July 6, 2024
Arrival
I drove along the smooth dirt roads of Sylvan Lake SP, a thousand-acre jewel of a park wedged into the mountains between the Vail and Aspen area. I followed Road 415 along East Brush Creek towards the tiny town of Fulford. Just outside the small townsite, I parked at the Nolan Lake trailhead.
The goal for the day: hike New York Mountain. Its craggy summit cirque rises over the town of Edwards, Colorado. And I had seen it numerous times, often thinking “gee, I’d like to hike that.” Rugged roads can you get you a trailhead underneath the peak on the Edwards side. But I instead elected a road more traveled, arcing around the northernmost foothills of the Sawatch, through Eagle and Sylvan Lake.
At 12,555 feet, New York Mountain is not a particularly high summit by Colorado standards. That said, it certainly commands a presence, rising over a mile above the Eagle River Valley. It represents perhaps the final, northernmost spurt of geological drama for the might Sawatch Range, which extends over 100 miles from the San Luis Valley to the Eagle RIver.
A lush pocket of the northernmost Sawatch
The trail began through lush forest and small open glades. Down near Leadville and Buena Vista, the Sawatch mountains can feel a bit like a dry, spartan pile of rocks. But tucked into its deeper valleys and crevices are some truly lush Colorado landscape. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in the Holy Cross Wilderness, at its northern extremes.
And so I soaked in the wildflowers, beneath a canopy of aspens, and beside rushing waters. This helped to distract from the ramping switchbacks of the Newcomer Spring trail, a quiet single track route up the mountain’s lower slopes.
Past the Polar Star Inn
I powered up the large switchacks of the Newcomer Spring trail and, roughly 1000 vertical feet later, reached some lightly trodden forest service roads. Then about halfway through my hike, I reached the Polar Star Inn.
The Polar Star Inn sits in a network of roughly two-dozen “Tenth Mountain Division” huts. Some are part of the official 10th Mountain Hut system, while others, like Polar Star, are privately owned or within other smaller networks. The huts are peppered throughout ski country, extending from Summit and Eagle Counties, down through Aspen, and into the Elk Mountains towards Crested Butte. In winter you can ski from hut to hut, and in summer hiking and biking are options.
The Polar Star Inn sits a bit below treeline on New York Mountain, and marked the halfway point in my hike, at least in terms of vertical gain. But in summer, a capable AWD vehicle with good ground clearance can drive right up past the hut, and turn this 3000-foot hike into a more manageable 1500-foot hike. That shorter approach definitely provides a lot of bang for your buck!
Towards treeline
I reached the trailhead for the final stretch above the forest service roads to the summit. The route began under tree cover, and a few old remnants of the peak’s mining past.
The route continued until it reached treeline, where there was a sign announcing the boundary of the Holy Cross Wilderness. From there, the views really opened up.
Wildflowers and sweeping views
Above treeline I was treated to incredible views and gorgeous wildflowers. The spoils of victory. In the near-field, I saw the quirky town of Fulford below.
Farther afield, I saw the spectacular high peaks of the Elk Mountains. New York Mountain is one of the northwestern-most peaks of the Sawatch, and therefore has some uniquely excellent head-on views of the Elks. Line up in front of me, from East to West, I saw Castle/Conundrum Peaks, Pyramid Peak, the Maroon Bells, Snowmass Mountain, and Capitol Peak.
New York Mountain
The trail headed south, contouring a ways beneath the ridgeline. The true summit was still a ways off. Beyond the grassy, sloped meadows, I saw more nearby rugged peaks to the south.
Finally, I reached the top. There were a half dozen other hikers present, the first folks I had seen that day. About half of them had come up from Edwards to the north. I relaxed atop the summit, and soaked in views of the town far below.
Then it was time to do everything in reverse! A lot of effort, but not a terrible way to spend a gorgeous summer Saturday.
