Witter’s summit. While it’s flat on one side, the south side cliffs are dramatic. The east ridge down has one notch to downclimb (Class 2+). If you have dogs, you may want to keep them on leash around the steep cliffs and possibly avoid this notch returning via the Eva–Witter saddle (1.75-mile basin walk to Chinns Lake, with a few willow thickets to navigate). But to stay on the route, head down the east ridge of Witter, downclimbing the notch and aiming for Chinns Lake.
4.7 When you are lined up with Chinns Lake, find a good slope to descend. It’s a bit loose in places, but keep looking east to find a nice way down. Follow the south shore of Chinns Lake around 5.2 miles in. Stay north on the road and look for a stone-lined drainage past the northeast corner of the lake. This drainage connects Chinns to Fall River Reservoir.
Stay to the left of the drainage in the shady woods. It may feel off route, but it’s a short no-trail jaunt down in an open forest. Stay on the left side of the drainage, marveling at some of the deep ravines cut into the land from the 2013 floods.
5.4 Keep following the drainage north. Soon you will see Fall River Reservoir through the trees. Eventually, you’ll come to a few backcountry camp spots and the road back to the parking lot.
5.6 Finish.
Notes
This route can be done in reverse, but that entails a descent of Eva’s south slopes—not to mention fighting up the four-wheel-drive road to park at Chinns Lake (or walking it from below).
4. Parrys Rib to Parry Peak (13,391’)–Mount Bancroft (13,250’)–Mount Eva (13,130’) Loop
| Round-Trip Distance | 6.4 miles |
| Class | 2+ |
| Difficulty | 6/10 |
| Hiking Time | 5–6 hours |
| Total Elevation Gain | 3,070’ |
| Terrain | Parrys Rib is a fun, if steep, scramble. Good rock until the middle, where the slopes get a little loose and sandy. Some off-trail, easy-to-navigate forest terrain at the start. |
| Best Time to Climb | June–September |
Overview
Parrys Rib is a welcome route to the top of the highest peak in the James Peak Wilderness. It avoids a direct scree scramble up the Bancroft–Parry saddle (though there’s still some loose, scrappy work near the summit). The walk over to Bancroft is a nice, relaxing saunter. You can return the way you came or link up several peaks. Looping down from Eva is popular (eschewing Bancroft is always an option as well).
Mile/Route
0.0 This hike follows the same route as Mount Eva for 1.6 miles. Pass the reservoir on its north shore, then head west over a series of low-angle waterfalls and gain the basin.
1.6 Split from the Mount Eva route at the base of the rib at 11,800 feet. There’s some good Class 2+ scrambling to be had here, along with rock outcrops that offer more-challenging options. At 12,800 feet, a small shelf signals the end of the fun scrambling and the beginning of the loose, gravel-ridden slopes to the ridgeline.
2.1 Gain Parry’s south ridge, just below the summit. The western side of these peaks along the Continental Divide is mellow and fun to traverse.
2.3 Parry’s summit. There are lots of options from here. It’s 0.9 mile to Bancroft, which is often done as an out-and-back, going back down Parrys Rib (though another fun option is to leave a second car at Loch Lomond and do a point-to-point, possibly tacking on James Peak).
6.4 Finish, if you’ve returned via Parrys Rib. Mount Eva is 0.8 mile from Parry; if you skip Bancroft and go directly to Mount Eva, then descend via the steep, grassy northeast slopes, the loop is about 5.4 miles round-trip. If you combine Parry, Bancroft, and Eva, it’s a 7.3-mile loop—still a very manageable day for most hikers.
Wide-open land in the basin above Fall River Reservoir
Additional Routes
Prepare for a recurring theme in this guide: lots of great options. This area is especially good for linking up peaks, since the terrain on the west side of the Continental Divide is mellow, accommodating, and quite scenic (the views from here are a nice preview of many other mountains in the book). Good, long days await strong and motivated hikers.
The Witter Slam: Witter, Eva, Parry, Bancroft, and James Peak Point-to-Point Ending at Loch Lomond
Class 2+ – 8.2 miles – 4,300’ elevation gain
This requires one car parked at Loch Lomond and another at either Fall River Reservoir or Chinns Lake. The route can be truncated by starting at Fall River Reservoir and leaving out Witter Peak, but for a big, fun day (perfect for an autumn outing), start at Chinns Lake and reverse the Eva–Witter Loop. Traverse from Witter to James Peak along the Continental Divide, then descend James Peak’s moderate east slopes, following trails south to Loch Lomond, where vehicle two will park.
Fall River Reservoir–Berthoud Pass Point-to-Point
Class 2+ – 8.2 miles – 3,780’ elevation gain
Have a friend driving back home from Winter Park? Have him or her meet you at vehicle two at the summit of Berthoud Pass. This tour starts out the same as the Eva–Witter Loop from Fall River Reservoir and (most likely) skips Witter—unless you want to snag it for a nice bonus summit. Walking along the Continental Divide entails easy, off-trail terrain among fields of crimson grass and wildflowers. Mount Flora (13,132’) is a scenic high point—an out-and-back east to Breckenridge Peak at 12,889 feet from Flora’s summit will add another 1.6 miles to your day. It’s a worthwhile visit if you have the energy and clear weather. Wrap up your adventure passing (or tagging) 12,493-foot Colorado Mines Peak and follow a broad dirt road to Berthoud Pass parking.
Notes
Breckenridge Peak from Mount Flora (1 mile each way) is an underrated tour; it’s worth a look. Another group of trails can access this area, specifically Breckenridge Peak, Mount Flora, and Flora–Witter saddle ridge from Bill Moore Lake. The reason that area only gets a brief mention here is that the roads to Bill Moore Lake are legit four-wheel-drive out of the town of Empire. I’ve driven to Bill Moore a few times, and the road tends to be muddy, rocky—a jeeper’s delight, but not great for SUVs and SUCs. If you love some off-roading, however, it’s a nice place to visit.
Fall River Reservoir and Chinns Lake have good car-camping opportunities at their trailheads.
III. West Chicago Creek Trailhead (9,840’)
If you like off-trail adventures to obscure peaks, this is your adventure. Private land makes this an
