TR: Cliff Creek to Beckwith Pass (Aug 2012)
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After hiking to Beckwith Pass earlier in the summer via 842, I put Cliff Creek on my list. Cliff Creek connects Beckwith Pass to Swampy Pass. I had wanted to hike the full trail while my parents were here, setting up a shuttle at Swampy Pass trailhead, but we got distracted by so many other hikes. So, I decided to take Eddy (borrowed dog) out for a nice Beckwith hike in a mid-August afternoon instead.
I had been on Cliff Creek in the winter several times with a snowmobile. But, I’d never hiked it during the summer. I realized pretty quickly that the snowmobile route didn’t vary much from the true trail. The trail began in a beautiful aspen forest.
The trail also passed through mountain meadows.
At times, the trail was extremely eroded.
The views of Ruby and Owen kept getting better and better.
And as it neared the top, the trail wandered through a dense pine forest.
At Beckwith, I decided to explore, heading to the bench above the pass – as recommended by a friend. A look down at Beckwith Pass.
Marcellina and the Raggeds.
A view of East Beckwith Mountain from the pass.
The views from the bench were spectacular. The Castles were obscured at the pass, but were seen in plain view from the bench.
A pass heading south east.
Owen, Ruby, and Scarp’s Ridge along with Irwin Lodge.
A closer view of the Castles.
Eddy and I spent some time enjoying the scene from on top of Beckwith Pass. But as evening closed in, it was time to return… until the next hike in the wonderful mountains near Crested Butte!
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