Iowa Gulch

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Iowa Gulch

Page Type: Route

Location: Colorado, United States, North America

Lat/Lon: 39.22500°N / 106.1692°W

Route Type: Hike

Time Required: Half a day

Difficulty: Walk-up

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Page By: Colonelpyat

Created/Edited: Mar 21, 2003 / Mar 21, 2003

Object ID: 157866

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Page Score: 80.95% - 1 Votes

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Table of Contents

Approach

This route starts a bit ambiguously from the upper reaches of Iowa Gulch. During summer conditions, one can drive a passenger car to about 12,000 feet along a decent road. Just about any place you feel safe to park is good. In winter conditions the trailhead is lower. Road maintenance stops at the exit to the ASARCO Mine. The following route description assumes a start from the .5 mile stretch of road between the Dyer and Iowa amphitheaters.

Route Description

Hike SE from the road across a gentle meadow for .5 miles, heading towards the Sherman and Sheridan ridge saddle. Aim for a stretch of talus and scree that crosses through a section of willows. Pick your way SE through this rubble, staying north (left) of the main drainage until a trail starts to develop. From here, the trail leads .4 miles SE before making a turn towards the NE which eventually deposits one on Sherman's south ridge. Follow the trail for one mile to the large summit area.

Shortcut:

By driving further up Iowa Gulch, to where the decent road becomes rough, it is possible to shorten this route. A trail traverses south beneath the steep west face of Sherman and connects with the route described above. 400' of elevation can be saved with this option.

Winter notes:

The stretch of route between upper Iowa Gulch and the Sherman-Sheridan saddle crosses into avalanche territory. Travelers should be capable of assessing the effects of terrain, weather, and snowpack before proceeding.

Essential Gear

During summer conditions no specialized gear is needed. The standard "Ten Essentials" should suffice.

Winter conditions may call for skis or snowshoes along with appropriate avalanche gear.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.