Hagerman Peak sits on the rugged ridge next to Snowmass Mountain, above Geneva Lake and Lead King Basin on the quieter Crystal River side of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. It honors Percy Hagerman, who made the first ascent with Henry Clark in 1907.
The south face route begins in Lead King Basin and follows the North Fork of the Crystal River trail toward Geneva Lake, then leaves the trail for gullies that climb into a west basin near 12,200 feet. A faint climber's path traverses northeast, and loose gullies lead to the summit ridge near 13,600 feet. Round trip runs about 10 miles with 4,358 feet of gain at Class 2+. The upper slopes are a pile of softball- to football-size rubble, so the route is at its best on firm, consolidated snow in spring or early summer, with an ice axe and often crampons. A similar south face gullies line is described from the Geneva Lake trailhead at about 9.7 miles and 4,155 feet.
Getting there is its own adventure. The roads into Lead King Basin from Marble are rough and 4WD only, and avalanche damage or snowdrifts can block them well into summer. Many hikers backpack in instead; the designated sites at Geneva Lake require an advance overnight permit, and bear-resistant food storage is mandatory. The summit ridge looks across the Elks toward Capitol Peak and the Maroon Bells.
