Fairburn Mountain (10,390), Dory 2 Benchmark (9,647), & Bald Mountain (9,994) by Brian Schultz Thursday August 26, 2021

Fairburn Mountain:
Roundtrip mileage: 2.0 miles
Elevation gain: 850'
Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

I had lunch with friend Dave Chamberlin in Evergreen before driving up to Central City and Blackhawk. It would be a late start with predicted stormy weather in the afternoon but I was game to give it a go. I drove up Missouri Gulch Road from Highway 119, hoping to start from the northwest side of the peak.

There are lots of private property signs posted along the road but I finally found a pullout across from a dispersed campsite (it appeared to be a campsite anyway with a couple tents and there wasn't any signage). My parking spot was more west of the summit instead of northwest.

I began at 2:10 PM on a good trail from the entrance to the campsite and hurried to get away from two barking dogs tied up near the site. I didn't see their owner. I headed to the saddle northwest of Fairburn on a very manageable bushwhack. No private property signs were seen before reaching the saddle west of Fairburn, even though my map showed I'd be crossing a small tract of private property along the way.

I reached the summit (photo 1, photo 2) at 2:45 and heard thunder rumbling from storm clouds in the distance. Hoping the quickly moving storm would veer away from me, I departed almost immediately as lightning flashed once. No such luck though as the storm bore down on me and it soon started hailing.

In the relative safety of the trees, I dug out my raincoat and pack cover. It hailed furiously but the storm moved through quickly and by the time I reached my truck, the skies had cleared and the sun came out. Very nice because now I could get a few more peaks in.

Dory 2 Benchmark:

Roundtrip mileage: 0.65 miles
Elevation gain: 115'
Start to finish: 25 minutes

I drove back down Missouri Gulch Road to Hwy 119 and headed north to Golden Gate Canyon Road (Hwy 46). I turned east and then quickly south on CR 9 into a residential area. There is a web of streets heading south but I followed Dory Hill road to Muscrat road to Timber road to Rangeview Drive and then to a cul-de-sac on the left side of Rangeview Drive. I parked there and didn't see any signs saying to keep out.

I began at 4:15 PM and walked out of the cul-de-sac and across Rangeview Drive to the open field. No posted keep out signs were seen here either even though my map showed it to be private property. At the end of the field I turned left and followed a mostly south bearing through the woods to the summit.

I happened upon some structures on the private property and kept to the right of them. It was just a few steps from there to the summit and I left shortly after reaching the top. I had no desire to encounter a potential angry owner.

Bald Mountain:

Roundtrip mileage: 1.20 miles
Elevation gain: 640'
Start to finish: 1 hour

I drove back to Central City and took Eureka St to Bald Mountain road (CR N1 on Trails Illustrated map). This road reaches a junction where I turned right on Bald Mountain Lane (FR 273.2) and drove past Bald Mountain Cemetery. Many signs state that no parking is allowed on Clear Creek County roads but this road isn't a county road and I parked past the cemetery at a pull-out for a camp site.

Across the road was a home but easily avoidable as I began at 5:40 PM through the woods. The bushwhacking was easy and there was even flagging in the lower trees that aligned with my bearing to the summit.

The ascent turned steep in a few areas but overall it was easy. I reached a rocky area with a cairn that appeared to be the summit and it might fool some into thinking they arrived on the summit but my GPS indicated the true summit was a short distance away yet. It couldn't be seen through the trees and required dropping down slightly before regaining elevation but sure enough there it was.

This is a neat summit (photo 1, photo 2) and has a Mike Garratt register dating back to 1999! I stayed a few minutes enjoying the summit before heading down and calling it a day.