| Northeast Slopes from Guenella Pass Route |
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| Northeast Slopes from Guenella Pass   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Route Type: Mountaineering Season: Spring Time Required: Half a day Difficulty: Class 2.5+ Moderate Snow
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| Page By: altitude14er Created/Edited: Jun 11, 2006 / Jun 11, 2006 Object ID: 199581 Hits: 779 Loading... Page Score: 86.56% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview From Guenella Pass TH - 11,669ft.
Square Top Mountain - 13,794ft.
Class 2.5+ Moderate Snow
Time To Climb: April & May of a 'normal' snow year.
Required Gear (If climbed in spring): Ice Axe, Cramp-ons
Aaron Johnson's route description on Square Top Mt'n. entitled "Guenella Pass" provides a great overview of this route. However, this route contains a slight variation. Instead of ascending the southeast slopes, the northeast slopes provide an easy, early spring snow climb. In April and May of a normal year, several prominent snow "patches" drape Square Tops northeast slopes. Be sure to check avalanche conditions if recent snowfall has fallen on the area. Altough the slope is at a moderate angle, one may require an ice axe to ascend the snow if it is hard and consolidated.
Getting ThereFrom Denver: Follow I-70 west to Georgetown. Take the one and only Georgetown exit. Well marked signs direct you to the Guenella Pass road. This road can easily be driven in a low clearance, 2WD vehicle June~October. The road is not always plowed, and can contain icy, treachorous portions in November~April. Drive to the top of Guenella Pass. On the pass a large paring lot can be seen on your left (East). Avoid any parking areas below the passes summit. It takes approximately an hour and a half to reach this beuatiful place from Denver. Route DescriptionAn old, sometimes non-visible trail can be seen from the pass leading to your southwest. From the pass, you can see the bowl formed by the combination of Square Tops southeast and northeast ridge. You cannot see them yet, but two large lakes are within this bowl at 12,046ft. Be careful to stay on trail as much as possible. This area receives ALOT of traffic in the summer and the tundra shows visible signs of over use.
Hike the slope above, and to the north of the lake at 12,046ft. This area can be steep and contain hard snow in the spring. An ice-axe may be advisable. You will see the route (as shown in the primary image) from above the lakes. Once you reach the bottom of the snow slope, decide the direction of your ascent. The snow patches are large enough to stick to whatever side you are most comfortable with. Me and my climbing partner for this trip decided to make the going harder than need be.
At about 13,400ft. the southeast and northeast ridges connect and lead west towards the summit. This part of the ridge gives the peak it's name. The ridge is long and straight, gaining very little elevation. From the ridge you are awarded with awesome views of the surrounding Front Range. Particularly, Argentine Pk., Mount Edwards, Evans, Bierstadt, Grays & Torreys and the Silver Dollar Lake (below and to your northeast).
Essential GearSpring (April or May): Gators, Ice-Axe, The "Ten Essentials", etc.
Summer : A sturdy pair of boots and all the necessary gear for easy, class 2 hiking. Poncho, sunscreen, all the obvious items. Unlikely to find climbable snow :(
Winter: Cramp-Ons, Ice-Axes, Cold Weather Gear, Winter Boots, Wool Socks, Winter Jacket & Gloves, Synthetic~warm garments, hand-warmers, ski-poles, snowshoes, sunglasses, the list goes on! Don't forget your headlamps, those winter days sure are brief! Camping
It's probably best to camp on the tundra above Guenella Pass during April, May or October while things are pretty frozen solid. Minimum impact camping is advised! We camped southwest of Guenella Pass on 5-8-2004. Informal camping spots also abound off of the Guenella Pass road leading up to the pass. In addition, the Arapahoe/Roosevelt National Forest Service manages the Guenella Pass Campground (877/444-6777 for reservations/ $ fee sites). This fee campground is about 9 miles outside of Georgetown on the Guenella Pass road.
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Front Range (CO)
