Mount Machebeuf and Herman Lake

It seems like the warm, summer season has been slipping by with remodel work, lack of motivation, and general apathy on my part. Tanya suggested we get out on a hike this weekend to prepare for Peru (can’t wait!!) and enjoy the sun. We always like the Herman Gulch hike, so we set out take this trail and branch off to summit Mount Machebeuf and then finish up by going to Herman Lake.

A little background

Herman Gulch is a high-traffic hike just off I-70. Directions can be found about anywhere, including in my previous post. It’s popular for a reason. There are some great views, meadows with wildflowers, and easy access. In any case, it fit our bill for a Saturday out of the house!

I’d headed up towards Mount Machebeuf previously with friends. We’d decided not to summit due to incoming weather. That made me feel like I’d left something unfinished, so if we could do both Mount Machebeuf and Herman Lake, woohoo!

Most people take one of two routes to Mt. Machebeuf. One option is to cut off the Herman Gulch trail after about a mile and head up to the peak via a gulch on the east side of the trail, west side of the peak. Others take Waltrous Gulch and come in from the east side of the peak, a little less vertical and it enables a loop up to the lake instead of an out and back hike. Our plan was to take the longer approach route going up towards Herman Lake, taking the CDT east towards Jones Pass, and then crossing over to Mount Machebeuf. How we returned we’d decide once we were up there.

Mount Machebeuf and Herman Lake hike

For a Saturday morning, the drive to the trailhead wasn’t too bad. We arrived a little after 8 and had to park on the exit ramp, common at this trailhead. The weather was perfect with full sun and temps in the 50’s. We had a great hike towards the lake, good conversation (as always with my honey) while enjoying the views. After about 3 miles, we turned right and headed along the CDT towards Jones Pass. Only a few other hikers go this way so we left most of the people behind us.

After the short hike along the CDT, the trail takes a turn to the north. We left the trail here and headed south towards the peak. This section of the hike offers some great views and is a wonderful destination in itself. My previous hike ended at this section. About a quarter mile along here, Tanya decided to enjoy the views at 12,000′ and wait there while I summited.

The hike to what appeared to be the summit was a relatively short climb up the north side of the mountain. There wasn’t a trail until I got to the final quarter-mile. After crossing over what appeared to be the highest point, I realized I’d been tricked by a false summit, a common experience. It was only about another 250 yards to the real summit. As I approached the top, I saw a mama ptarmigan with four chicks wandering around. What a lucky experience to see my favorite Colorado bird!

After snapping a few pics, I quickly headed back down. It had taken me a bit longer than I estimated and I didn’t want my honey to worry. Plus, I didn’t like being separated from her on the hike either. Of course, we met up and all was good. We enjoyed the sun and hung out at 12,000′ enjoying the butterflies, bees, flowers, and views. It was, by far, the best part of the hike.

Herman Lake

We eventually left our little sanctuary and headed back down the way we came. It would make for a longer hike but really was our best option from our resting spot. Since we were right there, we took the rest of the trail up to Herman Lake which was our original plan anyway. There were a fair number of people enjoying the wonderful weather and scenic lake. It was nice to hang out for a while before we headed back down.