Parkview Mountain (12,303) by Brian Schultz Saturday August 24, 2024

Roundtrip mileage: 6.40 miles
Elevation gain: 2,200'
Start to finish: 4 hours 50 minutes
Participants: Tim Briese, Brian Schultz

We studied maps trying to find the best and most efficient way of climbing Parkview Mtn. We noticed a forest road north of Willow Creek Pass from Highway 125 that parallels the Continental Divide Trail and decided to check it out. FR 730 (Haystack Mountain road) turned out to be an easy road to drive and it would not only reduce mileage but also lessen the elevation gain. We drove 2.8 miles from Highway 125 to the junction of FR 730 and Forest Road 151 (elev. ~10,350') and parked there. We also could've driven FR 151 0.40 miles to Parkview Pass and the Continental Divide trail but we didn't mind the short hike. Of all the trip reports we read, none mentioned this expedient approach.

We began at 9:00 AM. Gray skies overhead and a 40% chance of showers didn't deter us as we headed up the excellent CD trail (photo 1, photo 2). Gusting winds slammed us as we gained elevation and got worse as we neared (photo 1, photo 2) the summit. It was freezing cold when we reached the summit at 11:15, so much so that we couldn't open the door latch on the lookout tower with our chilled fingers. We stayed 25 minutes on top despite the cold because a handy rock wall offered reprieve from the winds.

We departed at 11:40 and soon stopped to put on rain gear. A few brief showers accompanied us but other than getting a terrific view of Radial Mountain, which we'd be climbing tomorrow morning, the descent was uneventful. There were only three others on the trail, a bit surprising since this was a weekend. We were back at the truck at 1:50.