One of Our Favorite Hikes Ever

The three-mile hike to the top of Mount Chiquita was one of our favorite hikes ever.  We enjoyed awe-inspiring 360-degree mountain views nearly the entire hike.

Alpine Visitor Center

We had a nice view of the Alpine Visitor Center (far right) at Fall River Pass for most of the hike.  At 11,796 feet it’s one of the highest-elevation visitor centers in the country.

Stairway to Heaven

This trail leads to the summit of Mount Chiquita at 13,069 feet above sea level.  It’s the center bump in this photo.

Although hiking on open tundra is permitted in Rocky Mountain NP, it’s better to use the trail when there is one.  Plus frankly it’s much easier to walk on a worn trail, than on the uneven mix of squishy plants and hard jagged rocks in the open tundra.

Pika Central

The rocky cliffs of Mount Chapin are home to hundreds of cute little pikas and marmots.  We paused for quite a while to watch the furry critters scurry around in preparation for winter.

Walking on Icebergs

Timm couldn’t resist the opportunity to walk on this iceberg and throw a few snowballs at Theresa.  It was pretty slippery, though, so he was careful not to lose his footing and slide down the edge, dropping hundreds of feet into the canyon below.  Which would be a bummer way to end a hike.

Valley Below

Theresa stands in the saddle between Mount Chapin and Mount Chiquita, with Chiquita Creek running behind her in the valley below.

Where’s the Escalator?

The trail seemed to head straight up the rounded west side of Mount Chiquita.  You can see the speck of a hiker approaching the summit.

Alpine Tundra

Alpine Tundra occurs above the treeline at 11,400 feet elevation in the park.  The tundra climate is harsh.  Constant winds, bitter cold, and a brief growing season allow only short, specialized plants to survive the tough conditions.  At this level, the temperature doesn’t rise above freezing for more than 8 months each year.

On The Summit

The summit of Mount Chiquita is covered with layers of jagged rocks.

Hurricane Shelter

There are a few rock shelters on the summit of Mount Chiquita to escape from the near-constant strong winds.

Our First Thirteener

Mount Chiquita was our first 13K mountain that we’ve hiked.  I took this GPS reading from our lunch spot on the east ledge.  Notice the time we’ve been stopped on our hike is almost double the time we were moving.  That’s typical for one of our hikes.  We are the slowest hikers and usually the last ones off the trail!  It seems like we stop and look at every interesting little animal and plant that we encounter.

Next: Mount Chiquita – Part 2 >>