Mt Hope Colorado 13er Hike Trail Guide

Mt Hope is a centennial mountain in Colorado ranked as the 64th highest in the state. A short yet steep hike, Mount Hope is mostly class 2 without a trail once you leave beautiful Hope Pass. Do not let the distance fool you, this hike is almost entirely uphill and downhill with almost no flat hiking along the way. 

Mt Hope Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Mt Hope & Hope Pass

Mt Hope Rating: ★★★ (4/5 Stars)

Distance: 8 Miles RT

Elevation Start: 9,879ft 

Highest Point: 13,933ft 

Total Elevation Gain: 3,900ft 

Estimated Time to Complete: 5-7 Hours RT

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 2 What does this mean?

Season: Late June- Early November – Expect snow outside of this period

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Mt Hope

Trailhead: Sheep Gulch

Getting Here: To access the trailhead, turn onto Chaffee County Road 390 (20 miles south of Leadville, 14.5 miles north of Buena Vista). Take 390 (starts off paved, turns into a well maintained dirt road) for 9.5 miles until you reach the signed trailhead on your right. Most vehicles should not have any issue accessing the trailhead with careful and slow driving on rougher sections of dirt road. In winter, there is no TH access due to lack of plowing.

Fees: There is no fee to hike Mt Hope. 

Parking: Sheep Gulch trailhead is relatively quiet, even on weekends. The lot is small, fitting about 5-10 cars MAX with no restrooms. This TH shares access with the Colorado Trail.

Summary

Camping: Camping is not allowed at the trailhead and options on the hike itself are very limited due to the steep terrain. Your best bet would be to find a spot on CR390 on your drive in. This is a popular spot to camp with 4 other 14ers in the area so get there early on weekends. 

Dogs: Mount Hope is dog friendly if your dog is capable of minor scrambling and is okay on sharper and loose scree. 

Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike with the option to add on neighboring Quail Mountain which is another 13er. If you want to add on Quail, add another 3ish miles of hiking. To hike Quail, on the top of Hope Pass, just head left instead of right towards Mt Hope.

Trail X Factors: Loose Rock & Steep Hiking 

Although this hike is relatively short, do not take it lightly. There is a section of trail that is about 200 yards long once you leave Sheep Gulch. That is about the only flat hiking on this entire trip. The elevation gain comes rapidly and does not relent until you reach the summit. The hike down is equally taxing on the legs. 

Trail conditions on Mt Hope are good until you leave Hope Pass and begin hiking up the eastern ridge. From here, expect to find a lot of loose rock. You can stay directly to the ridge up to the first point/tower but I would traverse around the 2nd one to regain the ridge crest higher up. If you stay directly to the ridge you will have higher class 2 hiking and find LOADS of loose rock up all sizes. 

Hike Tip(s): Mt Hope is a great mountain to hike in the fall when the leaves are changing. The southern slopes (near Sheep Gulch TH) are loaded with aspens. Unlike the hoards of people hiking up the neighboring 14ers, there is a high chance you will have this mountain to yourself. 

Best Views: Mt Hope is a very beautiful hike once you leave the treeline which is about 1.25 miles into the hike. Hope Pass itself is stunningly beautiful with amazing views north and south. With every step higher above Hope Pass, the views on this hike seem to get better. From the summit you can see neighboring La Plata Peak to the west, Twin Lakes to the north and a slue of 14ers, 13ers and other Collegiate Peaks mountains. 

Mt Hope Trail Route

*Note, do not follow my descent route*

Gear Needed

• 14er Day Hike Packing List
• Backpack
• Hiking Shoes or Hiking Boots
• Protection from the Sun
• Optional: GPS or navigational device
• Optional: Hiking Poles – your knee will thank you if you bring them.
• Optional: Headlamp
• *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. 

My Trip to Mt Hope: October 2020

An early season snow storm rolled in and coated the Colorado mountains with some fresh powder. Not wanting to hike anything too technical, I decided to find another mountain Juno and I could hike. I knew the route up to Hope Pass from our previous trip on the Colorado Trail and decided to give Mt Hope a go. The hike up to the pass was much easier than the previous descent but that is where the easy hiking stopped. Although there was only 2-4 inches of sugar snow, it was enough to make the hiking up from Hope Pass to the summit very tricky. Juno and I had a load of issues dealing with loose rock and falling into crevasses between the rock. After a few hour of slow going hiking, we reached the summit and had beautiful views in all directions. 

On the way down, I decided to follow a group of other hikers’ line instead of retracing our steps up. Stupid ass mistake. Their line was much more mellow in terms of technical hiking but had WAY more loose rock and postholing. Juno and I had a very frustrating time down this route but finally rejoined the trail down to the TH. The strong early season sun had melted nearly all of the snow and left the trail a slushy and muddy mess. Juno was going to need a bath after this one! 

Check out some pictures from Mt Hope below and then watch the virtual trail guide. 

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Mt Hope Virtual Trail Guide

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