Mount Cindy's Treasures

The mountains of the Never Summer Range that form the western boundary of much of Rocky Mountain National Park and constitute the high country of Jackson County adjacent to the park, are rugged and incredibly spectacular! They require a serious effort to access, and almost all are linked together with high ridges forming visual barriers that preclude distant vistas. Fortunately, many of the mountains of the Never Summers that are outside the Park’s boundaries are protected from logging and other forms of disturbance by being within the Never Summers Wilderness Area.

Now, imagine a peak in this area that is high (12,047 feet) and is an “outlier” separated from the other mountains so as to provide remarkable vistas of almost all of the other mountains of the Never Summers! Such a mountain exits: Mount Cindy. It was “created” for us, to provide these awesome views, yet few people ever venture to its remote summit. It’s tough work getting to Cindy’s top, which is along the Wilderness border. But the visual treasures are indelibly unforgettable and very, very much worth the effort!

From Mount Cindy’s summit one has impressive views of a plethora of Ranked Peaks in the Never Summer Range and along the Continental Divide of the Rabbit Ears Range: Bearpaws Peaks; The Lone Ranger; Paprika Peak; Parika Peak; Farview Peak; Point 11,181; Point 10,967; La Fevre Ridge; Radial Mountain; Parkview; Haystack Mountain; Owl Mountain; Point 10,910; Seven Utes Mountain, Mount Mahler. Add to these stunning mountains Baker Pass, and the precipitous Continental Divide peaks of the Never Summers in Rocky Mountain National Park that are viewable from Mount Cindy: Mount Baker, Mount Stratus; Mount Nimbus; Mount Cumulus; Howard Mountain; Mount Cirrus; Lead Mountain; Teepee Mountain; Mount Richthofen; Static Peak; Noku Crags. And from Mount Cindy, one can look down on North Park, and west at the Park Range and the high mountains of Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area. I can’t imagine a more advantageous position for seeing and studying all of this remarkable terrain than from Mount Cindy!

So be inspired! Convince yourself that you want to witness all of this spectacular scenery from a location that shows it all–that’s Mount Cindy!! Then contemplate that there’s another treasure awaiting you up there: a geocache log, hidden in a container high on US Forest Service land just outside the Wilderness Area. WOW. Spectacular views PLUS a special cache log to sign. That’s hard to beat! The container is larger than a pill vial.

Do your map work. Determine the realistic approach. Bring extra clothing and food and water and headlamp, in case you get delayed. Let someone who is not with you know your plans and anticipated locations and expected schedule. This is a backcountry cache, and you should treat it as such in your preparations.