Red Mountain Trail System

Shortly after the split (0.6 mile from the Colorado River Trailhead), the Red Mountain Trail bridges the Colorado River and continues across a meadow. The grade steepens somewhat after entering lodgepole pine woods and then steepens considerably just before crossing Opposition Creek. Past the creek, a climb to the south up an open rocky slope reveals views downhill to the meadows and marshes of Kawuneeche Valley. Raspberry bushes growing among the rocks produce delicious fruit in August.

When you reenter the woods, the grade becomes less steep. A switchback turns you in the opposite direction (north) along a level walk through subalpine forest. Blueberries take over the wild edibles role along this section of trail, where there is little other ground cover. A few openings among the trees reveal occasional views to the east, and a large rocky gap in the forest affords another perspective of Kawuneeche Valley.

Colorado River Trail System

The way heads slightly downhill to cross Opposition and Mosquito Creeks before climbing up to the service road that follows the Grand Ditch. The ditch is a water diversion project that brings water from the damp west slope to the populous but dry plains east of the Rockies. The road, 3.4 miles from the trailhead, is closed to public vehicles and provides hiking access to many destinations in the Never Summer Range. The most popular may be Lake of the Clouds.

To reach the lake take the very easy walk to the right (north) along the ditch. Red Mountain rises behind you and Mount Cumulus to the left. Directly ahead are the massive ridges of Howard and Lead Mountains. Hitchens Gulch, which leads to Lake of the Clouds, is out of sight behind Howard. Clumps of subalpine flowers—Parry’s primrose, tall chiming bells, senecio, brook cress—grow nicely in some spots along the ditch.

The flowers are especially fine 1.7 miles along the road at Hitchens Gulch, where Big Dutch Creek flows east toward the Colorado River. Cross the ditch on a bridge and follow the Lake of the Clouds Trail uphill through switchbacks in Hitchens Gulch. The trail ascends steeply into beautiful subalpine forest where Engelmann spruce and subalpine firs grow to huge sizes, well watered by runoff from melting snowbanks. The runoff flows down to the Grand Ditch.

At a small clearing, the site of long-ago mining activity, the grade becomes less steep. Hikers in June may find the trail hidden by snow in some places. The forest opens a bit, and the trail crosses
wet meadows here and there. Continuing west toward Hart Ridge, between Mount Cirrus and Lead Mountain, you reach a meadow with a small, marshy pond at its southern end. Keeping just inside the woods, skirt the southern shore and continue west to a short, steep slope 6.3 miles from the trailhead.

The path ends at the top of the slope by the edge of a rock glacier. Lubricated by permanent ice beneath, the whole boulder field is creeping downhill below Lake of the Clouds. This debris is an obstacle course of large, shaky, angular rocks, among which lives a healthy population of large black spiders. Looking left (south) you can see a waterfall that drops from the cirque containing Lake of the Clouds, below Mount Cirrus.

To reach the lake pick a route across the rocks to a ridge to the right of the waterfall and the Lake of the Clouds cirque. Ascend this ridge to a point somewhat below the level of the lake. Then cut left, dodging snowbanks and using the most convenient rocks and ledges to make your way into the basin containing Lake of the Clouds, 6.9 miles from the trailhead.

After the grade levels in the basin, walk over the tundra and bedrock to the shore of the lake. This is the only really solid rock around Lake of the Clouds; the other shores are bounded by steep, loose rock and ice fields.

Photos taken from the solid rock are not particularly impressive, but good shots can be made from the eastern or western shore. Be careful of the snowfield on the northwest; an uncontrolled slide there would land you in water where ice still floats in July.

You might try for photos of the marmots and pikas that live around the lake. If the critters are being unfriendly, photograph the excellent examples of tundra cushion plants among the rocks.

To ascend Lead Mountain, bear right from the Lake of the Clouds Trail at the spidery rock glacier. Crossing the boulders, climb to tundra slopes below the saddle situated between Lead and an unnamed summit to the right (east). Continue uphill to the saddle, staying west (left) of snowfields wherever possible. From the saddle make your way over tundra, rock, and sometimes snow to the knife ridge that leads to Lead’s summit.

This is the part of the climb that sticks most firmly in everyone’s memory, for the ridgetop is about 3 feet wide. The footing on top is reasonably solid, whereas loose rock makes for awful going below the ridge on the south side. The north side is a precipice. I recommend walking steadily along the ridgeline to the summit.

A variation on the return route is to go back down the knife ridge as far as the saddle and then descend to the north. A snowfield on the north side of Lead can be an easy way down for those equipped for and experienced in climbing on snow and ice. But after approximately mid-July, the lower and less-steep part of the snowfield melts and exposes rocks. These could bring an unpleasantly sudden and painful stop to an uncontrolled slide from the steeper upper part of the snowfield, which takes longer to melt. Later in the season you may wish to descend via rocks along the edge of the snowfield, traversing carefully from time to time to reach easier rock. Failure to be careful on the snow could add another grisly incident to the history of Skeleton Gulch, which is situated below the snowfield. Descend into the gulch and catch a trail back to the Grand Ditch service road.

You can cross a bridge over the ditch and walk down a trail on the other side to the Thunder Pass Trail, Lulu City, and finally the Colorado River Trailhead. From the Skeleton Gulch Trail–Grand Ditch road junction to the trailhead, it is 5.3 miles via Lulu City and 7.0 miles via the Red Mountain Trail.

To climb Howard Mountain from the Red Mountain Trail–Grand Ditch junction, walk south along the ditch service road 0.2 mile to Mosquito Creek. Cross the ditch on a bridge and continue up the Mosquito Creek drainage on faint animal routes for about 1.0 mile to Pinnacle Pool.

Ascend the drainage of the inlet of Pinnacle Pool, cutting left of the trees below the pinnacles on the ridge leading east from Howard Mountain. About 0.5 mile up the valley you can turn right and begin climbing a tundra slope toward the top of Howard’s east ridge. Too soon tundra is replaced by loose rock. Climb up this stuff carefully, and avoid kicking it down on those below you. Turn left at the ridgeline, skirt a bump on the ridge, and proceed to the summit, about 5.5 miles from the trailhead. Snow cornices can make the ridge to Howard’s summit a sweaty-palms adventure, with exposure to falls in early summer.

If time and weather permit, you can continue for an additional
0.5 mile to Mount Cirrus. Follow the Continental Divide northwest and downhill to a bump on the ridgeline between Howard and Cirrus. Skirt the bump on the left (west), and continue downhill to the saddle between the two peaks, above Lake of the Clouds. Then climb a tundra slope to the top of Cirrus, dodging to the left around rock-filled gullies near the summit.

Descend from Cirrus via the ridge extending east from the summit, overlooking Lake of the Clouds. Loose rock covering the ridge and some exposure to falls while making your way over and around obstacles require care while you descend. On the lower end of the ridge, bear left (north) to avoid cliffs above Lake of the Clouds. Follow the route from Lake of the Clouds down Hitchens Gulch to the Grand Ditch, back to the Red Mountain Trail, and then to the trailhead. Howard, Cirrus, and Lake of the Clouds are about 13.2 miles round-trip from the trailhead.

Colorado River Trails

Mount Cumulus and Mount Nimbus are the peaks immediately south of Howard. Usually climbed together, they are easier to surmount than their neighbors. From the Red Mountain Trail–Grand Ditch junction, turn left and hike 0.4 mile along the ditch road to Opposition Creek. Cross the ditch on a bridge and continue west, upstream. Above tree line the trail you have been following, which has been growing gradually less distinct, disappears altogether. Continue climbing up tundra and rocks to the saddle on the Continental Divide between Nimbus on the left and Cumulus on the right. At the saddle turn left and follow the ridgeline to the top of Nimbus, about 5.7 miles from the trailhead.

Cumulus is located about 1.0 mile from Nimbus. To reach it go back to the saddle and climb north along the Divide. Circumventing loose rock along the ridgeline requires dropping down a bit in places. Round­trip for both peaks is about 14 miles.

The peak for which the Red Mountain Trail is named sits east of Mount Nimbus. To climb Red Mountain turn left at the trail’s junction with the Grand Ditch, walk 1.2 miles along the ditch service road to Red Gulch, and cross the ditch on a bridge. The shortest and least-difficult way up Red Mountain is to go right (north) on the west side of the ditch to whatever point seems best for climbing the peak’s southeast side.

Although the mountain is not very high, its peak is strategically located for viewing high mountains to the west and the Colorado River drainage. Early-summer hikers may wish to work their way down a handy snowfield to ease their descent from the summit.

Green Knoll is the next projection south of Red Mountain. There is, however, a closer approach to Green Knoll than from the Red Mountain Trail—the approach from the Holzwarth Never Summer Ranch (see the Trail Ridge Road chapter).