Pacific Peak North Couloir Hike Trail Guide

Pacific Peak North Couloir is one of the classic snow climbs in Summit County of Colorado. Pacific Peak’s summit sits at 13,950ft making it a centennial (top 100 peak) in Colorado as well. The north couloir is a great option to climb and hike down or ski down for expert skiers/boarders. Pacific Peak’s North couloir is about 700ft of climbing with sustained 35 degrees of grade and reaching into the upper 50’s at its crux. This snow climb is recommended as an intermediate option with a long approach and descent. Depending on when you climb this line, the exit could involve some low Class 5 climbing.

Pacific Peak North Couloir Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Pacific Peak North Couloir

Pacific Peak North Couloir: ★★★★ (⅘  Stars)

Distance: 10.6 Miles RT from Lower TH, 7 Miles from Upper TH

Elevation Start: 10,400ft lower TH, 11,100ft upper TH

Highest Point: 13,950ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,650 lower TH, 2,925 upper TH

Estimated Time to Complete: 10-12 Hours (depending on season, approach/descent method)

Difficulty: Difficult Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 2+ (The exit can contain some Class 5 moves depending on snow level) – What does this mean?

Snow Climb Rating: Moderate to Advanced (Sustained 35-50 degree climbing in the couloir) 

Season: Late April – Early July – Can be climbed outside of this period but beware of avalanche risk and rock fall danger + a harder exit out of the couloir.

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Avalanche Forecast: This route and area is avalanche prone, check conditions here.

Directions to Pacific Peak North Couloir

Trailhead: Spruce Creek

Getting Here:  From Breck/Points North: Navigate to Breckenridge, Colorado and from here it’s about 10 minutes to the trailhead. Take CO-9 South for about 3.5 miles and take a sharp right onto Spruce Creek road. Follow the road for about 1 mile to reach the winter and spring trailhead. 

From Alma/Points South: From US 285 in Fairplay, take CO-9 North for about 18.5 miles through the small town of Alma and down Hoosier Pass to reach Spruce Creek Road on your left. Continue for about 1 mile to reach the lower TH. 

In the summer and early fall higher clearance 4×4 cars can continue up to the upper TH for another 1.8 miles. 

Fees: There is no fee to hike Pacific Peak.

Parking: Parking at the lower Spruce Creek TH can fit about 20-25 cars comfortably. If you are able to drive up to the upper TH, parking is much more limited and turn around points are hard to come by. If you are not comfortable with driving on rough roads and have the car to do so, its best to park at the summer TH. There are no bathrooms either TH and parking can get busy in the summer since this TH accesses a number of other hikes in the area. 

Summary

Camping: Camping at Spruce Creek TH is restricted, but if you are looking to car camp there are a handful of spots along the road just before the parking area. Backcountry spots can be tricky to find due to terrain features and lack of dry ground in the area. Even though much of this hike is in national forest, be sure to be cognizant of any private land in the area when backcountry camping. 

Dogs: Pacific Peak via the North Couloir is absolutely not acceptable for dogs. 

Make it a Loop: When hiking Pacific Peak via the North Couloir it is common to climb the couloir and then hike down the eastern ridge to link back up to where you started the couloir creating a lollipop loop. It is not recommended to descend the couloir unless you are skiing/snowboarding it. 

Trail X Factors: With any couloir hike, conditions are the biggest x factor. In the case of Pacific Peak via the North Couloir, conditions on the approach and descent are also a massive x factor. In the couloir itself, be sure to ensure the snow is stable and hard enough for a climb. This climb is recommended from May – early July when slab issues have subsided and an overnight freeze has occurred. On the approach and descent, you will want to make sure you time this climb properly to avoid hours of nasty postholing on the way in or out. 

Hike Tip(s): When planning a hike up Pacific Peak via the North Couloir you will absolutely want to start early. Even from the upper TH, the approach to the couloir is a bit long and requires a couple of miles of hiking at the minimum. Like any couloir, you want to ensure that you are doing research to understand the snow conditions inside of it. Although it is north facing at the top, the bottom faces east. These two directions will generally lead to varying snow conditions inside of the couloir itself so plan accordingly. Finally, this should be a no brainer (pun), but wear a helmet inside the couloir when climbing it. This couloir is known for its rockfall and can start shedding naturally when the temperature heats up. 

Best Views: When hiking Pacfic Peak via the North Couloir, the views start early and often. Once you depart the treeline, you are given amazing views of the Ten Mile Range mountains that surround you and the views just continue to get better the higher you get. This is a rare instance when I felt that the summit views were the least impressive of the entire day. 

Pacific Peak North Couloir Hike Route

Would not recommend following our line to the couloir on the ascent, instead follow our descent line for your approach.

Gear Needed

• Mickey’s Mountain Kit
• Backpack – this has been my go to
• Mountaineering Boots that accept crampons
• Crampons
• Crampon Bag
• Two Mountain Axes or Ice Tools
• Helmet
• Map of area or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
• Protection from the sun: sunscreen, hat, sunglasses  – lots of exposed hiking
• Snowshoes in winter or spring OR
• Ski/Snowboard
• Optional: Depending on Season – Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
• Optional: Harness (usually not necessary)
• Optional: Rope and Protection (usually not necessary)
• Optional: Hiking Poles
• Optional: Gaiters (in winter)
• Optional:Camera and Lens
• Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
• *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. 

Our Trip to Pacific Peak North Couloir: May 2020

Couloir season was in full swing and we were ready to take advantage of it. Pacific Peak had been on my list as it is a centennial and I thought climbing its steep north facing couloir sounded like a whole lot of fun. The approach and descent turned out to be very arduous and type 3 fun but the climb itself was amazing. You can watch the full recap of this trip below along with some pictures from our trip. 

Pacific Peak North Couloir Virtual Trail Guide

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