UN 8374, UN 8761, & Metroz Mountain (11,915) by Brian Schultz Thursday August 31, 2023

UN 8374:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.50 miles
Elevation gain: 600'
Start to finish: 1 hour
Participants: Tim Briese, Brian Schultz

We drove to Yellowjacket Pass on Hwy 160, east of Bayfield, and parked on the north side of the pass. We began at 7:55 AM, knowing there was a trail but not finding it initially. We crossed the fence into the field and hiked parallel to the highway, until finding the trail near an electrical tower. The trail was excellent until just below the summit where a short bushwhack put us on top. We stayed a few minutes enjoying the views before departing.

UN 8761:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.75 miles
Elevation gain: 470'
Start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes
Participants: Tim Briese, Brian Schultz

We drove back west on Hwy 160 less than a quarter mile and turned left on Forest Road 743, an excellent road that winds its way to the AT&T Radio Tower at its end. The trail (#524) starts on the south side of the tower and we began at 9:30 AM. The trail was steep on its way to the false summit but leveled off and we arrived on the large vegetated summit in short order.

I walked around checking possible high points but it was hard to discern the highest one. The views are surprisingly expansive for such a low elevation peak. On our descent we hiked the few steps over to the false summit and were back to the trucks at 10:40. Tim headed home while I stopped at Wolf Creek Pass to check on climbing another peak before heading home myself.

Metroz Mountain:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.15 miles
Elevation gain: 185'
Start to finish: 37 minutes

Metroz Mountain would entail more driving time than actual climbing time but I'd also be seeing another area that I haven't been to before. From Wolf Creek Pass, I drove east and turned left on CR 410. I stayed on CR 410 as it passed by the Big Meadows campground, as well as the Big Meadows Reservoir, and turned left again on Forest Road 430.

FR 430 winds around a bit before paralleling Shaw Lake and continues north toward Metroz Mountain. Along the way is a significant burn area. I parked off the road northeast of Metroz and my route would follow Kirk Mallory's track, which also goes through a large burn area to the summit.

I began at 1:55 PM. There was some deadfall to contend with before fairly open terrain led through the burned trees. The summit is a large area with a fence on the west side. No discernible high point could be found so after walking around a while, I departed and was quickly back to my vehicle. This was a nice easy finish on my second trip to Colorado this summer.