half mountain hike

Okay, I’ll admit right up front that this hike up Half Mountain kicked my butt. Once I was off-trail, making my way up through the tangled forest, accursed krummholz, & broken rock, I started to run out of juice pretty quickly. And I didn’t take many pics on the hike because, well, did I mention that this hike kicked my butt?

Half Mountain (11,482 feet) in Rocky Mountain National Park marks the end of the ridgeline that sweeps northward from Longs Peak and that forms the imposing eastern wall of Glacier Gorge. As you’d expect, the views from Half Mountain will take your breath away—unfortunately, so will the hike up to its jumbled, rocky summit.

The first part of this hike will be familiar ground for anyone who has started up the Loch Vale Trail from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead off Bear Lake Road. Once you’re above Alberta Falls, though, you’ll want to take the North Longs Peak Trail and follow it east. You’ll cross a wooden footbridge that spans Glacier Creek as it plunges down a chute that has been carved in the rock walls. From the bridge, you have a good view of Half Mountain’s northwest slope. The steep cliffs & large boulders here will convince you it’s not a good idea to start your climb quite yet, so head down on the trail a bit farther.

Just how far “a bit farther” turns out to be is up to you. My trusty Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide recommends going about ½ mile beyond the bridge before heading off-trail. To tell the truth, I’m not sure how far I went, but I started up through the forest when I was still on the near side of a large, distinctive rock formation that cuts south up the slope.

Once you’re off-trail, the fun begins. As I made my way through the thick forest, I came across a large rockfall that had spilled down the slope, through the trees, and followed this up as best I could. When you come out of the forest, you’re faced with steep, rugged terrain that is essentially a big boulder field filled with annoyingly loose rocks & even more annoying patches of krummholz. Threading your way through the krummholz can be insane, but at one point I actually found a small cairn where I was headed up between patches of the gnarled, nasty shrubbery, so I knew I wasn’t the first person to go up that way.

Once I finally made it through the worst of the krummholz, I could begin to enjoy the views north & east & west… but it was also about that same time that I felt my energy begin to fade. I began to realize it probably wasn’t such a good idea to have tried this hike on three & a half hours sleep or to have done it with big pack, tripod, two cameras, three lenses, etc. If I would’ve realized what I was getting myself into, I would’ve got a good night’s sleep and went light & fast with one camera.

Once above the krummholz, I made things worse by heading straight for the summit up the steep, rocky slope. Note to self: There’s a reason established trails have switchbacks up steep terrain. In hindsight, I should’ve made my own switchbacks by zig-zagging up the slope. I was completely knackered by the time I topped out and, to add insult to injury, the wind was blowing so freaking hard that I was afraid to get too close to the vertigo-inducing, sheer west face and, most disappointingly, the view south toward Longs Peak was obscured by clouds. One of the main reasons I’d done the hike was to get that view south down Glacier Gorge toward Longs, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I did get a nice shot looking down at Mills Lake (and Jewel Lake, too, of course) and across the way to Thatchtop.

On my descent through the rocks, krummholz, & forest— just to drive home the point that this was a morning I probably should’ve stayed in bed— my legs started to cramp. Even after I got back down on the trail, my quads constantly felt like they were on the verge of completely seizing up, so by the time I got back to the trailhead, I was literally hobbling up to the parking lot. It was a while before my legs loosened up a bit and I could even begin to contemplate folding myself into the Mini & driving off. I kept thinking, “Man, c’mon, I wasn’t even this bad off after doing Longs Peak. Curse you, Half Mountain!”

I’m not sure how to wrap up this hike report except to wish you luck if you try it. And Half Mountain is worth the try— the views on this hike were stupendous (even though I missed seeing Longs Peak) and it wouldn’t have been such a bad climb if I’d been well-rested & would’ve went with a light pack… and if I would’ve made my own switchbacks up the rocky slope… and if I would’ve had a flamethrower to burn a path through the krummholz…