North Star Mountain Colorado Hike Guide
North Star Mountain is a ranked 13er located in Summit County of Colorado. This mountain is great to hike year round, but in particular a good trail for those looking to gain some winter hiking experience at a relatively low risk level. The hike starts from Hoosier Pass and works along a Class 2 ridge to reach the “unofficial” summit. There is some controversy around this peak as the USFS summit marker and where most hikers consider the summit are in two different places.
North Star Mountain Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: North Star Mountain
North Star Mountain Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Distance: 8 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 11,540ft
High Point: 13,614ft
Total Elevation Gain: 2,400ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 5-6 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 What does this mean?
Season: Year Round – Expect Snow: November – May
Directions to North Star Mountain
Trailhead: Hoosier Pass
Getting Here: From Breck/Points North: Navigate to Breckenridge, Colorado and from here its about 20 minutes to Hoosier Pass. Take CO-9 South for about 11 miles to reach Hoosier Pass summit on your right.
From Alma/Points South: From US 285 in Fairplay, take CO-9 North for about 11 miles through the small town of Alma and up Hoosier Pass to reach the summit parking area on your left.
Parking: Parking on Hoosier Pass is usually accessible year round with parking for 20-30 cars. Even with such a large capacity, it can get very busy on summer weekends as it serves as a starting point to many hikes in the area. There are no restrooms at Hoosier Pass. To start the hike to North Star, head left where the trailhead sign is in the parking area.
Fees: None
Summary
Dogs: North Star Mountain is usually a dog friendly hike, but during certain times of the winter when the snow levels are high and unconsolidated, it may be advisable to leave a dog at home. We ended up turning around a little while before the summit due to some of the cornices on the ridge that were not safe with Aria.
Camping: Your best bet to camping would be off nearby McCullough Gulch Road (CR 851). BE SURE to camp in the National Forest area and not in the residential spots. In general, camping in this area is very tricky and limited.
Best Views: Once you get above the initial saddle, the views on this hike are great. My favorite time of year for the views in the Tenmile Range is during the winter when the snow capped peaks to your West are A+.
North Star Mountain Hike Route
As mentioned, we did not summit, so be sure to add another 1/2 mile of hiking each way along the ridge to each the “true” summit.
Gear Needed
- Winter Backpack
- Hiking/SkiPoles
- La Sportiva Mountaineering Boots
- Snowpants
- Gloves
- Microspikes
- Gaiters
- Optional: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
- Optional: Mountain Axe – Petzl EVO
- Optional: Mountain Axe – Black Diamond Raven – Great for Beginners
- Optional: Snowshoes
- Optional: Skis or Splitboard
- Optional: Goggles
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, Drone
- *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.
North Star Mountain Trip Report: April 2023
North Star Mountain had been on my winter hiking to do list forever. With snow conditions still settling to a Spring snowpack and my running for the week all caught up, I had a rare free day to hike and wanted to bring along our dog, Aria.
We arrived at the TH around 7:30AM, geared up and started the hike. It was supposed to be a beautiful Spring day and I was looking forward to sharing the snow covered mountains with Aria. The trail started off very easy to follow as it just worked over a packed forest road. It had been a while since I had juggled filming, flying, gear management and handling the dog and lets just say I was rusty. I ended up stepping on the Gopro with my snowshoes, shattering the back screen. Sweet.
I didn’t let this expensive mistake ruin my day though as I really wanted to get a summit with Aria. We quickly worked across the one avalanche prone section and continued up the massive high alpine slopes that covered the Eastern portion of North Star Mountain. We hiked through some mining claims and finally reached the ridge where the winds were howling softly. This is where the confusion began.
According to my favorite app, handheld GPS and Google – we were standing on the summit of North Star Mountain. However, according to a few popular guidebooks, we still had about a mile of hiking along the ridge. Confused, I decide to push on – starting across the narrow, snow covered ridge. We hiked along for about a half mile where snow conditions and cornicing made it too dangerous for a (very crazy) dog to continue. At this point, I decided to call it a day and turn around since returning home is always the most important part of hiking. Realistically, we did not summit North Star Mountain but according to the official government survey, we did. However, what we did achieve was a memorable day in the mountains with Aria and ultimately, that is what’s most important to me.
