Bull Hill - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 05/23/2025
Elevation - 13,761'
Route - South Ridge
Miles - 7.2
Elevation Gain - 3,801'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Not Applicable

Description

Surprisingly, I have gotten out a fair amount this year, but most of the trips were really short for ice climbing or to low peaks with nominal distance or elevation gain. For Memorial Day weekend, I decided to try a bit bigger hike to another Bi-Centennial Peak in the Sawatch Mountain Range. Bull Hill is a Bi-Centennial Peak and the 122nd tallest mountain in the state of Colorado according to old map elevations. The new LIDAR elevation is three feet lower at 13,758', but Bull Hill remains in the top 200 peaks of the State.

I struggled most of the morning with low blood sugar levels and the altitude. I hadn't been to significant elevation since October 2024 when I hiked Magdalene Mountain south of Bull Hill. I started up the Echo Canyon Trail at 6:00 am and simply took my time with several breaks to eat and try and maintain higher blood sugars. The route is basically on a trail past Last Chance Mine all the way to Golden Fleece Mine. Beyond the second mine the trail fades; however, it is simply cross-county hiking to the north with no scrambling required to the summit.

The weather was reasonable all day with only an occasional gust to deal with on the south ridge. I made it to the summit in a little over four hours and returned in a little over two hours. For some reason I had in my head that the statistics were 7 miles and 3,000', but when I looked up the route later it ended up being 7.2 miles and 3,800'. The extra 800 vertical feet was certainly a surprise when I figured it out on the way in, but I ended up making it anyway. The views of the surrounding Sawatch mountains were pretty incredible with a lot of snow remaining in the area.

Photos