Hike Ruby Peak, Mount Owen, Scarp Ridge Loop Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest, CO

Sep 17, 2021 — Mount Owen is a lone Colorado 13er near Crested Butte surrounded by a sea of 12ers. I accessed the peak from a trailhead on the west side of Mount Owen, accessible by any vehicle. Reaching the summit used to be a very straightforward and popular process, since a trail led to Green Lake (located at the peak's southern base) and then an old road continued to the ridgeline from there. However, a few years ago the owner of the property around Lake Irwin closed off the road/trail access to Green Lake because of irresponsible hikers or whatever. The private property extends from north of Lake Owen to just south of Green Lake. This means getting more creative in getting to Mount Owen. Some sources recommend hiking the Scarp Ridge Trail (my descent, for reference), going west along the ridge to the base of Purple Peak, then taking a lesser-used trail south to reach Green Lake before ascending to the ridge. I found that option to be lengthy and probably a little silly, but it certainly steers clear of all private property.

Instead I checked maps outlining private property in the area and located a thin tunnel that passed between the perimeters of adjacent private property boundaries. The track you can see on my attatched map leading west from the road indicates this route. After a short hike from the trailhead along a dirt road, I headed into the hopefully public land surrounding the private property, my desination being a gully on the south side of Ruby Peak. The route includes some super minor bushwhacking and following animal trails to get through the forest and meadows, and buildings houses situated on the private property are visible during the hike, so that could be a little unnerving to some. But as long as the maps are accurate, I was able to stick to public land as I made my way up to the south ridge of Ruby Peak. Overall it's a pleasant hike until I got to the ascent gully I'd use to access the ridge, but this section is quite steep (Class 2 on loose dirt) just before reaching the ridge. Easy Class 2 and otherwise pleasant ridge walking led north to Ruby Peak, where I could see the colorful Green Lake below. I continued down the steep descent on a social trail to the saddle with Mount Owen, and an equally steep ascent began up a social trail through the talus at the peak's base. The grade eased up a bit, and a surprisingly nice trail continued to the summit. Along the way I encountered some light Class 2, but the trail sticks pretty close to the ridge crest for the most part, only dropping slightly to either side to avoid more jagged features.

I understood from the summit of Mount Owen why many choose to not make the traverse to Purple Peak and preferred to wrap around its base to get to Mount Owen, but I was committed to my loop and was looking forward to a bit of scrambling. The next section was slower-moving and steep with a couple of short Class 2+ moves, all of which were on a well-beaten social trail. The ascent to Purple Peak was much of the same, mostly straightforward Class 2 scrambling. Purple Peak has excellent views, especially down toward Blue Lake to the northeast and Scarp Ridge still to come.

The descent from Purple Peak was the crux of the hike for sure, starting off on loose Class 2 and the possibility for Class 3 easily encountered. There are a few social trails leading along the ridge or just left of it, and you'll likely kick off a rock or two because of the crap quality. Most of the way down, I down-climbed a more solid section of light Class 3. It felt exposed, but wasn't difficult. The final bit of descending included scrambling along a narrow ridge and dropping into a notch which marked the saddle of Purple Peak and Afley Peak to the north. I could see the potential to add Afley Peak to this loop, but it was a 12er I decided looked too unpleasant to add, plus I had almost no excitement for it. Instead, from the notch, I made a hairpin turn and continued south along the base of the aforementioned narrow ridge. It might be tempting to descend a sketchy-looking gully at first since erosion makes this look like a viable route, but don't. There's a decent social trail leading first across and then descending on somewhat loose Class 2. Then I was in a big talus field on the northeast face of Purple Peak and all the sketchy stuff was done for the day.

The social trail continued through the talus field, but faded away after a while, which was fine. It was clear where to go as I ascended to the ridge stretching to the west of Scarp Ridge, where I picked up another social trail. This next section of the hike I thought was the most beautiful part of the day. The cliffs on the left were delightfully exposed, but the social trail stayed clear, keeping the hike Class 1. Blue Lake to the north came into view and it was yet another gem to look at. There were a couple of dips in the ridgeline, but they just added to the views and landscape and weren't too much of an annoyance. I made the final ascent to Scarp Ridge, a popular summit since it has a great trail to reach it.

I descended the standard Scarp Ridge Trail down to Lake Irwin Lodge, and continued past it on the dirt road where a bunch of hiker cars were parked. I kept hiking and could have taken the road back to my car, but instead opted to follow a nice trail that wrapped around the north side of Lake Irwin. The trail passed some marshes and a small waterfall and was overall worthwhile.

I'll note that this hike would likely work out better if you do it in reverse for a few reasons. Going this way means you ascend via the really nice trail to Scarp Ridge, get to up-climb the short Class 3 stuff, and then descend through the forest that hugs private property. Either way you go it's a great hike. I reported the photos below the way I went (clockwise), even though I'd say it might be better to go counter-clockwise.