Classic Colorado Hikes: Lakes, Loops, and High Ridge Traverses

by Jon Kedrowski

Overview

• 70 hikes and scrambles throughout Colorado’s nine most prominent mountain ranges
• Each hike highlights a lake destination. Scrambles may be a loop, a peak climb, or high-ridge traverse
• Tips for the trail, including gear and equipment, climbing classifications, weather and climate, and safety considerations

This book is for anyone who seeks out the Colorado high-country hiking and scrambling experience. Dr. Jon Kedrowski has outlined and selected some of his favorite hikes to backcountry lakes (including places to swim in summer or ice skate in winter!). Some of the hikes are loops, meaning you will be able to return to the trailhead by a different trail. Then, an extra scrambling route--such as climbing a peak or following a high-ridge traverse from peak to peak--is suggested.

Have you ever sat down for a snack break at a high mountain lake and wondered, "Can that peak be climbed?" Or, "I wonder if it’s possible to traverse that ridge"? This book answers those questions. Then, in the "Dr. Jon’s Extra Credit" sections, he dishes out even more options for creating your own adventures. Tap into your desire to be an explorer: grab this guidebook and a map and let your imagination run wild. Enjoy making your own adventures into some wild basins in the remote corners of Colorado!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937052836
Publisher:	Colorado Mountain Club
Publication date:	05/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	47 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dr. Jon Kedrowski is the author of Sleeping on the Summits: Colorado 14er High Bivys, Skiing and Sleeping on the Summits: Cascade Volcanoes, and Classic Colorado Ski Descents. He has climbed and skied all of the Colorado 14ers, and has climbed half of Colorado’s 537 13ers. Jon has advised or led climbing expeditions to each of the seven summits, except for Antarctica, which is high on his bucket list. He has led five expeditions to Mount Everest (successfully reaching the top three times) and was part of the 2021 winter expedition to K2 that put ten Nepali climbers on the summit for the first time ever in winter.

Table of Contents

Foreword Andrew Hamilton x

Introduction 1

How to Use This Guide 2

Climbing Classifications 2

Steepness Ratings 2

Rock Ratings 2

The Basics-Tips for the Trail 4

Gear and Equipment 8

The Ten Essentials Systems 8

Nutrition and Hydration 9

Footwear 9

Ice Ax, Crampons, and Trekking Poles 9

Meteorology: Regional Weather and Climate 10

Being Safe in Colorado's Mountains 12

Four Human Factors for Backcountry Safety 12

A Note for Out-of-State Visitors 13

Typical Seasonal Conditions 14

Colorado's "Wild Ice"-Best Ice-Skating Lakes 14

Weather and Conditions for Good Ice 14

Considerations for Gear 16

Suggested Lakes-My Top Ten 16

Chapter 1 Front Range North (RMNP and Indian Peaks Wilderness)

1 Chasm Lake and Longs Peak 18

2 Sky Pond-Loch Vale-Lake of Glass-Dream Lake Loop 23

3 Lake Isabelle-Pawnee Peak to Mount Toll Traverse 29

4 Mitchell Lake-Blue Lakes-Paiute Peak to Mount Audubon 34

5 Lake Dorothy-Arapaho Pass-Arapaho Peaks Traverse 38

6 King Lake-Bob and Betty Lakes-Skyscraper Peak to Devils Thumb Loop 42

7 The Gorge Lakes and Mount Ida 46

8 Lake Agnes and Mount Richthofen 51

Chapter 2 Front Range South (1-70 Corridor)

9 Summit Lake-Mount Spalding-Mount Evans Loop 55

10 Abyss Lake-Mount Bierstadt-Sawtooth to Mount Evans Traverse 59

11 Square Top Lakes and Square Top Mountain 64

12 Silver Dollar Lake-Murray Lake-Argentine Peak 69

13 Loch Lemond-Mount Bancroft to James Peak Loop 73

14 Herman Lake-Pettingel Peak East Ridge-The Citadel 78

15 Chihuahua Lake-Torreys and Grays Peaks 82

Chapter 3 Tenmile/Mosquito Range

16 Rainbow Lake-Tenmile Traverse from Frisco to Breckenridge 88

17 Mohawk Lakes-Crystal and Pacific Peaks Traverse 94

18 Crystal Lakes-Crystal Peak-Peak 10 98

19 Mayflower Gulch-Drift Peak to Fletcher Mountain to Atlantic Peak Traverse 102

20 Wheeler Lake-Clinton/McNamee/Traver Peaks Loop 107

21 Lake Emma-Mount Democrat and "DeCaLiBron" 111

22 Unnamed Lake to Mount Arkansas to Mount Buckskin Traverse 115

23 Mount Sherman Grand Slam Traverse Loop 119

Chapter 4 Gore Range/Vail Valley

24 Booth Falls-Booth Lake to the Fly and Spider Traverse 124

25 Pitkin Lake-West Partner Peak and the Outpost Peak Loop 128

26 Deluge Lake-Grand Traverse Peak and the Grand Traverse 132

27 Gore Lake-Snow Lake-Snow Peak Traverse to Deluge Lake 136

28 Piney Lake-Mount Powell-Bubble Lake 141

29 Wheeler Lakes and Uneva Peak Traverse 146

30 Willow Lakes-Salmon Lake-Zodiac Spires-Mount Silverthorne 150

Chapter 5 Steamboat Area/ Park Range/Rahwah/Flat Tops

31 Zirkel Circle: Gilpin Lake and Mount Zirkel-Flattop Mountain 157

32 Mica Lake-Big Agnes Peak-Little Agnes Peak 162

33 Hahn's Peak Fire Lookout 166

34 Rahwah Wilderness: Island Lake-Carey Lake-Clark Peak 170

35 Twin Crater Lakes-Rahwah Pyramid to Snowbank Peak Loop 175

36 Stillwater Reservoir-Devils Causeway-Trappers Lake 179

Chapter 6 Sawatch Range

37 Mount of the Holy Cross-Halo Ridge-Bowl of Tears 185

38 Fancy Pass Lake Loop-Missouri Lakes-Treasure Vault Lake-Fancy Peak to Savage Peak Traverse 190

39 Middle Lake-Finnegan Peak-Gold Dust Peak Traverse 195

40 Clohesy Lake and Missouri Mountain 199

41 Silver King Lake-Silver King Peak-Missouri Mountain Mega Traverse 203

42 Lake Ann-Three Apostles Traverse Loop 208

43 Grizzly Lake-Grizzly Peak A-Mountain Boy Traverse 213

44 Anderson Lake and Peak-Petroleum Lake-Petroleum Peak Loop 218

44b Tabor Lake-Tabor Basin Lake-"Double-T" Traverse Loop 223

45 Linkins Lake-Independence Lake-Lost Man Lake Loop and Twining Peak to Independence Pass 228

46 Bear Lake-Mount Harvard to Mount Columbia Traverse 232

Chapter 7 Elk Range

47 Thomas Lakes-Mount Soris-Traverse to Capitol Lake 238

48 Capitol Lake-Moon Lake-Capitol Peak-Mount Daly-Avalanche Lake 244

49 Pierre Lakes Basin Loop to Moon Lake and Capitol Peak 250

50 Snowmass Lake-Snowmass Mountain-Four Pass Loop 256

51 Geneva Lake-Hagerman Peak-Snowmass Mountain 260

52 Cathedral Lake-Cathedral Peak-"Triple-C" Traverse 265

53 American Lake-Hayden Peak-Electric Pass Peak 270

54 Twin Lakes-Conundrum Hot Springs-Castlebra via Coffeepot Pass 275

55 Maroon Lake-Crater Lake-Willow Lake-Maroon Bells Traverse 280

Chapter 8 Sang Re De Cristo Range

56 Willow Lake-Kit Carson Mountain 287

57 South Crestone Lake-Mount Adams 293

58 Cottonwood Lake-Crestones Traverse Loop 297

59 South Colony Lakes-Mount Humboldt-Ellingwood Arete 303

60 Brush Creek Lakes-Electric Peak-Banjo Lake 307

61 Zapata Falls-South Zapata Lake-Ellingwood Point-Twin Peaks 311

62 Lake Como-Little Bear Peak-Blanca Traverse-Upper Como Lakes 316

63 Lily Lake-California Peak-Mount Lindsey-Huerfano Peak 321

Chapter 9 San Juan Range

64 Blue Lakes-Mount Sneffels-Blaine Basin-Teakettle Mountain 327

65 Ice Lake-Island Lake-Pilot Knob-Golden Horn-Vermilion Peak 333

66 Cooper Lake-Every Mountain-Cooper Creek Peak 337

67 Navajo Lake-El Diente/Mount Wilson Traverse 342

68 Blue Lake-T10-T11 (Bridal Peak) to Lewis Lake Traverse 348

69 Vestal Lake-Vestal Peak-Trinities Traverse-Five Peak Traverse 352

70 Sunlight Lake-Jagged Mountain-Sunlight and Windom Peaks 359

Appendix: Avalanche, Snowpack, Lodging, and Weather Resources 365

Acknowledgments 367

About the Author 368