Quandary Peak

Written By Levi Hefner

View from the top of Quandary Peak.

For more information on the peak and the trail, check out these resources:

Note: This is a very popular hike and the trailhead parking lot fills up fast, especially in the summer. To help with this, Summit County implemented paid, reserved parking at the trailhead and started running a free shuttle service from Breckenridge. More information can be found here: https://www.summitcountyco.gov/1446/Quandary

After my hike at St. Mary’s Glacier, I bought some new snowshoes (MSR Lightning Ascent - highly recommended) and wanted to break them in. I had heard that Quandary was a popular winter hike, so I decided to give it a shot. I had briefly read about the shuttle, and since free shuttle > paid parking I decided to take advantage. I arrived at the parking lot in Breckenridge, geared up, and made my way to the shuttle stop. I waited there for an hour with a bunch of skiers. Finally a shuttle showed up - for the ski resort. I asked the driver about the Quandary Peak shuttle and he told me it wasn’t running. Confused and frustrated, I went back to my car and pulled up the shuttle site. And that’s when I realized it didn’t run in the winter…

So back to my car I went. I tried to reserve parking on the website but it wasn’t working. At this point I decided to just drive to the trailhead. Fortunately it’s right off the highway, so no off-roading required. The trailhead parking is clearly marked, and it’s easy to find the trail.

The trail starts a little ways up a road that is closed in winter, but it’s an easy enough start to the hike.

The trail was well traveled and packed down, and there were quite a few other people on the trail. The hike is doable with just hiking boots, but I definitely appreciated my snowshoes and my crampons.

Apparently mountain goats are frequently seen on this hike. While I didn’t see any, some of the guys I talked to on the trail saw one. So if you do the hike keep an eye out for them! Also, don’t forget to stop and look at the view behind you as you’re hiking up. It’s easy to keep your head down and focus on the trail in front and miss the great views behind you.

Once you get above the tree line the trail is a surprisingly straight shot up the mountain. This is because you’re following the ridge. This is also why it’s extremely windy! In fact, it was so windy, I had to crawl at the top because I couldn’t stay on my feet.

As far as 14ers go, Quandary is relatively easy. The trail was easy to follow and the views were great. I’m looking forward to hiking it again in the summer.

My Colorado 14ers: 1/58

Levi Hefner