Lenawee Trail

Distance: 5.5 miles round trip to our lunch spot, 6.7 miles round trip to the ridge.
Elevation: 10,406 ft - 12,272 ft (lunch spot), 12,530 ft (ridge)
Elevation Gain: 1,900 ft (lunch spot), 2,130 ft (ridge)
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs: Off leash
Date Hiked: 11 July 2013

The Lenawee Trail above treeline has spectacular views

The Lenawee Trail near Keystone Colorado takes the hiker to rarely visited Thurman Gulch on the back side of the Arapahoe Ski Area where you just might get harassed by domestically inclined Mountain Goats.

Peru Creek Road and the limited parking

The small trailhead sign

The Lenawee trailhead is on Peru Creek Road, which in turn is located on the way to Montezuma from Keystone. You will recognize the large parking lot on the left that is the winter trailhead for Peru Creek. Drive approximately 4.5 miles up the road until you see the trail sign on the left and then park along the road in one of the few spots that are far enough removed from the continual traffic. While Peru Creek is a dirt road that is slightly rough it is passable by your typical 2WD vehicle. Just be cautious if you decide to continue up the road towards Argentine Pass as Peru Creek gets progressively rougher the further you go.

The first mile of the trail is in the trees with limited views.

After the first switchback, interesting piles of rock break up the monotony.

The major downside of the Lenawee Trail is the first mile, which gains a healthy 840 ft in a long slog through the trees. On this trip, it was hotter than hell's half acre and I was leaking electrolytes at a prodigious rate. Fortunately, at treeline some clouds moved in and a cooling breeze saved me from transforming into a dessicated shrub.

The first views of Thurman Gulch appear

Almost above treeline

At 1.2 miles, the trail finally starts to switchback and open up with interesting rock formations. Views of Thurman Gulch appear as the Sub-alpine Firs start to shrink. Once above treeline options abound.  You can continue to the end of the trail, which crosses Thurman Gulch and climbs up to Arapaho Basin; wander east across the tundra to gaze down on Chihuahua Lake and Grays Peak; or park it on a rocky outcropping to lounge, feed, and admire the views. On this trip I chose the latter. This might have been a fortuitous choice. A family of four told me that on the ridge there were some overly protective Mountain Goats protecting their young'ens. They actually charged the family and drove them back down the trail.

This is my favorite view on the trail. They rock formations are huge. Note the trees to the left. They remind me of the aircraft carrier formation on the Shrine Mountain Trail.

Thurman Gulch dominates the views once the trees fade.

The Lenawee Trail is one of those places where the fun begins near the end of the route, so save it for a nice day. On a glorious Summit County day, when the weather is sublime, you could spend half a day wandering around above treeline.

The trail heads straight along the ridge to Thurman Gulch

The view from our lunch spot. It is another 1.2 miles round trip to the ridge and back.

Deer Creek Snowshoe

Distance: 4.6 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,632 ft - 11,461 ft
Elevation Gain: 920 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Off leash
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Date Snowshoed: 20 Jan 2013

The northern extent of Deer Creek Valley in winter

Snowshoeing up Deer Creek Valley (basically the end of Montezuma Road) in Summit County is an adventure into a Titan's playground where the expansiveness of the terrain will make you feel diminutive and if you choose a windy day, will turn you into a pillar of ice. There is no place to hide in this valley so even on a sunny, calm day it can be nippy. This means bring along a thermos of hot chocolate and an emergency blanket to sit on.

The parking lot

Heading up the road.  Deer Creek itself is off to the left.

You get to the trailhead by following Montezuma Road through the town and continuing on for another mile or so. The parking lot is very large, very obvious, and usually devoid of cars. On this trip it was packed and we were worried that we were in for a crowded experience. It turns out that the cars were for an avalanche class up near Webster Pass. We actually only saw one one other snowshoer on the trip.

Looking back down the valley

Note that Deer Creek Valley is a haven for snowmobiles, and you may encounter a few. Certainly the road was packed down by their treads, and the valley itself filled with their tracks. Even though this was the middle day of a holiday weekend however, the only snowmobiles we saw were the forest service patrol, so it is possible you may not encounter any.

The road as it crossed Deer Creek and heads up into the trees

A shadier segment

The route follows Montezuma Road up the valley. It is wide, well packed (we wore only Microspikes), and is filled with mountain views to the side and rear. At 0.8 miles is a gate that will close the valley in the spring. At 1.2 miles the route crosses Forest Road 290. Stay left here and cross the creek to the south. From this point on the route leaves the sun and transitions into the shade of a Lodgepole Pine covered hillside and begins to climb steeply.

Breaking out of the trees. The Valley is just ahead but the route will head to the left  for a bit

At 1.4 miles is another trail heading to the left. Stay to the right on the main trail. At 2.0 miles is a small sign with an arrow pointing left. Again stay to the right. Both of these junctions are off the main route and it is not hard to make the right choice.

In the middle of the bowl looking south

Looking up at the rocky western wall

At 2.1 miles the route breaks out of the trees and Deer Creek Valley comes into view. The route will head southwards just a little bit more and then you can run screaming into the stadium like bowl that seems to go on forever. It is 2.5 miles to the southern end of the bowl but we only went 2.3 miles out into the middle. The snow was deeper here and we found ourselves post holing despite all of the snowmobile tracks.

We ate lunch on a small wind-swept mound along the eastern side of the bowl and watched the sun creep towards the horizon. There would be a lot of explore in the valley if you have the time, but bring along snowshoes if you decide to wander.

Looking north

From our spot, we could see Glacier Mountain to the northwest. We hiked up there to the General Teller Mine from Saints John a few summers ago. In that post is a picture of Deer Creek Valley in all its glory.

Moon rise over eastern wall

It has been many years since I have snowshoed Deer Creek. My first experience was bone chilling and I could not even see the views so it faded from my memory. The 2013 January holiday weekend was stunning in Summit County though so it seemed like a great time to try it again. Now that I have seen what it really looks like, I will definitely return.