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.

Robert's Tunnel Road Snowshoe

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,129 ft - 9,100 ft
Elevation Gain: 29 ft
Dogs: On leash
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Date snowshoed: 25 December 2012

View of Buffalo Mountain and Lake Dillon from the Robert's Tunnel Road.  The pictures in this post were taken with my iPhone camera.

Near the Dillon Nature Preserve and the Keystone Ski Resort is a snowshoe/ski route that travels along the Frisco-to-Keystone bike path before splitting off onto the Robert's Tunnel Road (see image at end of post). This route is very level, great for cross-country skiing or walking and affords lovely views of Lake Dillon, Buffalo Mountain, and Peak One of the Tenmile Range.

The parking lot for this route is located across from the Dillon Cemetery and usually has a few cars in it, so it is hard to miss.

Looking back on the snowy route and the two skiers that passed us.   In late afternoon, most of this route is in the shade.

Directly across from the parking lot is a tall ridge that becomes a locals tubing resort in the winter.  There must have been 10 kids or so sliding down the slick hillside screeching with glee. Given the expense of some of the tubing facilities at the various nordic centers in the area, I am sure the parents were screeching with glee as well.  Nothing like free winter fun.

The first quarter mile of this route is on the bike path that was unfortunately plowed. Since we had on snowshoes, we ended up walking to the sides where the plow had created a small berm. Once through the gate to Robert's Tunnel Road, the route was unplowed and had about six inches of fresh power on it.  I was able to break trail the entire time, which is always fun when there is no elevation gain to get the heart rate going.

Looking northeast along the route across Dillon Bay

At around 0.8 miles is the entrance to the Dillon Nature Preserve itself. This is an open meadow leading to more naturalistic trails. Since our time was limited, we stayed on the road but it was tempting to head up hill just for the fun of it.

Our goal was the Robert's Tunnel Complex, which is rather obvious at the end of the road. The sun was setting and the wind was picking up, however, so we turned around a little early and got back to the car just as the temperatures were approaching zero. It has been a nippy holiday season so far in Summit County. Not as cold as our eye ball freezing excursion to North Tenmile Creek two years ago, but cold enough to warrant coats for the dogs and hand warmers for the humans.

The Gore Range comes into view

Next time I do this route, I think I will just wear boots.  Plenty of folks were out walking their dogs along the road and I am sure on a normal day it will be well tracked.

Satellite View of the route showing the location of the cemetery and parking lot