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