Sep 18, 2018 — I've been on a Colorado Front Range binge, and somehow this wonderful traverse eluded me. Driving over Loveland Pass a few days ago, I saw the jagged ridgeline from Lenawee Mountain to Grizzly Peak and wondered if it was doable. So, I looked on various maps and noticed there were two trails nearby: the Lenawee Trail, and the Chihuahua Lake Trail, and the ridgeline connected the two. It was definitely calling my name.
Starting from the Lenawee Trailhead, head up the trail above treeline and leave the trail when you feel like it to gain the ridge. I couldn't find any sort of social trail. The ridge leads to a false peak to the southwest of Lenawee Mountain before taking a Class 2+ ridge to the true summit. The traverse from Lenawee Mountain to Grizzly Peak looks difficult, but goes at Class 3, with maybe one 3+ section. There's even basically a social trail most of the way, so route-finding isn't hard. The first half is a bit loose and not particularly fun, but after a brightly-colored notch, the rock becomes more solid and the scrambling interesting. The Class 3+ headwall appears, and from the top, there's some Class 2+ stuff leading to just below the Grizzly Peak summit, which is a walk-up. From here, take in the views of Grays Peak and Torreys Peak, and Chihuahua Lake below before continuing along the ridge to the saddle of Grizzly Peak and Torreys Peak. The slope leading down from the saddle is totally fine. Take a quick detour up to Chihuahua Lake, which is super pretty, before heading down the Chihuahua Lake Trail, which becomes a dirt road for the majority of the way down.
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