Snowshoe on a fire road off Guanella Pass

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,971 to 10,597 ft
Elevation Gain: ~626 ft

View at our turn around point. I think this is Argentine Peak.

If you love the seclusion of the trees, don’t mind finding your way, and hate the hordes, this is the trail for you. This trail begins on north side of Guanella Pass and starts up Leavenworth Road, which heads towards the Waldorf Mine. There was no street sign for this road, but it occurs at the first major switchback coming up from Georgetown. In summer you see many ATV carriers parked here.

Heading up the first fire road right after the turn off of Leavenworth Road. This section was quite steep.

Hard packed snow, dogs and trees.

Within 0.7 miles, the route leaves the road, which continues sharply upwards towards the right, and follows a series of fire roads up the drainage. You can always tell that you are heading in the right direction by the persistent power lines heading west. The road will be about 200 yards and several hundred feet above on the right. In several locations I thought we had rejoined the road, but this was just another side road, not Leavenworth.

There are many old mining roads in the area. This bare spot led to some metal structures. Also note the huge ruts in the snow and the bare spots.

Typical secluded nature of the trail

Most of the elevation gain is in the first mile. I am always amazed at how steep a trail can be when coming down. Half the time while ascending you are just sucking wind and not quite sure why. The elevation gain is masked by the excitement of getting out and the reduced pace that inevitably occurs on the ascent.

Snowshoe tracks cross one of the more open areas

Creek crossing

There is little or no mountain scenery on this trail, but there are Aspens, meadows, and the sound of a crackling brook. On this trip, there was little to no snow for the first 1.5 miles but after that, it picked up. Our guide for the day reported doing this trail in waist deep snow, so it is highly variable depending upon the year. This year has seen a dearth of snow on the Front Range so it is not surprising that we were on hard packed ice.

The view of the Guanella Pass Rd from the Trail. The road is now in the valley.

The group hitting the last switchback before the cars.

The other nice thing about this trail is that you can really go the distance if you like. We decided to turn around at 2.5 miles but could have gone further. To get to the bowl that the scenic Waldorf Mine sits in would require several more miles and a tree-lined lined ridge to cross over, however, so continuing would not have resulted in any views for quite a while. On skis it might be doable because you can go farther faster. You can also take the road, which is about 6 miles (one way) to the mine.

Special thanks to Suzanne, Stacy, and company for inviting me along on their outing.

Square Top Lakes

Distance: 4.2 miles RT
Elevation: 11,700 to 12,300 ft
Elevation Gain: 850 ft total with 250 ft of additional up and downs.
Critters: Golden Eagle, White Crowned Sparrow, Jack the rock hound


Lower Square Top Lake as seen from the upper lake. Mt. Bierstadt in the background.
Square Top Lakes is a short tundra hike to two alpine lakes with incredible views. The entire trail is above treeline so all the usual precautions are necessary. Don’t forget the sunscreen and hat and watch the weather.


Looking down the first valley
I chose this hike for the first hike of the 4th of July weekend because I needed to get my 15 year-old dog out for a short hike that was not overly rocky. Last year I had made it to the lower lake but ended up jogging back to the car as the thunder rolled overhead. On this trip, the skies stayed clear and I was able to lounge at the upper lake for an hour or more. There I saw a Golden Eagle flying against the mountainside. Even with my telephoto lens it was merely a spec against the expanse of rock.

Western Sky Pilot (Polemonium viscosum). Also known as Skunkweed or Jacob's Ladder. It grows at high altitudes on dry rocky sites.

The trailhead for Square Top Lakes is at the apex of Guanella Pass. The lower parking lot is full of Bierstadt climbers and the upper lot contains overflow. Both lots have nice new bathrooms.

The trail descends 100 ft into a small valley where is crosses a creek on a series of wooden bridges. It then rises quickly to a large rocky knoll. There were Buddhist payer flags strung across the rocks here and another hiker told me someone had died in an avalanche there.

From this knoll, the trail descends another 100 ft before rising to the first lake. This lake is pretty, but the view from the upper lake is even better. Both lakes are nestled at the base of Square Top Mountain. The trail for that summit forks left half way up the trail to the upper lake. That climb looks like a pleasant diversion and some day I’ll pop up there.



A small section of the upper lake
Wildflowers covered the tundra and at one point I tried to estimate their distribution. It seemed like there was one flower every six inches or so. I lost count of the number of species present but white and yellow seemed to be the predominate colors. On the broad shelf that borders the upper lake, tiny tundra flowers sprouted in crevices of every rock. I need to get myself a magnifying glass so I can examine these more closely.


Alpine Sunflower (Hymenoxys grandiflora). Also known as Old-Man-of-the-Mountain. They bloom in clumps from May to June and turns to face the sun.
On my way back down I lingered at the lower lake for a few moments. There I met Jack, a Chesapeake Bay Retrieve/Lab mix. This dog looked more like a Grizzly Bear than dog and he was shuffling through the water of the lake backwards shaking his hindquarters in a most un-lady like manner. The owners said he was trying to loosen rocks on the bottom with his front paws. This activity, combined with piteous whines was a site to behold. Occasionally, Jack would thrust the upper half of his body underwater like a duck feeding on grass and come up spouting. At last, we saw Jack bound out of the water with a 10-pound rock in his mouth. I wish I were so easily entertained. Still, if I were caught moving my hindquarters in a similar manner, I would be arrested for disturbing the peace!


The White Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophyrus) is a migratory songbird that mainly eats seeds. There were many of them singing away in the willows. I have a better photo on my Mayflower Gulch Wildflower Hike


This is a great time to check out this trail, but go early so you won’t have to run from the thunderstorms, which can pop up very quickly on Guanella Pass.


Jack the rock hound