Bellevue Ridge is a short, steep hike on the Front Range of the Rockies. As such it is usually free of snow when the mountains further west are still blanketed with snow. From mid-May on you can access the ridge from the Red Rock road, parking right beneath the ridge (very handy). Otherwise you will need to hike in about 4km from the gate or approach from the back end of the buffalo paddock.
Gaining the ridge is straightforward, just pick the line that appeals to you. Or you can park at the top of the hill on the highway and bushwack straight up. Some scrambling is required.
Once you gain the ridge just keep going up and left until you reach a small cairn. From here descend and regain the ridge to the summit. This is where the "beyond" comes in. There are several ways to return to the highway. We looked for a gentler slope to descend and saw what looked like a good line down a red ridge towards Mount Galwey. The ridge was wide and gently slope so we just kept going, past the red ridge. I knew there was a good scrambler's trail at the base of Galwey so we continued over to that trail and down from there.
This trail takes you to the shelter at Coppermine Creek where a 4km hike awaits you - or hitch-hike.
THIS IS SERIOUS TICK COUNTRY- CHECK OFTEN
Directions:
Park wherever you can at the base of the ridge. Go straight up through the trees and pick a diagonal line (left) throught the cliffs (photo).
