Road trip guide: Conquering Peerless Mountain in CO
Peerless Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 4.022m (13,195ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary between Park and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. It’s one of the highest roads of Colorado.
Set high in the Tenmile-Mosquito Range of the Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America, the bumpy road to the summit is totally unpaved. It’s called County Road 18 (4 Mile Creek Road). The drive takes you past several well-preserved historic mining sites and structures. The road to the summit turns off a mile before the end of Fourmile Creek Road. There is a big snow drift blocking the main road until very late in the summer.
The drive is very steep hitting a 16% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at Fairplay, the county seat of Park County, the ascent is 21.2 km (13.17 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.014 meters. The average gradient is 4.78%. The maintained (jeep) trail is narrow with few places for passing so meeting someone can be a challenge. Keep an eye on the weather for thunderstorms and lightning. Near the summit are remnants of abandoned old mining facilities. The road can be driven in many stock SUVs equipped with 4x4 & higher clearance. However, the road is continuously rocky and does present some degree of clearance challenges for stock SUVs. This is a great trail that offers a little bit of everything -- rocky challenges, fantastic scenery, Colorado history, and access to some great hiking and fishing.
Pic: Mike Langenkamp