Rosalie Peak 13,579’

Rosalie Peak’s Tanglewood Bowl. Photo: Rob Writz

Rosalie Peak is a 13er that pairs with Mount Blue Sky to dominate the skyline when viewed from the Denver area. A great place to scope this peak is from Prodigy Coffee in north Denver. The mountain connects to Mount Blue Sky's paved road via Epaulie, and you can gain Rosalie's Summit from the Mount Blue Sky Road. This could be used for skiing and snowboarding the short couloirs in the Truesdell Creek drainage. This area is heavily windswept and may fill in after a spring upslope storm. A climb back up Rosalie's blunt Class 1 East Ridge will return you to Epaluie and the car. The mountain's Tanglewood Bowl is our focus here, and this is better accessed from Deer Creek than from Mount Blue Sky Road. Tanglewood Bowl is a big climb and descent, and may have the best conditions after an upslope storm fills the basin and approach with snow. This bowl dominates the view when driving up Deer Creek.

+ ROUTES

1 - Tanglewood Bowl

Rating: III D3
Average Angle, Steepest Angle: 20, 32
ATES: 2, Challenging
Season: Spring
Exposure: Southeast
Vertical: 2,000'
Approach Elevations: 9,270' - 13,579'
Approach Distance: From Deer Creek TH: 5.33 miles
Top of the Route Waypoint: 39.55503, -105.60512

Tanglewood Bowl is named after the creek that drains the slopes. The shape of the area is not quite a distinct bowl, but it is leeward facing enough to capture snow. This is a long descent, and you may not be able to ski from the summit as the talus strewn top is extremely windy. Even from the snow line there is the potential for 2,000' feet of descending down the bowl to the treeline and approach. As mentioned above, the best time for climbing and skiing this route may be after a spring upslope storm. The can help ensure as much snow cover as possible for both the mountaineering and the trail approach & exit.

From Deer Creek Trailhead, follow the path of the Rosalie-Tanglewood summer trail. Ideally you have timed this with a spring upslope storm and are able to ski from near the trailhead. However, you will want to come prepared with shoes in the case there is a long haul over dirt on the approach and exit. Get ready for big vertical as it is over 4.000 vertical feet to the top of the bowl and a bit more to the summit! The Tanglewood-Rosalie trail takes you straight north to the wilderness boundary and split where Rosalie trail heads west. Stay on Tanglewood trail and in the forest until you see a clearing off to your right at approximately 10,760'. Go into this clearing to get a view of a portion of Tanglewood Bowl. At this point you can decide if you want to head west to access Tanglewood Bowl and climb directly up, or continue on the path of the trail to the blunt East Ridge and ascend up and around the Bowl. Climbing the ridge will give you views into the bowl. The approach is ATES 0 (non-avalanche) until you are traveling on the Tanglewood Bowl.

+ TRAILHEAD

Deer Creek Trailhead (9,270)

This spacious trailhead serves as a major access point into Mount Blue Sky's wilderness. The trail head is approximately 9 miles from the intersection of Deer Creek Road / Park County Road 43, and US Highway 285. Find Deer Creek Road off of Highway 285 between Crow Hill and Pine Junction. When you reach Deer Creek campground, continue on the road less than a mile to the trailhead.

+ MAPS & PICTURES

Below we have included a link to Front Range Skimo's master map. The routes on the map are approximations, and are not intended for use as a GPX track. To the right are a curated list of photos of the mountain.