Hike James Peak, Parry Peak, Mount Eva, Mount Flora Loop Arapaho National Forest, CO

Aug 16, 2020 — Most people seem to approach Mount Flora and the subsequent traverse to James Peak by coming up from Colorado Mines Peak via Berthoud Pass. I had no interest in doing an out-and-back of these 13ers, hoping instead to find a loop. I scoured topo maps to plan a route, and came up with this trip. It ended up being absolutely wonderful. While the route crosses a couple of roads and follows trails, I saw very few people except for at a couple of the more popular areas along the route. The majority of the hike follows the Continental DivideTrail. A few notes on the trailhead: where I chose to park is likely the most convenient if you have mid-clearance. The spot I labeled Alternative Parking 1 (39.81317, -105.65609) is the standard trailhead to get up to Loch Lomond (which isn't a trail really, just a pretty poor road), but the neighborhood is unfriendly to hikers, with signs reading "no parking" all over. Parking at Alternative Parking 1 is likely the best option for 2WD though. Just note you have to park on the crappy forest road to avoid parking illegally, and the shoulders of the road seem to fill up quickly, so smaller cars might have trouble finding a place to park. Alternative Parking 2 (39.8027, -105.70908) is another option, and this road isn't terrible, and is a bit more of a remote area compared to the Loch Lomond area. If you have a mid-clearance vehicle, I'd recommend you start where I labeled "Park" on the map attached.

I had some difficulty locating the Continental DivideTrail from the pullout where I parked, lots of social trails around dispersed camping making the official trail (though marked with the official Continental DivideTrail marker) hard to follow at first. Once on it, the Colorado Trail started up toward the Loch Lomond Road before paralleling it, crossing it, and continuing up toward James Peak. I left treeline quickly, and enjoyed the morning views as the Continental DivideTrail meandered through the tundra, intersecting the the James Peak Trail. I saw a few groups almost instantly along the James Peak Trail, and also lots of cars down below at Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond was pretty from above, but the road to it means ATVs and cars with access made it a shitshow.

Once on James Peak, I took in the smoky views north toward the Indian Peaks Wilderness before starting down its south ridge to the saddle with Mount Bancroft. The views along the this section of the route were my favorite. Ice Lake and Loch Lomond below were incredibly scenic and colorful, and the ridge between the peaks was quite photogenic. I stumbled on a social trail, which wandered through some Class 2 talus and dropped me down on the left of the ridge proper, where the rocks were larger and more difficult to navigate. The social trail then wrapped around to the right of a rock outcropping along the ridge, safely hugging the ridge's cliffs and popping me back on tundra at the saddle of James/Bancroft, nothing past Class 2. The steep ascent to Mount Bancroft was pleasant. I continued along the ridgeline over Parry Peak, Mount Eva, and all the way to Mount Flora. Overall it's just a pretty ridgeline, undulating over grassy tundra with a couple of very light rocky sections, only a few sections of Class 2.

From Mount Flora, I hopped on the Continental DivideTrail and descended Mount Flora's east ridge. The trail was obvious at first, and followed the wide and expansive ridge. It descended along the slopes, which became riddled with talus, switchbacking down to avoid some of the more rocky regions. I did lose the trail a couple of times here, but I kept seeing cairns and was able to rejoin it. Eventually, the Continental DivideTrail curved north and finished its descent off Mount Flora. I crossed the road leading to Bill Moore Lake (Alternative Parking 2 on the map), picking up the trail again on the opposite side of the road. The trail ascended slightly along the slopes, some nice views of the tops of Flora and Eva serving as a nice backdrop. After a pleasant walk through a meadow, the Continental DivideTrail continued into the trees, descending to where I parked my car. James Peak was visible in the distance and I was happy to get some nice views at the end of the day.