Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
With fourteener season approaching, I’ve got a suggestion if you’re looking for a great hike to prepare your quads, hamstrings, knees and ankles for the rugged trails found on our highest peaks. And you can’t beat the convenience of the location.
Overlooking Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Mount Morrison tops out at nearly 7,900 feet with 2,000 feet of elevation gained in less than 2 miles. That means it’s steep and remarkably similar to conditions you’ll face on fourteeners — minus the high altitude, of course.
You may have admired it from the upper concourse at Red Rocks, longing to hike it despite posted “No trepassing” signs. The peak isn’t off limits, though. The trailhead is located at Red Rocks Park’s Entrance 4, located about a half mile west of Morrison. The trail to the summit ascends the mountain’s south ridge.
It is not an easy hike. Leave the kids at home. Dogs are prohibited.
“Itap not a family-friendly hike,” said Kristoph Kinzli, a professor at Colorado School of Mines whom I met recently on the trail. “Thatap actually why itap great as a fourteener training hike. Itap rugged, itap a difficult hike, you get a lot of loose rock. Itap for avid hikers and mountaineers for training.”
Kinzli, an avid fourteener hiker who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Mines, hits that trail seven or eight times a year for training.
“Itap fairly comparable to some of the elevation gain you get (on fourteeners) when you’re getting over 1,000 feet per mile,” Kinzli said. “There’s nothing else like that, real close to Denver. I’ve met people who do it to train for really big mountains, and they’ll do it three times back-to-back in the same day. I’ve seen people with massive packs who are training for Denali or (peaks) in South America.”
That morning, Chatfield High School held its graduation ceremony in the amphitheater. Halfway up the ridge, we could hear Pomp and Circumstance. On the way down, we heard the names of graduates being read as they received their diplomas.
Mount Morrison has some history, too. A cog railway to the summit opened in 1909, followed by similar sightseeing inclines on Lookout Mountain (1912) and South Table Mountain (1913). All three were defunct by 1920, though, in part because the automobile road to the top of Lookout was completed in 1913. The lower terminal of the Mount Morrison Incline was located near what is now the amphitheatre’s lower north parking lot. The amphitheatre opened in 1941.
The hiking trail is very steep at the bottom, a little less so in the middle sections and steep again at the top, passing through rock bands near the summit. Mount Blue Sky is visible to the west. Views to the east take in Red Rocks Park, the Dakota Ridge hogback, Green Mountain and downtown Denver in the distance.
Although the parking lot is located at the south end of Red Rocks Park, most of the trail is on Jefferson County Open Space land and is part of Matthews/Winters Park. shows the path of the trail with topographical lines.
The steepness of the trail is only one of its challenges. Much of the trail is strewn with loose rocks. Other sections take the hiker over loose sand and gravel, which can cause lots of slipping and sliding. Many will find the descent as challenging as the ascent. Trekking poles are highly recommended.
Mount Morrison is definitely not a casual hike, but casual hikes aren’t the best training for fourteeners.
“Itap the best training around,” Kinzli said. “You’re not going to find anything steeper close to Denver.”
