Allan and Victoria at summit of Grays Peak

Looking north from Grays Peak to the saddle and route up Torreys Peak

Looking back at Grays Peak from the summit of Torreys Peak

From the upper slopes of Grays Peak showing the valley you hike up

Scramble: Class 1 and 2 – Steep Hiking

Altitude: Grays 14,270 / Torreys 14,267

Elevation Gain: Grays 3,040 ft / 560 ft down to saddle then up Torreys for a total elevation gain of 3,600 ft and 9 miles round trip

Ascent Time: 3 – 4 Hours for both

Gray and Torrey are a great introduction to climbing 14ers requiring only strong legs and good lungs with a well worn trail up and down.

Head west from Denver on I-70 and take exit 221 at Bakerville, go over I-70 heading south on Forest Service Road 189 on a rough dirt road. At 1 mile keep left at the junction, then there is another 2 miles to go for a total of 3 miles to the trailhead. Trailhead has a parking lot with restroom and sits at 11,230 feet elevation. Some people camp at the trailhead but it is strictly primitive camping with no facilities other than the restroom.

From the trailhead you can look up the valley and see both Grays and Torreys. The trail is well defined and its 4 miles to the summit of Grays, then you head north down to the Grays Torreys saddle and ascend 560 ft up to the summit of Torreys. From here it’s back to the saddle but then you can descend a trail from the saddle that connects with the Grays summit trail about halfway down Grays slopes. Voila two 14ers in one trip!

If you scramble these on a weekend be prepared for a lot of company with dogs of assorted sizes to boot! If you prefer a little more solitude scramble these on a weekday.