Jim's Excellent Adventures

Elevation: - 12,500' approximate maximum elevation
Location - North of Grant in Colorado.

Trip Report(s)

Mike and I made a trip up the south side of Squaretop Mountain in the early summer of 2000. The original goal was to try and follow a trail up Smelter Gulch to Shelf Lake, a great looking lake in an isolated bowl below the west side of the summit of Squaretop. We had looked down on it multiple times and remarked on what a cool place it would be to camp, especially since access up the Smelter Gulch creek would involve going between two great rock "gates" or pillars that guarded the lower end of the gulch, completely sealing the lake into a cirque with just one gate.

We drove up Geneva Creek Road until we reached the trailhead (we thought), then took off on the trail at about 10,100'. However, there were two trails hitting the road close together there so we got onto the South Park trail instead of the Shelf Lake Trail, and end up climbing northeast up the south flank of Square Top, instead of northwest to circle behind it. Finally realizing our mistake, we left the trail (of course!) and cut northwestward, changing our goal and climbing as we went, to see if we could get on the west side of Square Top and look down on the lake and perhaps descend to it.

We broke above timberline, crossed by Pt. 12,015, and through Smelter Basin (not to be confused with Smelter Gulch! :-). We then found that any descent from the west slopes of Square Top would involve some fairly cliffy areas, so we then followed the tops of the cliffs down until we could finally climb/slide/hike down to the creek in Smelter Gulch and then went back to the trailhead (we had missed it by perhaps a quarter mile!) and hiked down the road to the car. No goals we set for ourselves were accomplished, but still a great day hiking in the mountains. Photos follow.

Photos

Squaretop Mountain

Squaretop Mountain (on the right) from Geneva Creek Road. The gap for Smelter Gulch is clearly visible between Squaretop and Decatur Mountain (12,890') in the center of the picture.
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Spire

A spire like the two guarding the entrance to Smelter Gulch. These formations are fairly common in this area.
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Mike

Mike showing off his legs during a rest break about halfway up the hillside.
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Landslide Peak

Looking southwest towards Landslide Peak (13,238').
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Looking down valley

Looking down the Geneva Creek valley. Mount Blaine (12,306') and North Twin Cone Peak (12,319') are visible in the distance on the left. These are the western terminus of both the Kenosha and Platte River ranges, and stand above Kenosha Pass (10,001') on the way to South Park.
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Wildflowers

Wildflowers by a tiny stream we stumbled across. This picture does not do them justice - they were so very, very blue!
(Photo by Jim Lehmer)

Smelter Creek

Description

Trip Report(s)

Photos