Round Top Mountain (10,180), UN 10175, & UN 9934 by Brian Schultz Friday August 25, 2023

Round Top Mountain:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.00 mile
Elevation gain: 475'
Start to finish: 55 minutes

I drove from Canon City to the junction of Hwy 96 & Hwy 165. From there, I drove south on Hwy 165 to Forest Road 383, turned left, and then another left on Forest Road 321. These forest roads are excellent roads that any two wheel vehicle can handle. I parked at a pullout off FR 321 southwest of the summit and began at 10:15 AM. It's a moderately steep but easy bushwhack up a mostly grassy slope to the summit. The return was fast.

Although the weather was partly sunny, the weather outlook for later today was horrible and prompted a change of plans for the afternoon and tomorrow. No way was I going to do a backpack up to South Colony Lakes this afternoon with a 90% chance of showers/storms and then climb the next day with the same forecast.

UN 10175:.
Roundtrip mileage: 0.95 miles
Elevation gain: 300'
Start to finish: didn't note

I drove up FR 321 a short distance to a large parking area on the right side. I parked here and followed the road for a few minutes before departing it and beginning a bushwhack up the gentle slopes. There was lots of deadfall but it was easy to step over and the summit was reached without any difficulty.

UN 9934:
Roundtrip mileage: 1.00 mile
Elevation gain: 230'
Start to finish: 30 minutes

I drove back down FR 321, turned right on FR 383, and then left on Forest Road 324. This road goes nearly to the summit but I parked at a large pullout before the road turned steep with a sketchy looking section. By now it had started raining so I waited out the incoming storm and hoped to get a break long enough to make a run for the summit. It took a while as the storm gained intensity and began hailing with a fury. I took advantage when the storm let up and began hiking the road at 1:20 PM. The road was gentle after the sketchy section and the summit was an easy stroll to reach. I no sooner got back to my vehicle and it started raining hard again.