Snow Lake Backpacking Loop in the Gore Range

Colorado weather this fall has been great. The mountains were beckoning me to head out backpacking. My conditioning in September suggested an easier hike would be better. I’d come across Snow Lake while browsing maps and figured that could make a nice backpacking loop covering Gore Lake, Snow Lake, and Deluge Lake. Maybe even include a summit of Snow Peak and Point 12835 while I was at it.

Planning the Loop

The Vail Valley offers several great day hikes up to alpine lakes. I’d previously been up to both Gore Lake and Deluge Lake. While looking at this area in GAIA GPS, I noticed another good-sized lake between the two, north of Gore and east of Deluge. The bushwhack from Gore up to Snow Lake didn’t look very difficult and the pass between Snow Peak and Point 12835 seemed like a reasonable hike with a pack. The only concern I had was the talus field below the pass. I had no idea if the east side of the pass had talus, but figured going counter-clockwise would be the better way to approach the slope down to Deluge Lake.

I wasn’t sure if this would be an overnight or two nights because of my uncertainty around the bushwhack up to Snow Lake. Sometimes route finding can be difficult and time consuming. So I packed for two and figured I’d enjoy whichever way it went.

As things turned out, it was a great one-night trip with lots of views and good fishing.

Snow Lake Backpacking Loop Day 1 – Gore Lake

The Gore Lake trailhead is a relatively short drive from Littleton. I wasn’t in a huge rush, so I left about 7:00 after some coffee and breakfast. Tuesday morning traffic was light, so I was at the trailhead by 8:45. It was 42º and sunny, great October weather to be hiking.

The peak fall colors had passed although there were still some very pretty yellows in the aspens near the trailhead. I snapped some photos and headed up the trail. The Gore Lake trail is a fairly easy hike for the first 4 miles.

The Gore Lake trail separates from the Gore Creek trail at 4 miles. This is where the graves of Andrew and David Recen are located. The trail is a bit steeper just after the branch but only for a half mile or so. From there, it transitions to a gradual climb. During my hike, I met a super-nice 73 year-old hiker. We talked a bit and he mentioned that the stream before Gore Lake where things flatten out (probably near here) was pretty easy fishing. Good information for those of you who want to give it a try.

I arrived at Gore Lake around 12:45 based on my GPS data. The day was sunny and warm, just about the best you can get in October. Scouting around for a spot, I settled on a campsite up in some trees. After setting up camp, I strolled around and then fished for a while. When tying on my first flies (elk-hair caddis as an indicator and a bead-head emergent pattern as a dropper), I realized I was out of tippet. It seems like I just can’t catch a break with my fishing lately! Luckily there was enough to put on my first setup.

The first fish I caught was one of the biggest trout I’ve landed in Colorado, at least that I remember. It was a beautiful cutthroat who put up a good fight. I was lucky to land it. No pictures, so you can say what you want about the reality of the situation. 🙂 The fish was exhausted by the time I landed it, and I wanted to get it back into the water quickly. Plus, it was hard to hold so there was no way I was getting a picture without losing my phone in the lake! I had a few other strikes but didn’t land anything after that, although I honestly didn’t care. There are plenty of fish in this lake.

An older gentleman came by while I was fishing. He took some pictures and had several questions about fly fishing since he wasn’t a fisherman. It was nice to chat with him. A few other day hikers came up to the lake but didn’t stay long. Later, two young men arrived at the lake from a backpacking route across Red Buffalo Pass. The brothers were great guys and we enjoyed talking about different trails and such. Always a pleasure running into nice people on the trail.

Eventually evening came and I settled into the tent after enjoying my freeze-dried dinner. The sun reflecting off the nearby peaks made a nice shot. Around 8:00, some coyotes were yipping very close by. It was a perfect ending to a great day!

Snow Lake Backpacking Loop Day 2 – Snow Lake, Deluge Lake and out

The night had been a bit restless, which is typical for me especially on the first night. I was laying in my tent when I noticed that the dim light in my tent was changing colors. When I opened the tent door, I was greeted by a colorful sunrise. How can a start to the day get better?

I enjoyed my breakfast of oatmeal, dried blueberries with dried whole milk…yummy! By 8:00 I had camp broken down and headed out for the day. My path backtracked to the main trail coming up to Gore Lake and, just at the bottom of the hill as you leave, I branched off to the northeast. Surprisingly, I came across a very clear game trail shortly after I left the Gore Lake trail. The game trail took me up through some meadows with only a few inclines here and there to ascend. Around a half-mile from Gore Lake, I scrambled up a short incline to cross the ridge in front of me. It wasn’t that clear from the topo map that this was the place to cross. It worked, though, and at the top I transitioned into the modest incline following the creek drainage up the valley.

Hiking up the creek drainage was a pretty easy stroll. I continued to make good time and found a game trail that was pretty easy to follow. I’m sure this trail is also used by hikers, although the most recent travelers were clearly hoofed going by prints in the mud. After a short rise, I saw a human trail on the north side of the lake. I followed this towards the saddle point between Snow Peak and Point 12835 (such a great name for a peak). The climb up from 12,000′ to 12,500′ took a while with plenty of rest stops. Still, I made it to the saddle by 9:40, much faster than I’d anticipated. There was little to no wind and the temp was a balmy 35º or so. I took off my pack and enjoyed the moment.

Looking up at Snow Peak, it was clear to me that I would not be summiting it. I’m not a great rock scrambler and it looked a bit dicey for my skills and nerves. Point 12835, however, was a simple climb up the incline. I headed up there and made it within a few minutes without issue.

After 30 minutes or so, I was losing the warmth of hiking. There appeared to be a path down through the talus in a section that was a little less steep. I put my pack back on and carefully started the descent to Deluge Lake. Based on footprints and skat, it looks like goats and people use this trail pretty regularly with more goats than people, just sayin.

The talus section went pretty smoothly. The path eventually dumps you into a large boulder field before Deluge Lake. The boulder section wasn’t a lot of fun to navigate with the pack. A few cairns helped me find the right place to descend although if you head towards a channel in the boulders you’ll come out in the right place. I was glad that I’d come down this path. Finding the best way up would have been less intuitive for me.

Deluge Lake was beautiful, as it was last time. I decided to investigate a cabin that I’d noticed the last time I was up here. I’m not sure who is responsible for it. It looks like it is used by various hikers for shelter periodically and someone is keeping up on some of the repairs. It made a good spot to rest and enjoy some snacks. A heard a rockfall off Snow Peak as I ate my snack, reminding me why I’m not a great rock climber. Rockfalls scare me.

Since it was only cool and cloudy, I didn’t feel like spending the day reading my Kindle at the lake. A nice, casual-paced hike would put me back in plenty of time for the drive home. There were good picture opportunities during the hike back. The Deluge Lake trail is a pretty trail. The last mile reminded me of the section I didn’t like, the rest I’m good with.

I made the trailhead around 2:00 and headed home. The hike had been filled with a lot of great views and plenty of Colorado peacefulness. This hike had been a perfect little loop.

Snow Lake Backpacking Loop GPX