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- Award-winning Author Mark Obmascik to Headline CFI’s June 26th Season Kick-off Event in Avon
– May 11, 2012
Colorado Fourteeners Initiative kicks off its 2012 field season protecting summit hiking trails on Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks with an evening program and book signing featuring … Read More
- CFI Headquarters Takes Direct Hit
– May 3, 2012
Having your office wrapped in crime scene tape is never a good way to start the week. But that is what CFI faced on Monday … Read More
- Mount Bierstadt Google Earth flyover video launched
– February 25, 2012
You may have heard about CFI’s Sustainable Trails Project, but see how using Google Earth Pro allows us to bring our field work to life … Read More
- CFI Seasonal Job Announcements Posted
– February 7, 2012
CFI is looking for 12 enthusiastic, hard-working seasonal staff leaders/members to complete our most ambitious project season in years. If you think you have what … Read More
Mount Eolus
- Elevation:14,083 feet (33rd highest)
- Maps:USGS Quads: Columbine Pass, Storm King Peak, and Mountain View Crest
Trails Illustrated® – TOPO Map # 140
Click here to purchase Trails Illustrated® maps for this route. - Contact:US Forest Service, Columbine Ranger District (970) 884-2512
Recommended Route
Chicago Basin Route—use of this route will help to reduce impacts to this Fourteener’s fragile alpine environment. For detailed route information such as photos, maps, and elevation profiles, click here.
Route Information and Additional Resources
Two approaches are available to the Chicago Basin. The first approach involves an 18-mile backpack from Purgatory Trailhead off Highway 550 near the Purgatory Ski area. The second approach is to take the Durango & Silverton Railroad to the Needleton Stop. From the Needleton stop, you hike another 6.5 miles east to the Chicago Basin.
For Eolus Peak, gain the Twin Lakes Trail out of the Chicago Basin. From Twin Lakes, head west-southwest to Eolus. The route is fairly complex, and contains loose rock hazards and exposure. Consult a guidebook for information on safe hiking. After gaining the saddle between Eolus and North Eolus, follow the ‘catwalk in the sky’ southwest to Eolus.
Contact the Durango & Silverton Railroad, at 970.247.2733 for tickets, departure schedules and reservations. Check backpacker policies in place at that time.
The above information does not replace the need to consult additional maps and Colorado Fourteener Guidebooks for more detailed route descriptions. We suggest checking multiple resources before departing on any hike. Keep in mind that not all guidebooks list this recommended route and that each guidebook’s description or route name may vary slightly.
Peak Specific Environmental and Safety Concerns
No wood fires are allowed anywhere in the Needle Creek Drainage.
No wood fires or camping are allowed in the Twin Lakes Basin.