Kaufman Ridge North (10,667) & Kaufman Ridge (10,765) by Brian Schultz Friday August 26, 2022

Kaufman Ridge North:
Roundtrip mileage: 2.60 miles
Elevation gain: 1,135'
Start to finish: 2 hours

I drove over Guanella Pass to Hwy 285 and ran into an unexpected detour on Hwy 285 southbound. Once back on 285, I turned left onto CR 307 and then left again on Mushroom Gulch road (FR 308). This easy two-wheel drive road leads to a road junction in an open area due east of Kaufman Ridge North. It's where I parked and began at 10:30 AM.

My bearing was in a mostly westerly line before it angled slightly northwest. There was no trail, just a bushwhack the entire way to the summit. The summit had some nice views (photo 1, photo 2) and I stayed for a short while before reversing my route. I was back at my truck at 12:30.

Kaufman Ridge:
Roundtrip mileage: 2 miles
Elevation gain: 920'
Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes

After returning from Kaufman Ridge North, I drove FR 308 further to a spur road northeast of Kaufman Ridge. I drove this road for a short distance and parked, beginning at 1:10 PM and hiking southwest to the summit. Again no trail, just a bushwhack to the summit. Several highpoints cover the summit with the southernmost one being the highest. Ryan Kowalski's summit register from 2008 was still on top and after signing it, I departed. Light showers accompanied me. I wanted to climb Antero Benchmark but didn't have time because I wanted to get down to the Sangres before dark. A climb of UN 13656, a new bicentennial thirteener, was on the agenda for the morning.