Mt. Osceola and East Osceola

[Tramper]

Looking to bang out both peaks, but do not have much time to do it. Anyone know the quickest route up and back? Thanks.

 

[Double Bow]

The quickest and easiest route is a point to point starting at the Greeley Ponds Trail on the Kanc and going South to the Mt. Osceola Trail over both peaks and out to Tripoli Road. (requires a car spot) (9.5 miles, 2550' elevation gain)

Without the car spot, your best bet is probably from Tripoli Road. It's a little more elevation gain this way but shorter and better trail. (8.4 miles, 2950' gain)

I'd have to disagree. Even if you have the option of a car spot, it's MUCH easier to do an up-and-back on the Mt Osceola Trail from Tripoli Rd. It is shorter mileage-wise and it doesn't have you climbing the VERY STEEP gully on the NE side of East Osceola which is bound to slow down anyone.

The up-and-back route is relatively easy with the most challenging part being the traverse from peak to peak. It's not as easy as it looks on the map but, I'd rather do that twice than climb East Osceola from the Kanc!

 

[darren]

I am leaning toward double bow on this one. While the slide on East Osceola really isn't really that bad, the Osceola trail going up from Tripoli Rd. is so tame that you can easily be on top of Osceola in an hour. As for the chimney, it is pretty cool. If it sketches you out, there is an easy "bushwack" around it just East of it (maybe 100' or so). You can get around it in no time if you don't want to do it. Don't let the idea of doing the chimney twice put you off.

For dayhike speed, I would do the out and back from Tripoli Rd. For the full experience, I would go up the slide and out to Tripoli Rd. For day hike speed, you would waste more time doing the car spot than you would save by gaining 500' less.

- darren

 

[Dugan]

Agreed on the chimney go 'round. Even in full winter conditions Dugan four-legs had no problems with the go around, up or down. Though it was fun to see others in the group "hike" down the icy chimney. Believe that spawned a couple of avatars.

 

[HikerBob]

Only done the in-out from Tripoli Rd but even I found it easy going!

As for the Chimney - I did the bypass on the way down (it's just a yard or two to the left, still slabby but no biggie) but went up it on the way back. Easier to ascend and a lot of fun.

THIS is a look up the chimney and THIS is part of the bypass.

A great hike and the views off the ledges on Osceola are fantastic.

Bob

 

[cooperhill]

I agree with Double Bow. I have only done it out-and-back from Tripoli Road but found it was relatively easy and fast. Going up the Chimney was very cool. I believe the WMG suggests this as the easier route to Osceola and and E.Osceola.

 

[darren]

I forgot so many people hate hiking up to East Peak (Osceola) from the Greeley Ponds side, I don't see the problem.

Yah, it really isn't that bad.

It's your website Darren, so you can say what you want. . I'm sure there are people who can, but I'm not one of them and I can halve the book time on many trails.

I have done the Osceolas many times (it is always a good backup hike in case of bad weather in the peaks more north). I don't know off hand what the book time is to Osceola, so I am just going by memory. But isn't it less than 3 miles and less than or somewhere around 2000' of el. gain? Can't be much more than an hour for most people in good hiking condition. I've always considered Osceola to be one of the easiest of the 4kers.

The first time I hiked Osceola the fog was super thick and I remember being surprised that we were at the summit so fast (I didn't see it coming). The next time I did it and saw the view, I realized that it is one of those bang fer yer buck hikes. It's the Willard of the 4kers.

So, Tramper, when you "bang them out" hopefully you don't have to bang them out too fast. There are some great views from Osceola and the chimney and the walk through thewoods inthe little col between the two peaks are really cool.

too bad you don't have more time. You can do the loop with one car. Go in Livermore, up to Greeley Ponds, up the slide, over the peaks and back down to Tripoli Rd. Its an easy road walk back to your car and you are bound to get a ride from some other hikers on Tripoli Rd anyway. I did it in the other direction (we didn't plan on it or we would have gone up the slide) with JohnS, Chomp, and VSA last year and it was a great hike. Views from Osceola, the chimney, the woods between the peaks, the slide, Greeley Ponds, you get it all. Makes for a nice day out in the woods.

 

[Papa Bear]

I don't know off hand what the book time is to Osceola, so I am just going by memory. But isn't it less than 3 miles and less than or somewhere around 2000' of el. gain? Can't be much more than an hour for most people in good hiking condition. I've always considered Osceola to be one of the easiest of the 4kers.

It's 3.2 miles and 2050'. Book time is 2 hours 40 min.

 

[David Metsky]

I think an hour is a bit optimistic for Osceola, but going up and down from Tripoli Road is definately the fastest way to hit both peaks.

-dave-

 

[Jim lombard]

The trail that we used to call the East Osceola slide has been re-routed. You used to take the trail just after passing beautiful Greeley pond, now the Mt Osceola trail is well before the pond...still pretty steep with fewer views. Here are Two pictures of what it was like to climb up the old trail.

 

[darren]

Is the new trail before / after the ponds when coming from the north or the south?

3 miles and 2000', yah I guess you have to be a fairly fast hiker to do it in an hour. But then I've done it in an hour and I've also done Eisenhower in 50 minutes and Pierce in 50 minutes and I am certainly no Stinkyfeet. Halfing book time on a warm weather (not hot) dayhike isn't too big a deal, so that puts you at 1:20. At anyrate, I guess the concensus is that out and back via Tripoli Rd is the way to go.

Wish I was on that trail (or any trail) right now...

- darren

 

[Jim lombard]

Darren, the new trail is before the pond when coming off the Kank. It's pretty steep but not as steep as the old one.

 

[HikerBob]

I swear the book time formula should be modified to include leg length in the calculation

Five Darren strides = at least 8 Bob strides

Makes a big difference, but we all end up in the same places eventually

Bob

 

[TDawg]

Osceola

The trail from the Kanc is steep.

Having never done the route from Tripoli I don't know much about it besides that I hear it's easier. What I do know, is that when I came to the top of Osceola there was a frail looking, 70+ year old couple coming up the Tripoli side in sneakers.

So it can't be that bad...

 

[Raymond]

A few hours before I originally climbed the Osceolas in September 2000, I found a report on the old lexicomm Views from the Top by someone who had climbed Osceola in one hour 41 minutes. From there she made it over to East Peak in 45 minutes.

That became my mantra as I hiked from Tripoli Road, "an hour forty-one, an hour forty-one, gotta beat an hour forty-one..."

I made it to the apparent top in 1:23, so I was pretty pleased.

Which reminds me: I'm not really sure where the summit is. Is it on the trail, or over at the lookout, or somewhere in-between?

I think I checked out every erratic between the trail and the open eastern ledge (Is this the high point? Is this the high point?), then made it to East Peak in a half hour.

Round trip was five hours. I was a month from my 44th birthday, so you can estimate from there.

Photos from last year's hike are here:

http://homepage.mac.com/ramerkh/PhotoAlbum4.html

 

[Pucknuts61]

Which reminds me: I'm not really sure where the summit is. Is it on the trail, or over at the lookout, or somewhere in-between?

Raymond, You must mean the East Peak. Osceola has an easy-to-find bench mark. We just did both peaks 2 weeks ago (from Tripoli Rd). Very easy going but it is a rocky and slab trail. However, once we scrambled over to the East peak, it was very disappointing. The only marker we found was a large cairn right on the trail. We looked around to the North and South of the trail and couldn't even find a decent view!

 

[RoySwkr]

it's MUCH easier to do an up-and-back on the Mt Osceola Trail from Tripoli Rd. It is shorter mileage-wise and it doesn't have you climbing the VERY STEEP gully on the NE side of East Osceola which is bound to slow down anyone.

Somebody should buy this guy a guidebook! It is 3.2 miles from Tripoli Road to Mt Osceola, and 2.8 miles from the Kanc to E Osceola, and 1 mile between. So the through hike is the shortest "mileage-wise" (7.0 miles), in and out from the Kanc is 7.6 miles, and in and out from the Tripoli Road is the longest at 8.4 miles.

 

[MarkJ]

Osceola

I agree with Roy,but if your coming up the highway less mileage to Tripoli rd versus goin thru Lincoln,up the Kanc,maybe you can make up the time hiking vs drivin,if your comin from Ma......MJ

 

[sierra]

osceola

I think regardless of the mileage, the fastest hike is from Tripoli rd. Oh and I agree with Dave M, Im not slow but an hour is pretty dang fast to the main summitt,imo.

 

[Raymond]

How many people want to finish a hike seven miles from their vehicle?