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Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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39.72441°N / 106.29234°W |
Time Required:
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One to two days |
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Difficulty:
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CLASS 3 TO 4 |
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Overview
The route via South Black Creek leads you into one of the most isolated and rarely visited parts of the entire Gore Range.
The steep cliffs of Peak K's North Face are dominating the views in the most upper reaches of the valley (unlike from North Slate Creek Valley - from there Peak K looks more like another bump on the ridge line). This is a long and arduous trip - demanding two full days.This is really one for the die hard Gore-fanatics
Getting There
Brush Creek Trailhead:
Brush Creek Trailhead provides access to an unmarked trail leading into the upper reaches of South Black Creek Valley
From Silverthorne, drive north on Hwy 9 16 miles and turn left on the Heeney Creek Road (CR 30.).
Any car WITHOUT HIGH CLEARANCE: park at the Kansas Gulch-Grandview Cemetery - 0.7 miles to the right after turn off. Don't miss the marker with the interesting (and tragic) history of the first settlers in this area.
WITH HIGH CLEARANCE: turn sharp left 0.6 miles after turn off onto FS 1695. After the first switchbacks you run into three wide holes close to each other, each at least 1 ft deep. Any sedan and prob most SUVs would get stuck and/or ripe out oil pan, exhaust etc if trying to tackle them.
The first half mile is a steep, rocky and narrow dirt road with only enough space for one car. Meeting a a car on one of the steep ascents may put you into a tricky spot. Any rain will turn the road into a slippery mess. The road relents after the initial climb but there are still several deep ruts to be mastered until you reach the Brush Creek Trailhead.
Notice: FS 1696 is closed for vehicle traffic between Nov 20th and June 23rd - the gate right at the beginning of the forest road will be locked.
Route Description
The hike from CR 30 up to the Brush Creek Trailhead takes less than an hour (should you gauge benefit of driving up there vs risk of damage to your car).
From Brush Creek TH hike to the junction with Gore Range Trail. Turn right (Northwest) on Gore Range Trail until reaching the junction with Lost Creek Trail. Turn left (Southwest) onto Lost Creek Trail.
About half way to Lost Lake you will enter a patch of dead pine trees. The most Southern part of the patch forms a flat and narrow pass between the Brush Creek and Black Creek Drainage (right South of Point 9795). One can see Dora Mountain through the trees on the other side of the Black Creek Valley.
Leave the trail to your right (West) and hike the 60 ft or so to the steep drop off down to the Black Valley. The tricky part is that (status 2019) there is no trail whatsoever indicating where to turn off from Lost Creek Trail - it's just brush and fallen trees. When reaching the drop off look around a bit and (almost) miraculously a well built 2 ft wide trail starts right at the edge of the drop off and leads into the Black Creek Drainage. This trail is not marked on any map.
The trail skirts almost level around the North side of Guyselman Mountain and switchbacks eventually up into the South Black Creek Valley. Ironically parts of this long forgotten route must be one of the best built trails in the entire Gore Range. A lot of man power must have been used decades ago to dig it into the mountain side and shore it up with stone walls.Don't be surprised if you feel like a character of Grimm's fairy tales or Lord of the Rings on this hidden and lonely path.
The trail will eventually drop you off in a large meadow along the South Black Creek. From there a faint climbers/game trail is winding its way up the valley. In high summer when vegetations is tall this trail may be hard to follow. Work hard to stay on the trail as you otherwise will end up having to do a pretty miserable bushwhack up to treeline. After you turned around the Southeastern corner of The Elephant to your right you will come to the first lake (marked as swamp on the map). Bypass it on its left (Southern) side. After the lake cross the creek to its Northern side to avoid willows and talus fields and follow the trail up to the next lake (also marked as swamp on the map). Cross the creek again and continue on the Southern side of the lake up the valley. The end of the lake offers several great spots for camping. There is an obvious notch to the right (North) of the waterfall in the cliff ahead of you . Climb thru the notch up to an unnamed lake at 11,550 ft.
Lake is surrounded by talus fields and cliffs and offers not really any suitable place for camping with the required 100 ft distance to water.Cross the creek and scramble to the top of the talus field on the other side. From the top of the talus field continue hiking South underneatht the ridge line above you. About halfway to the small lake at the end of the valley you will see a narrow and steep gulley leading up to the ridge.Climb up to the ridge and walk to Point 12685. Climb over it - from here you have two options. Either you climb along the ridge to the summit block of Peak K - with at least two jackknife climbing sections. Or you drop down a bit and scramble in direction of Peak K. Final climb up to the summit is a fun Class 3 to 4 scramble (depending on your route selection). Peak K has actually two summits, separated by a gulley. They seem to be more or less the same height. Return as you came.
Essential Gear
Helmet - in spring/early summer: crampons and ice axe will come handy. This is prime black bear habitat. Please store food accordingly. Southern Black Creek Valley is one of the remotest areas in the Gore Range. Only a handful of people venture into this remote wilderness per month. If anything goes wrong you are on your own.