RM ORS #20-04: Hill Climb

Rocky Mountain (RM) Off Road Series (ORS) #20: Twin Cone
A series by: Team Red Rubicon.

This is the fourth of six caches in the #20 series of Rocky Mountain off-road caches located along the difficult Twin Cone trail. The Twin Cone Trail starts along Highway 285 at Kenosha Pass where the Colorado Hiking trail crosses the highway. The trail offers a lot of great scenery, including views of the surrounding mountains with Red Cone to the North.

Cache Information
This cache is located near the base of a steep hill that you must climb to continue to the summit. There are a few routes you can take up the hill but all are steep.

RM Off Road Series #20 Compete Cache Listing

1. Kenosha Creek Cache
2. Quiet Spot
3. Big Valley
4. Hill Climb
5. AGV (Another Good View)
6. The Girlz

Trail Information

Rating/Description
The trail starts near Kenosha Pass just off of Highway 285 about 60 miles from Denver. Take a left off of the highway at N39 24.749 W105 45.487 while heading west. The trailhead is just south of the highway inside the campground at N39 24.826 W105 45.267. There are pit toilets and and a good parking area to air down next to the trailhead. Shortly after starting the trail, you will come to an unlocked gate that you must unchain and open to proceed. Make sure you close and chain the gate behind you. The trail travels through some private property for a while before you come to another similar gate that you must open and close. After passing through the 2nd gate, you will be on National Forest land. You will travel about 7.2 miles total up to the top of North Twin Cone at 12,300 feet elevation and then return via the same route. The trail starts getting more difficult at N39 24.968 W105 42.056 and there is a steep hill climb at N39 25.253 W105 42.292. Make sure you spend some time to enjoy the scenery along the way and plan to spend some time at the top of the mountain.

The Twin Cone Trail is rated difficult but if you take the easier routes, the trail is on the high side of moderate. There are also plenty of optional difficult sections if you are up for more of a challenge. You will need a decent vehicle with 4x4 low range and good ground clearance, preferably lifted, to run the trail. The trail is rated a 5 (easiest routes) to 6 (most difficult routes) out of 10 on the traildamage website. Disclaimer: You need to decide for yourself if it is safe to run either of these trails in your vehicle and if you have any doubts, don't do it.

Note: All coordinates in the above description are included on the waypoint list on the first cache page.

Winter Months
This trail is not accessible in the winter. The Twin Cone Trail typically is passable early in the summer because most of the trail gets full sun exposure. It's usually one of the first high mountain trails to open in summer around mid June. Conditions will vary from year to year.

Time/Distance
The total distance to run the trail is about 14.4 miles round trip. The trails can be run in about 3-5 hours with a few stops thrown in, but make sure you leave extra time to have lunch on the trail, find the caches and to do some exploring. To reach the trailhead from the Denver area takes about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Trail Waypoints
See waypoint list on the first cache page.