Yi-ru):

Mountains Climbed:

Torreys Peak: 14,267 ft/4,349 m

Trailhead: Grays Peak Trailhead, Elevation 11,280 ft/3,438 m

Climbing Distance: 7.3 miles/11.76 km

Total Elevation Gain: 3,261 ft/994 m

Climbing Time: 8 hours 12 minutes

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Driving Information:

From Denver, take Interstate 70 west for about 50 miles, exit at Bakerville on Exit 221, and then drive south on Stevens Gulch Road for about 3 miles to reach the Grays Peak Trailhead (Stevens Gulch Trailhead). However, this 3-mile trail is quite difficult and closed in winter. During the spring and summer when it is open, it is not recommended to enter unless you have a high-performance four-wheel drive vehicle.

The parking lot at the trailhead was small and incredibly difficult to find a spot. Online reviews indicated that parking was full by 3 or 4 AM on weekends, so we left home at midnight and arrived at the trailhead around 2 AM. There were only two spaces left, and shortly after I parked, another car arrived, filling the lot. Many more cars arrived afterward, forcing us to squeeze onto the Continental Divide Trail to the south. I vaguely remember that the end of this trail leads to what appears to be an old mining area, but I haven't been there, so I don't know how to park there!

After parking, the four of us—three generations—took a nap in the car, waiting for dawn.

Trail Description:

05:16 Departed from the trailhead wearing headlamps, elevation 11,280 ft/3,438 m. After crossing the iron bridge across Stevens Gulch Creek, the trail ascends gently along a well-maintained, wide path. Kelso Mountain, at 13,164 ft, is on the right. Due to the darkness, the summit was not visible, and the trail spiraled upwards from its base.

05:40 As dawn broke, today's climbing targets, Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, stood in the distance to the west, appearing so beautiful under the golden-red morning light;

Grays Peak & Torreys Peak in the morning light

Taken from Grays Peak Trail

I put away my headlamp and continued on. I handed the GPS to Beibei first and we agreed to meet at the top of Torreys Peak. Today, Beibei and her husband were going to climb two peaks, while my daughter and I only planned to climb Torreys Peak.

Monkshood flower

Blue Columbine

Elephant Head flower

Indian Paintbrush flower

Wildflowers blooming on the Grays Peak Trail

Grays Peak (L) & Torreys Peak (R) from the trail

At 06:30, we arrived at an information sign, with coordinates 39° 38' 52.8" -105° 47' 57.3", an altitude of 12,100 feet/3,688 meters, and about 1.5 miles/2.4 kilometers from the trailhead. Looking west, Grays Peak and Torreys Peak stood tall in the distance behind the information sign. After the information sign, the trail narrowed, and we occasionally had to cross rocks.

Taken from Grays Peak Trail

06:45 Crossing Stevens Gulch Creek, there was no water left, so we crossed easily.

Cross this flat, rocky area near 12,300’ as you hike west toward Torreys Peak

06:54 Arrive at the junction of the traditional trail and Kelso Ridge, coordinates 39° 38' 47.8" -105° 48' 21.1", elevation 12,336 feet / 3,760 meters, about 1.86 miles / 3.0 kilometers from the trailhead. Take the right fork towards Kelso Ridge to directly ascend Torreys Peak;

Kelso Ridge fork，background is Torreys Peak

Take the left and go straight up to the Grays Peak Traditional Trail.

Alpine Sunflower (Old Man of The Mountain)

The saddle between Grays & Torreys Peak

08:15 Arrived at the fork between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, coordinates 39° 38' 16.5" -105° 48' 47.6", altitude 13,320 feet/4,060 meters, about 2.8 miles/4.5 kilometers from the trailhead;

The trail junction of Grays & Torreys Peak trail

The left fork leads to the eastern ridge of Grays Peak, while the right fork leads directly to Torreys Peak via the saddle between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. Beibei and Regina should take the left fork to go up Grays Peak first, while we take the right fork to go directly to Torreys Peak.

Wildflowers blooming on the slopes of Grays Peak

The path then becomes a clear trail through the rocky slopes, rising steeply southwest toward the saddle between Grays and Torreys.

Kelso Mountain from Grays Peak's slopes

Looking north towards Rocky Mountains from Torreys Peak trail near 13,700 ft

Looking down at Stephens Gulch from Torreys Peak trail near 13,700 ft.

At 09:00, we arrived at the next unmelted snowfield below the saddle. After passing this snowfield, we reached the saddle.

The saddle between Grays & Torreys Peak

Snowfield section on Torreys Peak trail

09:07 Arrive at the fork in the ridgeline between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, coordinates 39° 38' 15.7" -105° 49' 06.9", altitude 13,780 feet / 4,200 meters;

Grays Peak & Torreys Peak trail juction on the ridge

The left fork leads down the north ridge of Grays Peak to Torreys Peak, while the right fork leads down to the saddle between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, continuing towards Torreys Peak. Take the right fork to descend to the saddle.

09:11 Descended to the saddle between Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, coordinates 39° 38' 17.8" -105° 49' 08.0", elevation 13,740 ft/4,188 m, approximately 3.17 mi/5.1 km from the trailhead, and about half a mile (approximately 800 meters) from the summit of Torreys Peak; from the saddle, one can see Dillon and distant mountains to the west.

View to West from the saddle, Dillon Reservoir can be seen in the distance

Looking east, one can see Mount Blue Sky, Bierstadt, and other high mountains; looking south, one can look up at Grays Peak.

Looking up at Grays Peak from the saddle

Looking north towards Torreys Peak, which we are about to climb.

Looking up at Torreys Peak from the saddle

I had originally planned to arrive at Torreys earlier than Beibei and her husband, so I told Beibei in the morning that we would wait for them at the summit or saddle. After waiting for a while at the saddle and not seeing them coming down from Grays Peak, I discussed it with my daughter and we decided to go ahead and wait for Beibei and her husband as we climbed.

Sky Pilot

From the saddle, climbing south for about 570 feet/174 meters leads to Grays Peak, while climbing north for about 567 feet/173 meters leads to Torreys Peak. Each route is about half a mile long. We took the northbound route to Torreys Peak. As we climbed, we looked at the hikers descending from Grays Peak but couldn't find Beibei and Regina. At this point, we couldn't help but wonder if they were so fast that they reached the saddle and summited before us？

Looking south to Grays Peak from Torreys Peak

Dragging our weary steps, just as my daughter and I were about to reach the summit, we looked up and suddenly saw Beibei and Regina coming down from the top. When they saw us, they exclaimed that they had been waiting for us at the summit for an hour, but the wind was too strong, so they decided to come down first to intercept us and get some exercise. Seeing us coming up, they immediately followed us up.

At 10:12, we reached the summit of Torreys Peak. This was my fifth time climbing this mountain, while it was Beibei and my daughter's second. Beibei first climbed it ten years ago (2015) when he was 12 years old, while it was his granddaughter-in-law Regina's first time. Torreys Peak, at 14,267 feet (4,349 meters), is the eleventh of the 53 officially listed 14ers in Colorado, belonging to the Front Range, and is considered a high mountain quite close to Denver.

The summit of Torreys Peak

After taking a group photo at the summit, we let Beibei and her husband descend first, while my daughter and I continued to enjoy the scenery and take pictures.

There were quite a few hikers at the summit, offering excellent views; looking north, another 14ers peak in Rocky Mountain National Park—Longs Peak—was clearly visible.