Green Mountain (8,144 ft) from Gregory Canyon Trailhead, 12/22/2007

Green Mountain is #63 on Gerry Roach's Boulder County Peaks List.

My brother Stefan and I have done this hike about 100 times, so I view it as a maintenance hike, something to keep us in shape.

Surprisingly, the Gregory Canyon Trailhead parking area was not full as we got there at about noon. Very unusual for a Saturday, but I guess it has something to do with the cold, the snow, and the last weekend before Christmas.

From the Gregory Canyon Trailhead, we started up the Saddle Rock Trail at about 12:15. There was a layer of fresh snow on the trail which gave us more traction than with the old ice that is normally on the trail. On the way to Saddle Rock, we caught a beautiful winter view of the First Flatiron's northwest side.

First Flatiron's northwest side from Saddle Rock Trail, 12/22/07

First Flatiron's northwest side from Saddle Rock Trail, 12/22/07

From the Saddle Rock Trail, we turned left onto the trail to the Green Mountain summit. Heading up toward the summit, the wind picked up, and although the sky was clear, the snow on the trees was blowing off, and making it like it was snowing.

We reached the summit at 13:39. The wind was fierce and very cold, so we soon headed down. This time going down the west side, then turning right onto the Ranger Trail. It was difficult to follow the trail in places, since the blowing snow had covered up the tracks.

From the Ranger Trail, we turned right onto the Gregory Canyon Trail, and reached our parking place at 14:40.

This is a quick and dirty hike, which normally only takes us about 1 hour to get up, and 1 to get down, but because of the ice and snow, it does take a bit longer to get up in the winter. With an elevation gain of 2,320 feet, it helps to keep the fat off.

Trail map of Gregory Canyon Trailhead area.

GPS data
Place nameElev [ft]Accuracy [ft]Lat/Lon
Gregory Canyon Trailhead58381639.99744/105.29277
Next to summit boulder on Green Mountain81581639.98217/105.30151