In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Wapiti Baptiste, Beaver Reservoir Area
21 December 2003
The Wapiti- Baptiste loop is another great kick ‘n’ glide routes that the front range is peppered with. Often, this one requires a short walk carrying skis but there have been times that we have skied from the car. You will usually find yourself to be the only group on this trail.
From the peak-to-peak highway (Colorado 72), drive west on the Beaver Reservoir Road about 2 or so miles. On the way in, you’ll go by a boy scout camp and a bit after that will be an old blow-down of trees which have re-grown nicely over the years. After the blow-down, keep a close eye on the left hand side of the road until you see a forest service road. It will have a gate (closed) which sits back from the road some. This is the trailhead. Continue up the road another 50 feet or so. There are usually places here that you can pull off the road completely and pull into that seem like they are car camping spots in the summer.
Unless there has been a recent snow, plan to carry your skis for the first mile or so. Hike around the gate and down the road. The road itself hugs the old blow-down area and after a half-mile or so the road rounds a hard corner and there is a branch off to the left with a chain across. Ignore that and continue round to the right. There will be several places where there appear to be a trail off to the left but go on by these. The wapiti-baptiste trailhead (on the left) is clearly marked with a large trailhead sign complete with maps and the usual warning signs. On the right will be additional trail signs that will take you back to the road.
Once at the trailhead, you will need to prepare yourself for one of the nicest kick ‘n’ glide routes around. The trails starts off in a southerly direction and before long you reach a well signed intersection with the Sourdough Trail. Left will eventually take you to the St. Vrain Trailhead near the intersection of the Beaver Reservoir Road and Peak-to-Peak Highway. Go right and continue on. The snow here was wonderful, despite there not being very much. The trail is quite lovely, winding, in the trees and slightly uphill. Wax works best but skins would be ok too. After about a mile, you come to another trail junction. The wapiti trails goes off to the right. To the left is the sourdough trail and it is here that you will return at the end of the loop.
Normally we go right and make the loop. But today we go left and up the sourdough trail. Up it goes, winding along. At one point, we run out of snow and gingerly move along until it begins again. It seems like the snow is thinning as we go along with more and more rocks peeking thru and finally it runs out in a meadow. It is a ways to where the trail re-connects with the wapiti-baptiste trail so we turn around there and head back….it is only mid-December and more snow will come.