February 22, 2025

Jason and I decided to hit up McHugh for mellow peak to see how our bodies were feeling after a long month of us both being sick. The lack of snow in the Front Range was welcoming, as was the excellent weather (low 30s, partly sunny, no wind).

We decided to carpool instead of meeting up because of the extremely limited parking at the Honey Bear Trailhead. We arrived at about 1130 and were actually surprised one spot was still open out of the space for maybe 5 vehicles. The alternative is parking about a mile away or finding another place to hike.

The trail starts off with a climb of ~.8 mile and ~900′ of vertical gain to achieve the point labeled as “Turtle Point” on some maps and “Grandview” on others. Grandview was a fitting name for this day, with an incredible view of the Alaska Range, including Denali, Hunter and Foraker.

Climbing up to Grandview was a bit icy, but my microspikes did the trick. The view looking out towards Rabbit Lake is spectacular and McHugh Peak can be seen in the distance, at the end of the undulating North Ridge. McHugh is a massive mountain; not so much in height with the summit at only 4300′ but in sheer volume. It takes up a fair portion of the southwest corner of CSP and has multiple different ridges, traverse and approach options.

The portion of ridge beyond Grandview or Turtle Point has a couple of high passes, requiring descending maybe 100′ each time, with a total elevation gain of about 1750′ over the next 5.1 miles to the summit. The dips feel even smaller on the return unless you’ve had the plague for the last couple of weeks, then those 100′ ups feel a little worse.

After the two dips in elevation, the trail rises gradually over the next ~1.3 miles, eventually flattening out for half a mile before the final climb up to the base of the summit block. The last .3 miles gains ~500′ with the bootpath terminating on the ridge to the right of the summit block, a compact collection of fractured rock that rises only slightly above the ridge to the west and McHugh West Peak.

Climbing the summit block can be dangerous in icy conditions or if you are not comfortable with exposure and heights. The side opposite of the approach drops off precipitously and a mistake there would likely be your last slip and fall.

To climb to the top of the summit block, follow the bootpath around the approach side, bypassing the narrow crack that at first appears to be the way up. About halfway around, there will be a couple of wider chutes you can climb that have better footing.

The views from the top are breathtaking with Chugach Peaks in all directions. After years of hiking this range, I don’t usually need to use my PeakVisor App, but it is a great resource if you are trying to identify the peaks around you. I highly recommend adding this to your navigation apps.

McHugh has never been a disappointment and offers so much in terms of views and options that you could climb it more than half a dozen times and never take the exact same route.

Happy trekking!

Check out the YouTube Video below or Here.

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