Mitchell Creek Trail

To reach the Mitchell Creek Trailhead drive to the old mining town of Ward on CO 72. Just north of Ward, turn west at a sign that indicates the paved access road to Brainard Lake. At a road junction beyond Brainard Lake, 5.7 miles from CO 72. Turn right at the fork in the trailhead access road about 200 yards from the Brainard Lake road to reach the trailhead parking area. (See also Pawnee Pass Trail, page 228).

The Mitchell Creek Trail begins on the left-hand (southwest) side of the parking lot. (The Beaver Creek Trail to Mount Audubon trail system begins on the north side.) Mitchell Creek is less than 0.5 mile away. The path runs fairly level through fine subalpine woods. After crossing the creek the trail bears to the left, winds uphill to the level of Mitchell Lake, and meanders through more open woods to the lake itself. You may want to compose a photo of Mount Audubon rising from behind the trees on the opposite shore. At the outlet end of Mitchell Lake, you can photograph Mount Toll, prominent behind a relatively low ridge at the side of Audubon.

The trail climbs the Mitchell Creek drainage for about 1.0 mile beyond the lake to a large snowbank near tree line. Far into summer the stream’s channel-cutting underneath the snow and tumbling over rocks make an interesting photo, with Toll rising over a ridge in the background. The trail passes to the right of this snowbank (over it, earlier in the season) and continues over rock slabs and around outcrops to reach Blue Lake at tree line, 2.4 miles from the trailhead.

Mount Toll soars more than 1,600 feet right out of the water. The lake is frozen well into summer, thawing first at the spot where Mitchell Creek cascades over a waterfall into the northwestern end. The stream tumbles from a shelf 500 feet above Blue Lake; on the shelf is a fairly good-size tarn unofficially called Little Blue Lake, the source of Mitchell Creek.

To reach this tarn follow a faint path around Blue Lake’s northern shore as far as the waterfall. Be careful there. It is farther—straight down—to the lake than you would imagine. The frigid water will instantly paralyze anyone who falls in. Boots and cameras are heavy, and the lake is 100 feet deep. From the falls follow Mitchell Creek very steeply upstream to Little Blue Lake.

To climb Mount Toll from Blue Lake, circle to the waterfall via the track on the northern shore, then climb to a glacial shelf above the lake and traverse south along the base of Toll. Below the saddle between Toll and Pawnee Peak, the mountain to the left, head straight uphill by whatever route looks least steep to reach the saddle. From there it is an uncomplicated boulder hop to the summit. This route is less popular as an ascent than as a descent for climbers who have reached the saddle by traversing the top of Pawnee Peak from Pawnee Pass (see page 228). Similarly, you can climb Paiute Peak, located north of Mount Toll, from Little Blue Lake.

Ascend an extremely steep, energy-sapping gully filled with loose rock to the low point in the ridge between Paiute and Mount Audubon, to the northeast. The preferred route, however, is to climb Mount Audubon first, follow the ridge to Paiute, and then use the steep gully for the descent.