Forest Hill (12,449) & UN 11782 by Brian Schultz Monday August 28, 2023

Roundtrip mileage: 5.20 miles
Elevation gain: 1,870'
Start to finish: 3 hours 50 minutes

I stayed in Gunnison last night and drove up to the Spring Creek Reservoir via Almont and Forest Road 744. I turned onto Forest Road 880, a rough and slow road just past the Reservoir, and drove to a gate preventing further access. Not only was the road gated but there was a large boulder in front of it.

I began at 8:20 AM on the very good road beyond the gate and set a bearing for the summit when I was southwest of it. A bushwhack through the trees was easy and once above treeline, moderately steep but easy grassy slopes led to the top. I arrived at 9:40 and stayed for 20 minutes enjoying the views (photo 1, photo 2).

The descent went quickly and once back on the road, I continued to a sharp bend in the road and began a bushwhack toward 11,782's summit. Open spaces between the trees made for easy travel and I arrived on the summit (photo 1, photo 2) at 11:15. I departed at 11:25 and was back at my vehicle at 12:10. These were fun peaks and I had plenty of time to drive to Ouray and meet up with friend Tim Briese.