| Distance | 8.5 miles |
| Elevation Gain | 883 feet |
| My Time | 3 hr 28 min |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Closest Town | Salida |
| Food Nearby | Monarch Crest |
Hiking the Monarch Crest Trail
The Monarch Crest trail is located at the top of Monarch Pass. Monarch Crest is part of the Continental Divide trail and goes on for basically ever so this is just a small section. The trail continues on both sides of the road at the pass but I focused on the east side of the pass. This is a high elevation hike that is beautiful and moderately difficult but might not be for everyone due to the high elevations.
Getting Started
Monarch Pass is accessed on US-50 often used to travel between Gunnison and Salida. At the summit is a small store and restaurant with plenty of parking on the East side of the pass. From this large parking lot, if you take the service road for about a quarter of a mile you will see the small trail sign for the Monarch Crest and Continental Divide trails. This trail will take you off the road and down into a wooded section of trail. The trail is narrow and very popular with hikers and mountain bikers so make sure to stay alert for some narrow passing areas.
Lower Section
Once you split off from the road, the Monarch Crest trail is pretty amazing from start to finish. I like to break down the lower section into two parts. There is the initial trail through the trees leading to the trail junction. And then, a second section that is still below tree line but is a bit more steep and challenging.
Lower and Flat
The first lower section is just over a half mile and is pretty flat. For those who aren’t experienced with high elevation hiking, this is a good place to gauge how you are doing in the elevation. This section is mostly covered with trees and doesn’t have an incline greater than about a 5% grade. So mostly flat and wooded but still at around 11,400 feet for the duration of the mile to the trail junction. After the junction, the inclines begin and the trail gets much more difficult so if this part of the trail is a struggle, best not to continue.
The Hills Begin
When you make it to the opening and a spot where the road and trail converge you will come to the second portion of the lower section of the hike. This will start your elevation and take you above the treeline. This section alternates between being exposed and in the woods and lasts about 1.8 miles. Those 1.8 miles start with a decent sized hill that gets up to 13% grade right away before flattening out for a bit. The flatter sections still have a small elevation to them but are a bit easier than the hills. The second hill is another 13% grade hill that is about a mile and half into this section of the hike. It comes right after rounding a corner and after that you will be around the upper ridge.
This second section is where the views really start to take shape, although they are still just a preview of what to come!
Walking on the Ridge
Now that you have cleared the trees you are in for one of the most stunning ridge walks I have been on. It seems like in every direction there are amazing views. The best part, once you clear that second hill, the trail is way flatter with inclines of only about a 2% grade. It is really a wonderful way to just enjoy the wonders of nature!
Since this is part of the Continental Divide, there really is no limit on how far you can go. I went to the area of the tall peak above, called Peel Peek and turned around just below it. There are a couple of spots that have just amazing views and are common places for people to stop and take pictures along the trail as well.
Since I did this as an out and back, I found that the return trip had even better views as I was heading back and looking towards the Collegiate Peaks. The whole area turned into a giant Sound of Music moment, where I just stood on the trail and spun around to see everything around. This really was a spectacular area!
Views
I have talked about the views but haven’t shown too many of them and I wanted to do that now. The mountains surrounding the pass are really something and the views are what make this hike so special.
For the most part, the trail is just a straight walk in the mountains with a couple of hills but these views make it special. Around each turn it seems that the views get better and better and I was filled with excitement with each step.
There are more photos in the gallery and make sure to check out my time lapse video below to get a feeling of what the hike looks like.
Video of the Monarch Crest Trail
I have put this time-lapse video together of hiking the Monarch Crest Trail loop so other hikers can get a feel of what the hike is like. If you enjoy this video make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest outdoor content.
Distance and Elevation
If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 8.52 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 883 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 11,966 feet. I was also moving for a total of 3 hours and 28 minutes.
I am a Pro member of AllTrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.
Effort
As high elevation hikes go, the Monarch Crest trail isn’t the hardest around. That isn’t to say that it is easy. It is a longer hike, at about 8 and half miles roundtrip and there are sections that have steep elevation gains. But overall the trail isn’t that bad for the amount of views that you get. There is also the elevation to contend with. The trail is between 11-12,000 feet so anyone who is not used to that kind of elevation could struggle. I am going to rate this as moderate but it is on the harder side of moderate.
Terrain
The trail is well marked and it is important to stay on the trail as much as possible due to the high elevation grasses around. The entire second half of the hike is totally exposed. There are some rocks here and there on the trail but for the most part it is straight forward. Mountain bikers love to use this trail as well. Make sure you are prepared for the elevation, quickly changing weather paired with exposed hiking, and intense sun and wind at times.
Access to the Monarch Crest Trail
The Monarch Crest Trail is found at the top of Monarch pass just next to the restaurant that is up there. It is part of the Continental Divide Trail that goes on either side of the road. There is plenty of parking at the pass but there are no restroom facilities if the restaurant is closed.
Wrapping up the Monarch Crest Trail
The Monarch Crest Trail was kind of a throwaway trail for me. I just stopped on a road trip to see what was at the top of the pass and could not believe how amazing the hike was. I usually struggle a bit on the high elevation hikes but this one seemed different and I enjoyed almost all of it. (The hills were still a bit rough!) The view made up for any suffering and it was such a great surprise!
Just a warning, this is a high elevation hike which means there can be quickly changing weather patterns, late and early season snows, lightning and all that goes with the high country. There is also a little cover for the back half of the trail so you need to make sure you are prepared for wind and sun protection. If you prepare yourself properly, you should have a wonderful time on top of the world!
I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!