Top of the Rockies

Top of the Rockies
For Saturday, August 29, 2026
Michael MacKuen

This morning we’ll take another look at the Colorado Rockies. This time we shall focus more on the peaks and ridges at the top of the mountains. Starting at Steamboat Springs, we head south over and through the core of the central Rockies, flying through the Elk Range, the Sawatch Range and the Front Range, ending up with an extended view of the Rocky Mountain National Park.


Capitol Peak and its Knife Edge

We depart from the GA airport at Steamboat Springs [KSBS]. When the town was founded in the late nineteenth century, its economy was based on ranching and mining which remain important today. At first skiing was a necessary mode of transportation during the harsh mountain winters. However, in 1913 Carl Howelsen, an immigrant Norwegian, introduced ski jumping along with contests for ski racing, dog sledding, and other winter events. The town’s enthusiasm for winter sports spread to town all over the Rockies. And Steamboat Springs has produced more athletes for the Winter Olympics than any other town in the US.

We fly south to Eagle County Regional [KEGE] which serves as the commercial airport of the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts. Airline traffic is decidedly seasonal with the winter ski season being very busy. (Of regional ski airports, Eagle County ranks second – behind Aspen and ahead of Jackson Hole.) The terminal has just been redeveloped and expanded. And the long runway (9,000ft) was rebuilt specifically designed to allow larger aircraft to land safely even in reduced visibility or adverse weather – as might occur in the midst of Rocky Mountain ski season. (In 2010 the History Channel rated KEGE as Number 8 on its list of Most Extreme Airports.)

We take off for a quick (steep) flight to Aspen Pitkin County [KASE]. The original 1946 gravel airstrip was developed in the 1950s into a busy commercial airport that connects the city with not only Denver but also Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Just recently, the airport has begun a process to lengthen and enlarge the now 8,000ft runway, scheduled to be completed in 2027. The terrain and weather affect traffic which, for commercial aircraft, is mostly landings on Rwy15 and takeoffs on Rwy33.

Without going into town, we depart circling to the southwest. We climb high to cross over the Elk Mountains, passing near Capitol Peak (14,237) and Snowmass Mountain (14,101). These are two of the state’s 53 fourteeners, mountains of 14,000 feet.  The “14ers” comprise a list of natural targets for mountain climbers. (With its Knife Edge northeast ridge, Capitol Peak has proven especially challenging and dangerous.) We pass Ragged Mountain and descend to the interesting and attractive plateau-sited North Fork Valley [7V2].

Then east passing Mt Gunnison (12,725) and between West Beckwith Peak and East Beckwith Mountain. Once past, we see Kebler Pass. The pass hosts one of the country’s largest aspen groves – and one of the world’s largest living organisms. (The above-ground instances reproduce from a single root system and clone in a completely identical way. The aspens, parts of the same root structure, can span an entire mountainside.) When the leaves turn gold in the Fall (Mid-September into Early-October) they create a spectacular foliage display. The Kebler Pass is traversed by a hard-packed gravel road (suitable for cars) and it thus attracts many visitors. This may be one of the most photographed spots in Colorado. We land just south of Crested Butte at Buckhorn Ranch [0CO6], a private airpark community with splendid mountain views.

Next we head northeast into the Eastern Elk Mountains, aiming first for Star Peak (13,527), a distinctive point that is relatively accessible for climbers. We continue past Truro Peak to the Sawatch Range and catch a glimpse of Independence Pass (12,095). When miners in Leadville found gold in the Sawatch, they built a road to the new camp at Independence, carving a path through the mountains to take advantage of the high pass on the Continental Divide. The gold disappeared but the beautiful road remains. Further to the east is the prominent Mount Elbert (14,440) which is the highest point in Colorado and the second highest in the contiguous United States (to Mount Whitney). A few miles to the north stands Mount Massive (14,421), the second highest summit in the state. The name comes from the elongated shape which includes five “14er” peaks in the formation. (Apparently, in the 1930s there was as dispute about which of the two peaks was higher when the 1920s measurements indicated a difference of only 12 feet. Proponents of Mt Massive built large piles of stones on the summit to boost its height only  to have the Mt Elbert proponents demolish them.) We descend to Leadville’s airport Lake County KLXV] at 9,934 MSL. The airport provides a useful high altitude training and testing environment for all sorts of aviation – nowadays with an especially active helicopter facility. Arriving GA pilots may obtain a free Certificate of Navigation commemorating the high-altitude landing – by visiting the Leadville Air Center FBO. Matching souvenirs are available for purchase…

Departing northeast into the Mosquito Range, we note fourteeners Mount Bross (14,178), Mount Democrat (14,156) and Mount Lincoln (14,293). These neighboring peaks are often climbed together. Then into the Front Range and the distinctive Mount Blue Sky (14,266). Tourists can take the 28-mile scenic road up to the summit (mid-June through Labor Day). The peak can be seen from Denver and the city bought nearby Echo Lake and built the road with the idea of creating a National Park (an idea nixed by the Forest Service). This is the highest paved road in North America. The peak was long known as Mount Evans after John Evans the former Colorado governor who helped found Northwestern University and the University of Denver. Unfortunately he was also connected with the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in which Colorado volunteer soldiers brutally killed and mutilated about 150 peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho (mostly women, children and elderly). The 2023 renaming was meant to honor the Cheyenne and Arapaho. We continue north and west to land at Granby-Grand County [KGNB], a small town airport.

After a few minutes we climb back up to the front range Apache Peak (13,441) of the Indian Peaks (Arapaho, Kiowa, Shoshone, Pawnee). We continue northward to the Rocky Mountain National Park and Mount Meeker (13,061) and the impressive Longs Peak (14,259), the only fourteener of the park. The latter is one of the most prominent mountains in Colorado as it rises 9,000ft above the western edge of the Great Plains. You might enjoy two artistic renderings: Ansel Adams (1941), Longs Peak from Road; and Albert Bierstadt (1876), Estes Park and Longs Peak.

We continue to circle the peaks, including Hallett Peak (12,720) and Mount Julian (12,933), before we cross over to the Never Summer Mountains. The range constitute the western border of the National Park and forms part of the Continental Divide. The range is young, small and tall with a north-south length of 10mi and with ten distinct peaks rising more than 12,000ft. The names are interesting. The “Never Summer” comes from Arapaho, the peaks Nimbus, Cumulus, Cirrus (as well as Stratus) were named in 1932 after the types of clouds, and Nokhu Crags at the northern end is Arapaho for “Eagles Nest.” The tallest peak Mount Richthofen (12,945) is named for the nineteenth-century pioneering German geographer and geologist Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen.

We cross back east to the Mummy Range and the sharp rugged point of East Desolation Peak (12,949) and then Hagues Peak (13,573) and scenic Mummy Mountain (13,430). These are less-climbed peaks and present their own challenges. Then we pass over Estes Park itself, the tourist town that serves the Rocky Mountain National Park. (The historic 140 room Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is a classic NP hotel. It is also the haunted “Overlook Hotel” for Stephen King’s The Shining. The AI rendition is only approximate.)

We finish by flying over Boulder and landing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC). Our destination is now a very busy GA airport for Denver. (This the 2006 renamed “Jefferson County” or “Jeffco”.) It has 718 operations a day with 476 aircraft based here. Two FBOs operate at the airport, Signature Flight Support (near the Terminal) and Sheltair (at the East Ramp). And in 2018 Pilatus Aircraft’s large new center for the PC-24 became operational at the southwest corner of the airport. Once we land, we can congregate at the airport terminal building located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Rwy 12L and Rwy 3. (Just the west of the Signature FBO.) Perhaps we can meet a local friend for a refreshment.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This Saturday encourages us to fly “on the top of the Rockies.” With a length of 370nm, we want aircraft that can sustain a fast cruise of 180-190kts at altitudes over 13,000ft. Given the high mountain flying mission, with some climbing involved, we want something with turbochargers/turbines or powerful piston engines. Many aircraft may be suitable for this mission. Some popular choices might include the Beech Baron B58 (TC or P), Beach Duke (turbo charged or turbine), Cessna 404, Cessna 414AW and maybe the Beech Bonanza A36TC or the Piper Aerostar. I’ll choose the Black Square Baron B58TC (Stock C-GVGI). As ever, please fly what you like.

Scenery
All of the airports are in the simulator. We have a few enhancements that will help a bit. Thanks to these talented authors.

Eagle County Regional [KEGE].  Windhover
Colorado Mountains Tree Fix. THEOLI4D (Select FS2024 pack.)
Colorado Seasons Enhanced & Mountain Airports.  csharpe  (You want 0CO2 airport. And be careful to use a single seasons enhancement: either for Bijan vegetation or for Default vegetation. Use only one of the two.)
Montrose Regional [KMTJ].   csharpe  (You want 7V2)
Rocky Mountain Metro [KBJC].  edu0811

Temporarily, you can get the freeware package here. The package may also include freeware creations that are difficult to find. (Please check for duplicates of previously installed packages.)

There is a very good payware for Rocky Mountain Metro [KBJC] by Propair Flight (2020/2024) – just now on sale for half price at ORBX for about $9.47. Highly recommended. And Xometry has a payware (2020 only) for Eagle County [KEGE] that has decent ratings.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 9:00am local for October 7, 2026. Pick this date to show the addon fall seasons enhancement. We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, August 29, 2026. 1800 UTC (2000CEST, 1400EDT, 1100PDT)
Where: RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South-East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!