Mt. Princeton

East Slopes

Stoke Meter
4.5/5

Distance

7.2 Miles

Highest Elevation

14,197ft.

Lowest Elevation

8,900ft.

Ascent

3,400 ft.

Difficulty

Class 2

Overview

A short standard route with tons of talus and gnarly footing. Not very runnable, but a 14er nonetheless.

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Trail Directions

From Mainstreet Buena Vista head west on CR 306. After less than a mile make a left turn on to CR321 , follow CR321 for 7 miles. After about 7 miles you will reach a fork in the road bear right to take you onto CR322. After about a mile you will reach another fork in the road one marked for a local ranch and one clearly marked for Mt. Princeton, bear right toward Mt. Princeton. It is recommended the Lower clearance and 2WD vehicles should park here at 8,900, however if you have something a bit more substantial head on up the road for 3 more miles. Note: there are a few pullouts and campsites to pull over and park here. If you are not comfortable driving on an exposed shelf road with no turnaround park lower down.

From the upper trailhead at the radio towers, continue to make your way up CR 322A ( away from the the towers, if you start heading toward the towers you are heading in the wrong direction). Continue up the road for 1.5 miles to find the Mt. Princeton trail on the right. Head right up the trail and you will soon find yourself passing tree line. If you continue on the road you will reach a local 13er called Tigger Peak.

The trail here however steep remains class 1 terrain. After a steep accent for about 200 vertical feet find yourself just below the the Tigger-Princeton Ridge. From here the route remains class 2, you will do some cautious talus hopping, before heading up more switchbacks to reach the ridge sitting at a about 13,000. Follow the trail on up to the summit, the grade will steepen at 13,500. Continue to follow the trail up to the summit from here. Note that it is class 2 toward the summit but in excellent condition.

Take in the views and enjoy your hard work. Then Safely make your way back down in the direction you came up. Making note to turn left once you reach the road.
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