Twin Sisters Peaks

Location: Rocky Mt National Park, Colorado
Map: USGS Longs Peak quad
Access: From Hwy 34 in Loveland, take Hwy 7 south 6.6 miles to the Twin Sisters Access Rd, which is next to the Lily Lake Visitor Center. Turn east onto the road. In winter, park immediately at the Visitor Center as the road will be gated (this is actually a good option in summer, too). In summer, you can continue driving up the road and park on the right side of the road where possible. Signs indicate the upper limit of parking. Wherever you begin, head east up the road and watch for the TH on the left (north) side of the road at UTM NAD83 zone13 454510e 4461545n.
Trail: Well-marked and well-trod uphill slog, 3.7 miles to the radio tower on the saddle between the two summits of the peak. 
Dogs: Disallowed
Fees: $20 week pass / $45 annual pass (2010 rates)
Webcam: Longs Peak cam
Weather: National Weather Service forecast; Snow Depth Map



January 16, 2010

Christine and I arrived at the Lily Lake Visitor Center around 8:50 under a disappointingly gray sky. The forecast called for clear sky by 11, so we had some chance of a nice, warm hike down. But we both agreed that the clouds seemed socked in pretty thick, and chances for clearing seemed low. The gate on the road towards the trailhead was closed, so we parked in the empty parking lot right off Hwy 7 and got our gear sorted out. After last week’s hike up Flattop Mt where my hands were perpetually cold, I brought along two pair of handwarmers and we broke those out right away. The temperature at go-time was around 25 degrees, but the complete lack of wind made the temperature feel much warmer. 

We strapped our snowshoes to our packs and hit the road around 9:00, walking up the firmly-packed snow in the center of the road. Stray but a little off that packed strip and you’d be up to your knee in powder, but the going was swift on that packed snow. The wooden trailhead kiosk soon appeared around a corner and we picked up the trail at that point. The road continues on beyond that to private property. The next several miles were rather tedious, actually, and if not for the pleasant company, could’ve been rather boring. The trail sweeps back and forth along the northwest flank of Twin Sisters Mt through thick lodgepole pine, with very few glimpses of the surrounding terrain. There is one very nice, unobstructed view of Longs Peak about halfway to treeline, but otherwise, you’re walking in a tunnel of pine and Douglas fir for most of the hike. In summer this doesn’t pose a problem, since there are plenty of wildflowers adapted to the lodgepole understory and the contrast of shadow and sunlight on the trail is a pleasant companion by itself, but on a cloudy winter day, there is only the monotony of white snow, a white sky, dark brown tree trunks, and yellowed pine boughs. The color palette shrinks to just these few shades, and it leaves the mind numb in short order.

The snow was thin all through the forest, and hard-packed on the trail such that we never pulled on our snowshoes but instead just gave them a free ride to the summit and back. A few spots of the trail were icy, and some sort of ice cleat would’ve been practical, but we managed without by way of spiked walking sticks. We encountered one guy hiking on the trail, and he breezed past us with a purpose. Otherwise, it was very quiet in the woods. No wind, no birds, no people, nothing but the occasional skitter of an Albert’s squirrel scampering up the rough bark of a lodgepole pine. 

We reached treeline and the wind picked up. I put on my sweatshirt and hat, and we followed the trail through an increasingly snow-free landscape of bare rock and gnarled pines. The final pitch of the trail headed through a boulderfield on the north face and took us right up to the saddle between the two shallow summits of the Twin Sisters Peak, which we reached at around 11:45. Though the label on the map hovers only over this area of Twin Sisters Mt, I’m not sure if these two summits are the Twin Sisters, as they are not really independent by any definition (having a vertical drop between them of less than 100ft) or if they comprise one Twin Sister with the second Sister being the independent peak to the south at 11,976 ft. We considered continuing on to this southern neighbor, but obligations at home required that we not take the time to do so. 

Instead, we contented ourselves with visits to both of the summits on the north peak, and spent some time eating lunch on the lee side of the east summit, examining the cities of Ft Collins, Loveland and Longmont from our lofty perch. To the west Longs Peak dominated the view, and I could pick out just where the trail to Goblins Forest and Chasm Lake marched up the flank of the mountain. The sky remained cloudy over the east and over us, though blue peeked out to the west and parts of the Mummy Range glinted in sunlight as we began to head down. 

We encountered several groups of hikers on their way up. The temperature increased, and when we dropped back into the trees, we were soon peeling off layers of clothing in the warm air, which reached 45 degrees by the time we returned to the car. The zipper on my fleece sweatshirt jammed while I was removing it, and I have yet to fix it. Seems like zippers are the Achille’s heel of sweatshirts, as every one I’ve ever had succumbed to that problem.

By 2:45 we were back at the car, and orange sunlight was hitting Lily Mt just to the west. It didn’t last long before the clouds closed in again, and the rest of the afternoon was cloudy. We stopped in Estes Park for a quick coffee, and then cruised on down the canyon towards Loveland.

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mt Meeker and Longs Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
The north face of Twin Sisters Peaks

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Rocky formations along the north ridge of the mountain

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mummy Range

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
The trail slips below treeline

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Lodgepole pine forest

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Lily Mt near the trailhead

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Snow on the rocks down low on the trail

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mt Meeker and Longs Peak 

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mt Meeker and Longs Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Twin Sisters Trail below treeline

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
The Mummy Range from treeline on Twin Sisters

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Stein on Twin Sisters Mountain

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Forboding winter sky ahead

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Summit of Twin Sisters peak, with radio tower

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mt Meeker and Longs Peak from Twin Sisters Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mummy Range from Twin Sisters Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
The east spur of Twin Sisters Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Stein on the summit

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Sam, enjoying warm January weather on the summit

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
Mt Meeker and Longs Peak

Twin Sisters Peaks hike
The west spur of Twin Sisters Peak with 
camouflaged radio tower


 


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