Hike Gilpin Peak via Blue Lakes Uncompahgre National Forest, CO

Oct 01, 2024 — Gilpin Peak is much more conveniently accessed from Yankee Boy Basin, but I had never been along the Blue Lakes Trail, so I decided to take the longer approach to explore a new area. Ultimately, I was happy to to do so, though my deeply-planted peakbagging anxieties got the better of me when I realized I’d racked up a lot of elevation gain that I could have used to summit more peaks. Regardless, it was a lovely hike, and I was able to enjoy some fall foliage below that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Some people choose to take this route as an alternative approach for Mount Sneffels, a longer and more scenic outing than just getting to the summit via mostly old mining roads within Yankee Boy Basin.

The last mile of the road leading to the trailhead is a bit rocky, but passable for most cars. The Blue Lakes Trail is pretty crowded for having a trailhead this far from civilization, though most people turn around at Lower Blue Lake. The hike begins on an old gated road and quickly transitions to singletrack at a junction, ascending along a slope with views of the jagged, loose summits above. While it was undoubtedly beautiful, I found the trail's popularity disproportionate by San Juan standards. It often makes me wonder why certain trails gain so much attention while others, arguably more stunning, remain overlooked.

I reached Lower Blue Lake, a bright body of water nestled below Dallas Peak's sheer face. A few hundred feet before the lake, there is a signed turnoff for the Blue Lakes Pass Trail. This trail is less traveled and noticeably steeper. There are a few social trails that were a bit confusing, but I think most of them eventually lead to the official trail. It ascends past Middle and Upper Blue Lakes, both more green than blue if you ask me, through sweeping tundra and up numerous switchbacks to the pass above. The terrain became more loose, and some of the switchbacks before reaching the pass were a little eroded.

At Blue Lakes Pass, I could see Mount Sneffels towering above to the north and the busy Yankee Boy Basin below. I turned south toward the ridgeline leading to Gilpin Peak, and I considered taking the ridge directly but decided against it as it looked a bit tedious. Instead, I stayed on the trail, losing more elevation than I would have if I’d remained on the ridgeline. When the slope angle became reasonable I started south off-trail and crossed rocky tundra, then ascended a steep, grassy incline toward the saddle on Gilpin Peak’s north ridge. Maybe the ridgeline would have been more efficient?

Once at the saddle, I followed the crest briefly, then picked up a social trail through the scree beneath the ridge, bypassing many jagged obstacles along the crest. I regained the ridge by climbing a very steep and loose Class 2+ slope above the obstacles, which certainly ended up being the crux and was not very enjoyable. The social trail continued, and there was only a small amount of scrambling past here, none of which was particularly notable. I passed to the left of a large gendarme that leaned precariously, giving the impression it might topple at any moment due to how loose everything was.

Before the summit, there is a minor false summit that can be bypassed by wrapping around on the right using a social trail rather than climbing up and over. The summit of Gilpin Peak offered incredible views of the surrounding Colorado Centennials, as well as down toward Telluride and the Wilson group.