Grandeur Peak: West Ridge or Pharaoh's Glen?

[gonzo]

I'm thinking about hitting Grandeur Peak on Wednesday morning, but I want to avoid the inevitable crowds on the Church Fork trail. I'm trying to decide between the West Ridge and Pharaoh's Glen. They both look to be about the same distance (~2 miles each direction), and about the same elevation gain. Does anyone have strong feelings about either route? Can I take my dog up Pharaoh's (i.e. is Parley's Canyon a watershed)?

[rockgremlin]

Grandeur Peak advice: Be sure to take a designated trail up to the top! Don't do like a friend and I did several years ago, and park in Parley's Canyon, thinking we were just gonna hike straight to the top, not following any trails.

About 2/3 of the way up, the buckbrush became so dense that it was impossible to proceed further. Scraped and bruised, we ended up turning around and abandoning our plans to bag the peak that day. Very frustrating!

[Alex]

What about the North side trail, that looks like a straight up approach and looks pretty brushless...?

[gonzo]

North Side trail? You mean Pharoah's Glen? Or is there another trail that's not listed on SP?

I'm leaning towards Pharoah's Glen because it will probably be shady longer, but I've always wanted to hike up along those cool rock fins on the West Ridge. It will probably be a coin flip in the morning.

[Alex]

North Side trail? You mean Pharoah's Glen? Or is there another trail that's not listed on SP?

I'm leaning towards Pharoah's Glen because it will probably be shady longer, but I've always wanted to hike up along those cool rock fins on the West Ridge. It will probably be a coin flip in the morning.

Maybe I mean the west side, you know the trail that is seen from I-215/I-80 merger going south bound? Along the cool looking ridges... is that west side?

[gonzo]

The Steve and I ended up doing the West Slopes route on Wednesday morning. That sucker is steeeeep. Even the flat sections are uphill.

I was surprised by the number of people I saw on the trail. I was following one hiker/runner for the first half of the hike, but I lost sight of him after he (or she) crested a ridge ahead of me. About 15 minutes after I hit the peak two other hikers arrived from the same trail, and I must have seen half dozen people on the way down.

If I were going to do this hike again I would setup a car bridge between the 3300 South/Parley's Canyon parking and the Church Fork Trailhead. Ascend from 3300 South and descend on the Church Fork trail. The West Slopes trail is very steep, and is a killer on your knees and quads when descending. (I'm glad I had trekking poles with me).

Here's a few views from the hike:


The Steve nearing the summit


Sitting on top of Grandeur Peak, looking very confused


Mount Olympus Seen from Grandeur Peak


Looking North from Grandeur Peak


Juniper Tree on the Descent