Torreys Peak is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

in the

Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered ...

region of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. It is one of 53 fourteeners in Colorado. Its nearest major city is

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Torreys Peak is located along the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not c ...

, as well as the division between

Clear Creek County Clear Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,397. The county seat is Georgetown. Clear Creek County is part of the Denver metropolitan area. History Clear Creek County ...

and Summit County.

Name

The first European to ascend Torreys Peak, botanist Charles C. Parry, named the peak for his botanist colleague

John Torrey John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, he was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities, while he also pursued botanical work, focusing on t ...

. Torrey actually did not see the peak until 1872, 11 years later (the year before his death at the age 76). It is nearly always mentioned in conjunction with nearby

Grays Peak Grays Peak is the tenth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent fourteener is the highest summit of the Front Range and the highest point on the Continental Divide and the Conti ...

Hiking

There are three main trails used to reach the summit. The first is actually a continuation of

Grays Peak Trail Grays Peak National Recreation Trail or Grays Peak Trail lies along the Continental Divide of the Americas, part of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the White River National Forest, Summit County. Grays Pea ...

to the summit of Grays Peak, which starts in Stevens Gulch. See the

article for more information on accessing that trail. A popular and challenging variation of this trail follows class-3 Kelso Ridge. This route splits from the Grays Peak trail from the trailhead, climbs to the saddle between Torreys and Kelso Mountain, then follows the rugged ridge about to the summit. The third trail starts at

Loveland Pass Loveland Pass is a high mountain pass in north-central Colorado, at an elevation of above sea level in the Rocky Mountains of the Western United States. Background It is located on the Continental Divide in the Front Range, west of Denver on U ...

about to the northwest. To reach Loveland Pass, follow

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

west from Denver to where

US Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...

breaks off and heads south. Follow the meandering Route 6 approximately seven miles to the trailhead at Loveland Pass, at an elevation of . The steepest part of the trail actually begins right away with a half mile climb of . The trail follows the Continental Divide gently taking the climber down into three saddles and up two more peaks, including Grizzly Peak at and Mount Sniktau at . The final saddle rests at approximately 12,600 ft. From this saddle, it is a mile-long ascent of to the final summit. Once at the summit, many opt to continue on to Grays Peak, away. The trail from Torreys Peak to Grays Peak dips down to a saddle and then climbs back up to .

References

External links

Torreys Peak Hiking Guide on BackpackerGrays and Torreys Peaks on 14ers.comTorreys Peak on ListsofJohnTorreys Peak on PeakeryGrays and Torreys Peaks on TrailCentral.comGPS Trail Map Using Google Maps
{{Authority control Mountains of Colorado Mountains of Clear Creek County, Colorado Mountains of Summit County, Colorado Fourteeners of Colorado North American 4000 m summits Great Divide of North America

Name

Hiking

See also

References

External links