Colorado 14ers: Huron Peak North Ridge Hike Guide W/ TWO Bonus Peaks

Tackled a fun alternative to the standard route up Huron Peak summiting two other mountains (13,462 + Browns Peak) along the way. This loop was about 11 miles with 4,100ft of gain. Filmed in June.
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[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Read a full guide on this hike here: www.thevirtualsherpa.com/huron-peak-north-ridge/

[@alehax27]

Windy is also a great app. Ton of features, but I mainly use to see the thunderstorm radar forecast

[@grantskidmore6921]

This is a beautiful summit even with all those clouds (for sure we’re making me nervous).

[@ervinslens]

Outstanding scenery my friend. You are able to convey such amazing sense of nature. Fantastic upload.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

🙏🏽 thanks so much

[@nickkowalczyk7644]

Love how you want over the procedure for safely navigating summer thunderstorms in CO. Amazing video and great work as always!

[@stephensmith6599]

Thank you for pointing out the 13es and options. Love the long ridge lines up high ... great views, solitude, etc.

[@evanrose2382]

Thanks for the video and route description. I did the same loop route on 29 July 2023. I spent more time on the talus slopes leading to and away from Browns Peak than on top of the ridges, so I was very interested in your video. The Lulu Gulch route offers superior views to North Huron Trail.

[@MurrayPeeps]

What a day! Those views were ridic. Excellent drone work

[@adamcauble3674]

Wow, unbelievable footage. The lighting is just *chefs kiss* ... green slopes, clear waters, Huron is really one of the best out there.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

The lighting was absolutely perfect - no editing at all done to these drone shots

[@emilywein8956]

Great hike. Did this almost exact route I believe before you this year since it was before the monsoon. I took the direct route and ho boy is that a rough gully. Reminds me of some sections of north maroon. Super steep and loose. I started a small slide by pushing a washing machine down when I stepped on it and getting baby heads to microwaves rolling. Only person in the gully luckily.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Yeah I guess I made the right call then - that gully looked like an F- time.

[@dansouth2088]

Did the same last August and loved it. Well, except for the washing machine and baby heads. LOL!!

[@whateverclever100]

Love your videos bro. We miss Juno as well. Keep up the awesome work even if you feel people aren't enjoying them because they are!!

[@N8rtotz]

Hey man, I just did this route on 7/23. First ever 14er. Just started watching all your videos now! Thanks for the cool content

[@eldersine]

Just did Missouri, Oxford, and Belford as a traverse. It was a challenge with all the gain but so fun. Highly recommend. Also great edits!

[@jzoop1]

Great job! I like the isolation of the route.

[@TheEvilized]

Thanks for another great vid.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Appreciate the donation!

[@ManivanAdventures]

Wow… absolutely beautiful! Just wow…..

[@diana.goes.hiking3276]

Amazing content as always and the views 🤯 putting this one on the list! Wow beautiful route!

[@raypraise]

I love these videos

[@RockyMTNnative]

Very nice! I am glad you made it down safely

[@henketooraw]

Drone shots are insane 🤯

[@Trez0129]

Just did Lulu yesterday, hit all 4 bonus 13ers on the way up. Great hike, some fun class 3 if you go over 13,518 too!

[@XxxUnderestimatedxxX]

Those views are ridiculous. I’ll have to go back to Huron and try that route sometime. Great video!

[@PantheraOnca60]

Don't. It's horrible and ugly and infested with fleas. Your junk will fall off if you go there.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

😂

[@cidevids]

Great vid man!

[@jugies01]

Great video! Did it last year and came in right at 12 miles for the loop. Felt the same way about very hard to define trail just after the peak you called a Tri-centennial. Saw two people on the way up and 11 million on the peak/way down.

[@david-yj6uv]

Thanks for an alternate route, Huron was worth a second summit, I’ll be checking this one out!

[@PantheraOnca60]

If you go there your hair will fall out and your teeth will rot. It's cursed. It's dull. It's tedious. There's a state law that says you can't use an alternate route on Huron if you've ever summited before. Stay home and avoid the heartbreak of psoriasis. You'll be driven insane by horseflies if you go there. You'll get monkeypox. It's just too dangerous.

[@dansouth2088]

Great video! Love this route and highly recommend! It is a lot of Type 2 fun going up to the saddle between Brown's and it's unnamed neighbor versus the Middle Mt. route.

[@nathanlowry8048]

Looks like such a fun route to take! That whole area of the Sawatch is simply stunning. Did Huron just last Monday, and it struck me coming down about halfway the amount of people that were making their ascent when storms were forecasted for as soon as an hour later. Perhaps it's the experience of being stuck in a storm above tree line, but it really baffles the mind that people can be so cavalier in the face of obviously bad weather rolling in...

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Once you get stuck in a bad situation once - you will never let it happen again. It’s one thing to be in a spot where you have no choice, it’s another to choose to keep ascending when the weather is telling you not to. Everyone has different tolerance to weather but agree with you that a lot are probably just ignorant to it.

[@PantheraOnca60]

@@TheVirtualSherpa I've lived in Colorado for 50 years; I've only been caught above the treeline by a thunderstorm once. That's all it took to make me very careful with the weather. I hiked the Decalibron in 2016. On my way down to the Kite Lake parking area, just after 1:00 p.m., the clouds were gathering and darkening very rapidly. I usually don't give advice, but there were dozens of (younger) people coming up the trail -- many in sneakers and cotton shorts and t-shirts -- and I told several of them that they might consider turning around and trying on another day, at an earlier time. All politely declined. The first lightning strike came as I reached my car, and then the light show started in earnest. I didn't hear of anyone getting struck that day, but I was glad to be out of there. It sounded like an artillery barrage.

[@mcaponi611]

Wish I'd seen this before Monday, when I tried this route. I missed the left turn 1.7 mi in (no clue how) and went down toward the old mine. The straight trail towards the mine peters out after a mile or so but an obvious switchback trail starts up the slope there to the east. It quickly devolves into awful loose gravel on a very steep slope. Got a few hundred feet up it, decided it was obviously not what I was meant to be doing, and bad clouds put the nail in the coffin. Slid badly a couple times coming down, thought I might slide the whole way, was not fun. Got Huron by the standard route the next day but would be cool to do this one proper some time.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Woof, glad you are okay - from what I have read in other comments that gully is tough. Is the mine cool at least?

[@mcaponi611]

@@TheVirtualSherpa you know I was so ready to get out of there I didn't go check it out. The trail to it really does dry up though, it looked like you'd have to bushwhack a little to go find it. Lesson learned - no more walking past "DANGER" signs! Edit: should add, I really enjoyed seeing this video afterwards to get an idea of what it should look like! Appreciated the storm talk too, been some early ominous clouds out here this week.

[@kendarcie6613]

We tried this, but we were expecting to walking the peak of the ridge line to huron acorss brown, etc but could never find a route, so we walked the rough talus field 100 yards or so below the ridge. Was there a way to walk on top of ridge line ?

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

I am sure there is - but I show were I went in the video (sounds like similar line to you) - didn't seem necessary/fun to stay to ridge direct from Browns.

[@brandonhord8949]

How hard would this route be for a first 14er? We are going to tackle Huron. I was thinking about the standard route, but this one looks so wonderfully secluded with multiple peaks and amazing views.

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

I would stick to the standard route if this is your first one unless you are pretty comfortable route finding without a trail.

[@brandonhord8949]

@@TheVirtualSherpa Thanks. Yea I feel like I could route find as needed but I haven't done it before so probably better to play it safe.

[@brandonhord8949]

@@TheVirtualSherpa As I'm watching more videos of full hikes and looking at maps, I haven't fully shut the door on this route. It looks like the route finding is pretty straight forward as long as you are prepared, especially if you take the Middle Mountain route and follow the trail up the switchbacks. Might be rougher going straight to Brown though since that definitely looks like a harder route finding mission there. The talus after Brown doesn't look too terrible either if you go straight like you did and hug a bit lower rather than hugging the ridges. Was it pretty intuitive linking up with the standard route?

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Very very easy once you hit standard trail yeah.

[@travisgrimm]

Lol. I parked exactly there

[@fullsendmtb]

Awesome video!! I am new to the KZbin community and wondering if you have any advice for me and my videos? Thanks!!

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

Off the top of my head: -make videos because you enjoy them not because you want to be famous, make money etc. -keep grinding -have a voice/face to your stuff - people like to relate to other people -Offer information that is valuable for them -Have fun!

[@5MillCity]

What do you bring for mountain lion/bear protection, if anything?

[@TheVirtualSherpa]

In Colorado - nothing. In Grizzly country - bear spray.

[@stephensmith6599]

Less people ... always good.

[@jodyknight2468]

p̾r̾o̾m̾o̾s̾m̾ 🌺

[@PantheraOnca60]

I've been up Lulu Gulch five times. No one should take that route. Stick to the standard routes and the crowds and stay out of dangerous, ugly, boring tedious Lulu Gulch. No one should use it. Ever.