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Jacque Peak via Copper Mountain

Other climbers: Emily Sharpe — ✓ climbed · Shawn D Keil — ✓ climbed

At a glance — recommended day

10.8 mi · 3,561 ft gain · Class 2 · 1 peak · ~2.66 h drive

NOAA weather link: Jacque Peak via Copper Mountain Weather

Drive from Boulder: 2h 40m via Google Maps

CalTopo research map: https://caltopo.com/m/8HER3DP

Researched: 2026-08-19

Status in Peak Checklist: climbed. Kyle summited Jacque Peak on 2026-06-06 — the June recording that anchors this route is his own. This report preserves the researched trailhead and route for reference.

Overview map

Note: the recommended route was distilled from 9 recorded GPS tracks of real trips (14ers.com · ListsofJohn · peakbagger) — all layered on the interactive CalTopo research map.

Peaks covered

Jacque Peak sits at the southern tip of the Gore Range inside White River National Forest. The approach runs entirely through Copper Mountain ski resort terrain — no wilderness permit, no day-use fee, and free resort parking. The ski area straddles the range's east flank here, so the climb from the base village to treeline feels more resort-recreation than true backcountry, but the upper ridge above Union Mountain is open tundra with genuine summit ambition.

Peak Elev Class CO rank Status
Jacque Peak 13,212' 2 482 climbed

10.8 mi · ~3,561 ft, Class 2 — Climb ski runs from the Union Creek base through the Copper Mountain resort, gaining the top of Union Mountain (12,313 ft) entirely on grassy slopes and resort terrain. From there a 1.6-mile SW ridge walk on open tundra with patches of chiprock and small rubble leads to the summit. Climb13ers calls it "A Tundra Stroll" — easy Class 2 throughout, no exposure, no scrambling. Nine recorded tracks (4 summer, 2 shoulder, 3 winter-excluded) converge on this same corridor; Kyle's June 2026 recording is the most direct at 10.8 mi round-trip.

Route sequence

  1. Copper Mountain Union Creek TH (9,803') — Park in the second lot on the north side of the resort boulevard (past the traffic circle). Walk west past Union Creek Village and the base of the two lifts.
  2. Choose a ski run and ascend — Any run that brings you to the base of the Timberline Lift is the efficient line; grassy ski runs throughout.
  3. Top of Timberline Lift → Union Mountain (12,313') — Continue uphill past the lift terminus on open terrain to Union Mountain's summit plateau. Entirely grassy.
  4. Union Mountain → Jacque Peak (13,212') — SW ridge, 1.6 miles. Tundra and scattered chiprock, no navigation difficulty. The ridge carries ski boundary markers and occasional fencing.
  5. Return — Retrace the ridge to Union Mountain, then descend via a different ski run to vary the terrain.

Getting there — Copper Mountain Union Creek TH (9,803')
Drive from Boulder 2h 40m via Google Maps
Trailhead Copper Mountain Union Creek TH, 39.50087, -106.16172, 9,803'
Road Paved resort boulevard off CO-91/I-70; passenger car. Free parking in the second lot north of the road past the traffic circle.
Land White River National Forest; Copper Mountain ski area on approach. No wilderness permit, no day-use fee.

Gear & season

  • Best window: Late June through September. The source pool has 4 summer (Jul–Aug) and 2 summer-shoulder (Jun/Oct) tracks from this TH, all navigating the same corridor. Kyle's own June 2026 ascent confirms late-June is viable; early-season snow lingers on the upper ridge above 12,000 ft but is rarely a barrier after mid-June.
  • Terrain & gear: All Class 2 — trail runners or light hikers are sufficient. No technical gear needed. Ski runs below treeline are broad and grassy; the upper tundra ridge above Union Mountain is open and fast.
  • Storms: Afternoon convection is typical for the Gore Range in July and August. An early start from the trailhead targets the summit before noon.
  • Navigation: A Copper Mountain ski trail map is helpful below treeline for choosing the most direct run to the Timberline Lift. Above Union Mountain the ridge to Jacque Peak is obvious.
  • Cell: Good coverage on the resort and upper ridge; Copper Mountain village is a full-service resort.

Other considerations

Neighboring peaks: The nearest unclimbed 13er is Bartlett Mountain (13,348 ft, 5.74 mi), but it accesses from Kokomo Pass / Mayflower Gulch — not the Copper Mountain base — so no same-day combo is possible from this trailhead. Pacific Peak, Crystal Peak A, Atlantic Peak, and Fletcher Mountain are all within 5 miles but approach from the McCullough Gulch side of the Tenmile Range and share nothing with the Union Creek TH.

Camping: No sites immediately at the TH (resort area). Nearest options: Mayflower Gulch, a few miles south on CO-91, or the Black Lakes dispersed area at the top of Vail Pass (drive to the north side of the pass).

Views: The summit overlooks the Tenmile Range to the south and southwest, the southern Gore Range, and — on clear days — the northern Sawatch including Mt. of the Holy Cross. Alpine wildflowers (Forget-Me-Nots, Sub-alpine Buttercup) appear on the upper tundra in early-mid summer.

Trip reports & GPX (all three sources)

Sources confirmed logged in: 14ers.com ("Basin"), listsofjohn.com ("letsgocu"), peakbagger.com ("Kyle Knutson"). All three swept fresh for this build, plus the mapped OSM trails in the bbox — all layered on the research map.

  • 14ers.com: 6 track(s) harvested (+6 duplicate(s) of another source). Tracks span Jul 2017 through Jul 2025 (4 summer, 2 winter-excluded); all summer tracks start from the Copper Mountain base cluster.

  • listsofjohn.com: 4 track(s) harvested (+2 duplicate(s) of another source). Includes an Oct 2025 shoulder-season track (33-mi Vail Pass approach) and a Dec 2017 winter track — both excluded from route selection.

  • peakbagger.com: 5 track(s) harvested (+4 duplicate(s) of another source). Includes Kyle's own Jun 2026 recording (the selected route track) plus a Jun 2026 shoulder track starting from the southern ski area cluster — rejected for lacking an OSM-confirmed TH.

Sources checked: 14ers.com ✓ (logged in, "Basin") · listsofjohn.com ✓ (logged in, "letsgocu") · peakbagger.com ✓ (logged in, "Kyle Knutson")