Pagoda Mountain is the 7th highest summit in RMNP. The summit can be accessed from multiple directions: from the north via Glacier Gorge (the route to do from this direction is the
North Buttress (5.7, 6p)); from the east and west via the Chiefs Head to Longs Peak ridge (I had crossed over the summit this way twice, on the
Walk in the Park / The Great Wheel—a one-day traverse that circles Glacier Gorge—and the
Estes Skyline High Route—when Nate and I traversed the entire skyline of RMNP in three days), and from the south via Wild Basin. The best route out of Wild Basin is the sweeping
Crescent Ridge. Also known as
South Ridge and
The Scythe,
Crescent Ridge climbs an aesthetic ridgeline from Keplingler Lake all the way to the summit of Pagoda, on high-quality granite and involving a few pitches of 5.5-5.6 along the way. The approach is rather long: 6.5 miles to the base of the route, half of which is cross-country. The
Crescent Ridge sounded like a fun day of exercise in the mountains, with a little climbing, a little scrambling, a summit, and several miles of goregous views. So I put it on my list.
After a cool and wet summer, the fall of 2023 arrived with a stretch of indigenous peoples summer days. Anthony Meyer—my dad had been his advisor when he was doing is graduate studies at Trinity Western, and we had conversed about climbing together for several years but never made it happen—was in the area. I was able to take one day off of work to join him on a mountain advenutre in RMNP. I proposed the
Crescent Ridge of Pagoda. Anthony was on board.
We left the trailhead just after 5 am. There was an inversion going on, so we started out in balmy 60°F temperatures and the temperatures dropped to mid-40's during the hike up. Once the sun came out the temperatures were downright pleasant for the rest of the day. I even wore shorts. The golds and reds of the early fall colors made it a truely spectacular time to be in the area. The climb was a blast.
The adventure took us 12 hours 43 minutes hours car-to-car. I love long days of movement in the mountains.
The followng page gives a trip report for our early-fall car-to-car of
Crescent Ridge on Pagoda. Thanks Anthony for the enjoyable company!
