Bear Peak/Nebel Horn - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 01/11/2025
Elevation - 8,461'
Route - North Ridge
Miles - 6.0
Elevation Gain - 2,850'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Not Applicable

Description

This was a quick hike to a local peak near Boulder, Colorado, in order to get some fresh air, summit two new peaks, and gain some elevation. For the middle of January, there wasn't much snow to deal with; however, the upper part of the trail was certainly packed an icy. I don't own a pair of yak tracks or micro-spikes, but I did take a pair of light aluminum crampons. The crampons were very helpful for climbing the last 300', but they were extremely beneficial on the descent from the summit all the way to the saddle between Bear Peak and Nebel Horn.

The wind was pretty strong near the summit of both peaks. There is a short class 2+/3 scramble to reach the summit of Bear Peak that was a bit more interesting with crampons on. I was able to get out of the wind on the summit and tighten my crampons for the descent after a few photos and snacks. Once I reached the saddle below Nebel Peak, I actually got online and tried to get some information on reaching the sub-peak. There wasn't a lot of information, but I decided to give it a go anyway after I learned it was no more than class 3.

I traversed along the northwest side of the short peak and simply tried to find a weakness to get higher and reach the summit. I scrambled around and had to back track a bit with some route finding, but eventually made the summit. The strong wind made things a bit interesting getting to the actual top; however, I eventually made it and enjoyed my second summit of the day. I hiked back out, drove home, and watched some football to finish my Saturday.

Photos