I know there have been several lake posts this summer/fall, but Upper Waterdog is a real treasure up here.
In August of 2020, I put out a blog post with some trail maps from Monarch’s earlier days. In that blog, I promised to post a couple more at some point. It may be two years later, but here are a few more classics to enjoy. The first is a map from our 1966 Master Development Plan. It includes some…
I’ll admit…it’s not the sexiest project out there. But it sure makes a good impression and helps to protect a significant investment! We are finishing up a substantial maintenance effort on our main parking lot that includes crack-fill, sealant and asphalt patching. Many other resorts in Colorado have acres of gravel lots full of axle-breaking potholes. Meanwhile, Monarch offers our…
With the crisp mornings of fall starting to show up and the first dusting of snow coming up at some point soon, we are making sure to get a few more days of riding at 12,000′. The Monarch Crest Trail is consistently rated as one of the best in Colorado and also ranks as one of the must-ride trails in…
Most of you have experienced the ride as the Pioneer Lift passes high over Garfield. While these two lifts pretty much access the same side of the mountain, each of them play an important role come winter time. Garfield is a local’s favorite to spin laps on a powder morning. It easily accesses the “Uppers” trails along with Kanonen, Lobo…
There are several lakes located near the ski area and the summit of Monarch Pass. Of course there are the often mentioned Waterdog Lakes adjacent to our cat skiing terrain. There are several others that offer some great summertime hiking opportunities. Boss Lake, Hunt Lake, and Grass Lake to name a few. It’s that time of year to get after…
Many of us have gazed at this area on the west side of the Continental Divide for over a decade. The initial proposal for ski area expansion into the No Name Basin was included in our 2011 Master Development Plan. A formal application that proposes expanding into this area was submitted to the USFS last year, and we have been…
Monarch is one of the oldest ski areas still operating in Colorado. With such a long storyline, there are some interesting tales to be told. The photo below shows where it all started…the Monarch Ski Course. Built in the late 1930’s, it featured a rope tow up Gunbarrel along with another that cut across what is now our lower parking…
Here is another shot from our drone work earlier this summer. This is a look at upper Waterdog lake along with some of cat skiing terrain rising above its shores.
Here is a view from Southbound looking back on the mountain. In the center of the photo you can see a portion of the recently thinned tree stand between the top of Little Mo and Ramble On. This zone had the dead standing trees removed this summer and is much more open now. This area includes nicknamed zones such as…