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Genesee Park summit(u)
With the help of a short gravel
section, that is closed to cars, this gentle
forested cone is a summit with two separate
approaches. You can also make the top of the
"peak" a two way summit with the help of a short
section through the forest.
With gentle hills like this,
fronting a major metro area, there is bound to be
many possibilites to get to the top. I think that
is -kind of the attraction of this area. Even
after living here for a long time, you can still
find a new variation on an old theme. This
particular profile is mostly the same as the Kerr Gulch - Co74
shoulder summit , except the section between
points 7 and 9. Rather than continuing on the
short section on I70, the route over this summit
detours onto a short hard dirt road into Genesee
Park.
Approaches
Heading in a southerly direction, the road
immediately turns to gravel It stays in the forest
for the first straight climb, exiting onto a
meadow, where you can sometimes see buffalo or
other wildlife behind a high fence. The views also
stretch into the high foothills west and north.
All the pictures of high peaks on this page were
taken with a telephoto lens. They are very far
away. Continuing back into forest, the road crests
at a junction: the two-way summit. This is not
much more than just a spot on the road. Taking a
hard left at this junction, a short dead end road
leads through elaborate picnic structures, that
could only stem from an era when public work
projects were more accepted than today, to the top
of Genesee
Mountain. Only the first part is paved.
There is also a trail and a road to the top of
Genesee Mtn, which reaches 200ft higher.  From East. (described downwards) A nice
view of Denver near the top of the two way summit
is easily missed. You really have to look between
the branches. It is right behind a picnic table, a
short distance east of the summit: Modern large
suburban housing units foreground downtown Denver
in the distance, which looks like a set of
stalagtites in summer haze. In the fall it is
crystal clear, and every year I come to the
conclusion that fall is the best time of year for
taking pictures of distant mountains. This page
contains a few from both seasons. From the same
point, you can also make out a locally famous,
shell shaped house poking out of the woods in the
foothills. A quick descent in forest ends with two
tight switchbacks, and then the route rejoins
heavier traffic and the I70 service route at the Mount
Vernon Canyon - Genesee Trail Rd shoulder
summit. The profile's long descent continues down
Mount Vernon Canyon. But the descend could also go over other points,
that are two way summit points by themselves Lookout Mtn
Rd(sh), or Grapevine
Rd s(u), for example. Lookout Mtn Rd(sh) can
be both an additional summit point (ie separated
by an additional climb of over 100 meters~300ft)
by approaching it over Paradise Rd. It can also a
shoulder point (not separated by such a climb) by
approaching it directly via Lookout Mtn Rd.
Historical Notes
Genesee Park was the first mountain area incorporated into the Denver Parks system. Now ranging in altitude from 6000 to over 13000 feet, the entire area was established between 1912 and 194. Mount Genesee Park is now on the national register of historic places.   |
From West. The
profile starts in Morrison to show the maximum
elevation gain. But the description starts at
point 7, a little used exit to I70 that serves new
real estate areas in in the woods, the Chief Hosa
campground, and cyclists trying to ride over this
summit. Immediately next the intestate is an
impressive old stone building, built by the CCC,
dating back to when this became the first official
Denver Mountain Park. It's now a ranger station.
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