Pettingell Peak

Herman Gulch Trail approach

Take I-70 to exit 218, just before the Eisenhower tunnel. An expansive lot is provided almost immediately once you turn off the exit. There are restrooms at the far side of the large parking lot. I suggest arriving early to avoid crowds and if you prefer as much solitude as possible go on a weekday. The Herman Gulch Trail is a beautiful hike and is not too far from Denver, for that reason it is very popular. Expect to see many other hikers and runners on their way up to Herman Lake. Make sure you don't veer right near the beginning of this trail, it will lead you to Watrous Gulch. It is about 3 miles to Herman lake form the very start of the trail.

The Hike to Herman Lake

From the parking lot the trail climbs steeply for what feels like about half a mile. The trail then levels off and continues next to the gluch, the sound of the stream is pleasant and it is very nice to stop every once in a while to snap a shot of the bounty of wildflowers including columbines, forget-me-nots, blue bells and many, many others. Once you have travelled this moderate section of the trail for a few minutes Pettingell Peak and 13,418' come into view, as well as The Citadel to the west. It is possible to traverse approximately 1.25 miles from Pettingell to The Citadel, but requires climbing experience and I dont suggest it unless you start very early in the morning to be off the ridge by afternoon. The trail continues moderately up to Herman Lake, stop here and have a snack next to the cool, clear water. From here you can peer up towards the peak to plot your approach.

From Herman Lake to the peak

Travel around the lake and head up the mountainside behind the lake, columbines are still plentiful but there are no more trees past this point. Once on the ridge above the lake there are two ways you can attempt reaching the summit as there is no true trail beyond this point. One way is to head up the saddle and scramble the rest of the way up from there. The other way you can is harder and very slightly faster and this is to just scramble straight up. The higher you get the wind increases but not to an unpleasnt level. Once at the top, sign the register and enjoy the views. Grays and Torreys peak are quite visible to the south, and if you look closely you can still see bits of I-70 winding through the mountains. On the way down it is quite steep and you can almost pull off some rock glissading and if the right patch of snow is present, even in summer, you can actually glissade down, as we did, for a good 50 yards. We followed small waterfalls all the way back down to the lake and took the Herman Gulch Trail back down.

Camping

Camping is allowed along this hike, just use the usual rules... Camp at least 100 feet from trails and water sources and leave no trace.

Images

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