Mount Bierstadt Trail

The route

Mount Bierstadt's West Slopes route is the busiest 14er trail in Colorado for a reason: it starts high and stays simple. The trailhead sits on top of Guanella Pass at 11,669 ft, and the summit is 14,066 ft. Round trip is about 7.25 miles with roughly 2,850 ft of gain, all Class 2.

The route is an out-and-back. It drops east from the pass into the willow flats along Scott Gomer Creek, crossing them on boardwalk and bridges for nearly a mile, then climbs out of the willows on switchbacks near 11,800 ft. From there a well-built trail follows a broad shoulder past an overlook around 12,600 ft. Above 13,000 ft the grade steepens, and the trail zigzags up to the ridge crest near 13,750 ft.

The last 250 ft is the only real hands-on part: a scramble through summit boulders, staying on or just left of the crest. Most people start before dawn to be off the summit by early afternoon. The Sawtooth, the jagged ridge connecting Bierstadt to Mount Blue Sky, is the view east from the top.

What the sculpture shows

Guanella Pass and the Scott Gomer willow flats sit at the low end, with the route as one line rising to the summit block. The out-and-back reads as a single ribbon. This is a short, steep piece, so the relief is big: the Sawtooth and the drop into the Scott Gomer drainage stand out even at the small size.