Hikers: Pat, Jodie
Weather: 70s, sunny
Miles: 12.0
Elevation Gain: 4300 ft
Duration: 8 hrs
Mt. Sopris rises high above the town of Carbondale and is easily seen from Glenwood Springs. It has distinctive twin summits, about a mile apart, but with the same elevation. Here is a 1903 photo of Sopris above Carbondale. Jodie and I were originally thinking of attempting a 14er, but after seeing Mt. Sopris we decided it was definitely a worthwhile objective. As an added bonus, it is only about 45 minutes from downtown Glenwood Springs.
There is a trail that climbs into Thomas Lakes, on the north side of Sopris, and then climbs up the east ridge. The trail into Thomas Lakes, about 3.5 miles, is well defined and a fairly easy. It goes through a section of meadow where the wildflowers were in full bloom. After Thomas Lakes, the trail climbs several switchbacks to get onto the lower part of the ridge. It then winds its way up the ridge, becoming rougher and steeper until finally reaching the summit ridgecrest. The last portion before the ridgecrest is a steep talus section where the trail becomes faint. There is still about a mile of traversing and climbing to reach the eastern summit.
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