Ptarmigan Pass
- 4.2 mi
- round trip
- 225 ft
- climb
- 12,002 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Ptarmigan Pass open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
Permanent Recreational Shooting Order
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · Order 02-10-00-25-02 · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Ptarmigan Pass is a 4.2-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness, within the Sulphur Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The trail rises about 225 feet from a low point of 11,758 feet to a high of 12,002 feet, and it is rated moderate. The route is on natural surface, and horses are allowed. Bikes are not. The Forest Service manages the land, and the pass is open year-round. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Climax weather station, which sits about 650 feet lower, show July highs around 67°F with lows near 40°F and no snow days. Winter is cold and snowy, with highs in the upper 20s and about 15 snow days a month from December through February. Laskey Gulch lies just 0.2 miles away, and Ute Peak is about 1.3 miles off. For an overnight stay, Windy Point Group Campground is roughly 5.8 miles away, and the Blue River offers fishing about 5.3 miles from the pass.
Go with a guide
- Mineral Belt Trail Guided WalkNexPM AI · $25 per person · 34 mi away
- Lostfork Basecamp24 mi away
- Laskey GulchHiking0.2 mi
Ute PeakHikingPhoto: Mcphail492 — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)1.3 mi- Blue RiverRiver fishing5.3 mi
- Windy Point Group CampgroundCamping5.8 mi
- Keystone a.k.a. MontezumaRock climbing6 mi
- Prospector CampgroundCamping6.2 mi
- Swan Mountain RoadRock climbing6.3 mi
- Dillon ReservoirLake fishing6.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Ute PeakHiking · ~2 min drive
Tenderfoot Upper TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: jjes84, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Divide TrailHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Snow PeakHiking · ~8 min drive
Straight Creek TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Quentin Scouflaire from Berlin, Germany, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Tenderfoot MountainHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Ridge TrailHiking · ~9 min drivePhoto: jjes84, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Mount SilverthorneHiking · ~8 min drive
- Tenderfoot MountainHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: jjes84, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- BB TrailHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: jjes84, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Ptarmigan Pass
No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
27° / 3°
15 wet · 15 snow
Feb
29° / 3°
15 wet · 15 snow
Mar
35° / 8°
14 wet · 14 snow
Apr
40° / 15°
13 wet · 13 snow
May
49° / 25°
10 wet · 8 snow
Jun
61° / 34°
8 wet · 2 snow
Jul
67° / 40°
13 wet
Aug
64° / 39°
15 wet
Sep
58° / 32°
11 wet · 2 snow
Oct
47° / 21°
9 wet · 7 snow
Nov
35° / 11°
12 wet · 12 snow
Dec
27° / 3°
15 wet · 15 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Climax, CO, 24.2 mi away at 11,344 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
