Bison Peak’s unique summit is a city of monoliths, towers and unearthly natural sculptures!
| Round Trip Distance: 11.3 miles Hiking Time: 6-8 hours Difficulty: Class 1 with fun optional summit scrambles |
Start Elevation: 8,719 ft. at Ute Creek TH Summit Elevation: Bison Peak 12,431 ft. Crowd Level: Low |
Directions
Find the small town of Jefferson along US Highway 285 just south of Kenosha Pass. Turn east onto Park County Road 77 (AKA Tarryall Road). Follow the road 20.4 miles from the intersection to the Ute Creek Trailhead on the left side of the road.
Follow the hike along Ute Creek Trail #629 3.7 miles where it ends at the Brookside-McCurdy Trail #607. Follow the this trail right (east) up to treeline. At 4.9 miles, you’ll see the amazing Bison Peak rock gardens to the northeast. Leave the trail and hike through this impressive natural to the theater about a half mile away. The summit is an easy, non-technical scramble. Return the way you came or keep rolling over to McCurdy Mountain if you’re feeling strong. It’s a lot of mileage but fast hikers can expect the round trip to take 5-6 hours.