French Gulch Snowshoe

Distance: 3-6 miles roundtrip
Elevation: 10,280-10,880 ft
Elevation Gain: 600 ft
Dogs: Off leash
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Tags: #Breckenridge, #snowshoe, #coloradooutdoors

There always seems to be lots of snow on a French Gulch snowshoe. 

French Gulch, near Breckenridge CO, is a lovely snowshoe whose gradual ascent is suitable for both beginners and more experienced snowshoers looking to get their winter activities started. It seems to be used less than some of the other trails in Summit County and is off limits to snowmobiles.

Map to trailhead. Red arrows show the route. 

Parking area

You get to the trailhead up French Gulch Road, which starts at the 7-eleven just south of Breckenridge. This road is usually plowed but snowpacked in the winter. It travels by a new subdivision and several mining ruins before dead ending into a large plowed parking lot with kiosk. 

Steep hillside to the left

French Gulch on a cloudier day

The trail starts up the road to the left of the kiosk. Shortly thereafter, another road splits sharply off to the right. This road will take you to the Sally Barber Mine, a snowshoe to a mining ruin on a hill. The initial part of the route passes several large homes before breaking out into the open with views of Mt. Guyot dominating the southern sky.

Mt. Guyot (13,376 ft ) is visible for much of a French Gulch snowshoe

Further up the road is a large avalanche chute that should be crossed with caution. Before that, however, there are numerous places to leave the road and frolic in deep snow.

A final view of Mt Guyot

Emerald Lake Snowshoe

Trail Length: 3.4 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,475 ft -10,090 ft
Elevation gain: 615 ft (net),  1,000 ft (cumulative)
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: Not allowed, National Park
Update Date: 20 Dec 2014
Tags: #coloradooutdoors, #rmnp, #snowshoe, #mountainlake

Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park 

No winter season should go by without a quick jaunt up to Dream and Emerald Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. This snowshoe has everything a winter aficionado needs; wind swept trees, frozen lakes, towering peaks, and sometimes life-sucking chill.

Trailhead at Bear Lake. The cabana is out of sight to the left. Bear Lake is straight ahead. The route to Dream Lake is to the left and is well marked with a sign. 

Starting out on the well packed trail. 

The trail starts at Bear Lake, and there are helpful volunteers scurrying amongst the hordes offering friendly advice, but alas no hot chocolate or cookies. This significantly reduces their utility in my mind.

The route is across tiny Nymph Lake and through the trees to the left. 

On a broad shelf

While there are several ways to get to the Emerald Lake, the images in this post profile the summer route, which should be well tracked and easy to find.  Recent snow or breath of wind, can and will obscure things, so be prepared to find your way if necessary.

A rare open area

Crossing Dream Lake

After a short stroll through the trees near Bear Lake, the trail begins to climb steeply, which in some places can be quite steep and potentially very deep. I have seen tourists bite the dust quickly on this segment.  Anyone with a modicum of fitness however, can easily scale these humps to the shelf above.

Lichens add a touch of green to an otherwise gray landscape.

The route past Dream Lake

0.6 miles up the trail is the first milestone,  Nymph Lake at 9,705 ft and 231 ft elevation gain. The route crosses it on the left and then heads sharply uphill to a view point. The route then follows a shelf overlooking a drainage until it reaches a broad meadow. Shortly there after is Dream Lake (see it in the fall), which is austere, windblown, and bordered by twisted, claw-like trees. Here, sculptures carved in ice, rock, and wood stand vigil. Dress warmly though and bring your goggles and face mask! Those twisted trees did not get that way from pleasant pastoral breezes. The winds here whip and blow in constant, blinding vortices. Dream Lake (at 1.2 miles) is located 9,912 ft for a total of 437 ft of elevation gain.

Emerald Lake is just through the trees

Emerald Lake on a snowy day

Sometimes I have crossed Dream Lake on the side and other times straight down the middle. It all depends upon the visibility and ever present wind chill.  The numerous cracks in the ice make seem daunting, but in the middle of winter the lake should be safe.

Hallet Peak on a sunny day

I have photographed this twisted pine on every trip to the lake. Years go by for me, but for this aged giant, a year is but a brief moment.  

Emerald Lake is a half-mile beyond Dream Lake and is achieved after another short accent that winds through the trees. It sits below Hallett Peak, which can be gray and dreary, shrouded in clouds like an Ansel Adams portrait or graced by a halo of sunshine and blue skies. I have never crossed Emerald Lake but have certainly seen enough people on the far side. It is much deeper than Dream Lake though, so use caution.

While short and windy this snowshoe has the advantage of being close to the Metro Area and without avalanche danger.

McCullough Gulch Snowshoe

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,300 to 10,995 ft
Elevation Gain: 695 ft
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs: Off leash
Date Updated: 12/13/15
Tags: #Breckenridge, #snowshoe

View of Red Mountain (13,229 ft) at the terminus of the McCullough Gulch Snowshoe 

McCullough Gulch near Breckenridge CO is a great place for a short but scenic snowshoe. The imposing side of Quandary Peak is your constant companion on the left heading up the gulch and Red Mountain (13.229 ft) dominates the views on the way out.

Map showing the route and parking area off of highway 9 out of Breckenridge.

The winter trail for snowshoe is a large plowed parking lot on Hwy 9 heading to Hoosier Pass from Breckenridge. It is located around a mile before the turn off to Co Road 850, the traditional turn for both Quandary Peak and Quandary Falls. The lot is unmarked, but should be evident.

Heading up the trail

Quandary Peak as seen from the right side of McCullough Gulch

The trail starts out in a Ponderosa forest but quickly segways into open meadows with occasional stream sightings. Quandary Peak is always present, tendrils of snow whisking from its summit. Turn around from time to time, however, because as the trail gains altitude, the views to the east of Red Mountain (13,229 ft) become increasingly expansive. At the apex of the route, this view is nothing less than stunning.

Old cabin at 0.84 miles

The view begins to expand to the east

There are several milestones on this trail. At 0.8 miles is an old cabin and at 1.5 miles is the intersection with the Wheeler National Recreation Trail. Another tenth of a mile beyond this is the intersection with a spur road that heads off to the left across the gulch and intersects with Co Road 851 heading to Quandary Falls (see map). At this point you can head across the gulch if you like or continue straight for another 0.4 miles up a broad shelf that dead ends into a rock wall. We chose the latter. If the given the choice between going up and going down, Coloradans invariably want the up.

The trail ends just ahead

Aspens on the hill

The last quarter mile is steep (150 ft up from the intersection), but the views will have you sighing with contentment, or perhaps sucking wind,  depending upon how fast you bolted up that last bit. Pull out your linen tablecloth, the foie gras, and feast! This is the kind of view you see in travel brochures.

Looking back on the final pitch

While McCullough won’t get you trained to climb Quandary Peak, seeing folks on the peak, even in winter will motivate you. If you are staying in Breckenridge and want a short outing with continual payoffs, some solitude, and the sense of really being in the back country, then this trail may be just the ticket. Unlike Baker’s Tank on Boreas Pass Road, you won’t find the hordes here. Perhaps the snow is too deep, perhaps the altitude gain too intense, or perhaps it is just unknown.

Final view to the east

Mosquito Pass Road Snowshoe

Distance: 4 miles round trip
Elevation: 11,140 ft - 12,226 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,200 ft (cumulative)
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs: Off leash
Date Snowshoed: 18 January, 2014
Tags: #snowshoe, #leadville, #wintersports, #powerdays
Other snowshoes in the area: Treeline Loop,  Lower Mosquito Pass to 3B, Vance's Cabin

Mountains galore on a Mosquito Pass Road Snowshoe

There is nothing more sublime than a sunny winter day in Leadville, Colorado. With its mounds of whipped cream snow and American blue sky, this rustic mountain town takes on a sleepy, I-just-want-to-hibernate feel that is a welcome contrast to the nearby frenzy that is Ski Cooper and Copper Mountain. While the hordes are jostling for parking in lines two to three miles long, Leadville is devoid of humanity and filled with outdoor options for the back country skier and snowshoer.

Trailhead

Heading past mining ruins

Approaching the junction where County Road 3B, which splits off to the right (at the blue sign)

On this particular day we headed to Mosquito Pass Road (aka 7th Ave, and County Road 3), which heads east out of town. The road is plowed for several miles and ends at a berm where the road would otherwise twist around a small hillside. From here it is simple to park and cruise up the road for whatever distance you please or detour off onto County Road 3B.

At the gate to the Diamond Mine

The Diamond Mine

Having crossed the gully, the route heads up the hillside before turning west again.

This area is traversed by snowmobiles, which churn up the snow making snowshoes a better option than Microspikes but just barely. At 0.75 miles the road takes a sharp left at the gate to the Diamond Mine, a modern looking structure with a tall tower that is hard to miss. This turn, at least from a distance is veiled by the terrain and we wondered if the route actually deadened at the gate. Keep going and soon you will see where it goes.

Turning west again. The saddle is in the distance.

Looking across the valley at Mt. Evans

Continuing upwards

From this point on the route stays to the left of the valley and continues relentlessly up the hillside towards a saddle at 12,200 ft. Beyond the saddle, the road switchbacks precipitously up another 1,000 ft before cresting out at Mosquito Pass at 13,186 ft. We tend to go to the saddle which has lovely views looking north into the valley beyond.

The views of Mt. Evans and Mt. Dyer from the trail

Up and more up

Mt. Massive from higher up the route

On Mosquito Pass Road, the higher one climbs, the broader the views. Visible to the west in one continuous wall of ice and rock is Mt. Massive (14,429 ft), Mt. Elbert (14,439 ft), and Mt. Hope (of Hopeless Crew fame, 13,933 ft). To the south is a concave bowl of jagged rock bordered on the left by Mt. Evans (13,577 ft) and pyramid shaped Dyer Mountain (13,855 ft). In the valley below are two lakes Diamond and Mountain, which on this trip were invisible.

The lower part of the route is more gradual, climbing only 330 ft in the first mile, but gets steeper on the final approach to the saddle. At 1.5 miles Dyer Mountain comes into view. On the slopes to the left were several natural avalanches. The 2013/2014 winter has been particular dangerous with several deaths already reported. That did not detour one perky couple from skiing up the road, across the hillside and down again in graceful S-curves, their equally perky dog bounding down beside them.

With no where to sit but the road itself, we plopped down on inflatable butt pads and had our lunch wallowing in the stillness. There is nothing like a sunny winter day in Leadville, Colorado. 

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.