Monarch Lake Loop - Snowshoe or Cross Country Ski

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Lake Granby Road to Monarch Lake Trailhead

Although the temperature gauge read -4 degrees below zero today as I passed through Tabernash (the Icebox capitol of the world), I was determined to do a nice backcountry snowshoe near Lake Granby. It took a little under an hour to travel from Winter Park to the end of the plowed section of the road on the Northwest side of Lake Granby where I parked my vehicle. After donning every piece of clothing I had with me I headed up the rest of the snowpacked road ~1.4 miles to the Monarch Lake trailhead. Luckily I realized my camelback was already frozen just a few yards from the car, so I went back and got a Nalgene bottle to hook on my pack to ensure I’d have hydration along the way.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Beware of Aggressive 1200# Meese :)

I was the only one at the trailhead and a little spooked by the signs warning of aggressive Moose in the area, as well as mountain lion tracks noted by a hiker who had been on the trail about a week ago. Fear be damned I headed up the trail towards “High Lonesome Ridge” – a nice undulating climb through the trees. The brief section of trail that crosses the lower section of Monarch Lake was numbingly cold due to a brisk wind, partly cloudy skies and lightly falling snowflakes, but the views of the icy stream that fed the lake were breathtaking. With my head on a swivel like our flexible owl friends, I kept an eye on my surroundings – watching for moose and mountain lions. This section of Arapahoe Pass trail was up a fairly steep slope from the lake, which didn’t seem like the territory for either critter, but I read all the warning signs posted below and pumped my adrenaline to be uber-aware. My snowshoes made a lot of racket in the squeaky cold snow, so I stopped every now and then for a photo and a brief moment of silence to see if I could hear any moose grunts in the trees.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Winter Wonderland

The bitter cold soon claimed the lives of my electronic devices one-by-one. First the GPS unit screen went blank, then the cell phone died when I was trying to tell another friend about the trail, then my camera texted me “send hot-chocolate” and the battery croaked. Luckily I had spares for all but the cell phone, which I mostly brought in case something happened to me out there.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Awesome Views!

The trail passes through lush Spanish moss forests and tall lodgepole pines until you reach the James Peak Wilderness boundary, where a meadow or two magically appear. The open space does not last very long and you are back in the beetle kill trees once again.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - One of many signs to guide the way

Eventually, (around 2 miles) you reach the turning point for your journey and start heading back from whence you came. Once you reach the Wilderness sign you start seeing National Forest signs for the other hiking options in the vicinity, as well as a note and arrows that tell you that you are still on the Monarch Lake Loop. A stern warning at the ranger cabin tells you to have some backcountry trail sense since they are not staffed for wilderness rescues.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Map of the route

The 4 mile loop around the lake includes stretches on the Arapaho Pass Trail #6, Arapaho Pass Spur Trail 6.1, and the Cascade Creek Trail #1. Monarch Lake is not always within view so pay attention to the signs as you travel along the route. The Continental Divide trail junction appears some distance up the trail (my GPS was dead so I don’t have mileage points) and several other junctions to Junco Lake, Crater Lake and Gourd Lake appear along the way. This looks like a great place for a base camp in the summer with opportunities for many days of hiking excursions.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - "Steam Donkey"

An old boiler (“Steam Donkey” on the map) from mining days gone by appears along the route on the south side of the lake off the Arapaho Pass trail. Although it was covered in a lot of snow it was the most complete system I’ve seen to date. It even had some wood in the lower section where they apparently fired her up.

The snow on the Arapaho Pass trail was soft, fluffy and plentiful and the terrain would have made x-c skiing a blast for an experienced skier. The trail is very narrow and winding, with an occasional downed tree to negotiate, so beware. The snow on the Cascade Creek side of the lake was very crunchy, sun-baked and bare in spots. I was glad I was on snowshoes when I reached this section. This part of the trail is definitely more like mountain lion territory. There are lots of big boulders on the slopes above and several game trails leading down to the water sources. The trees are not quite as dense on this side either.

Copyright 2009 Jan Gorski - Solitude at its best!

I highly recommend this hike to anyone interested in some solitude and great exercise. The ride along Lake Granby road and across the Granby Dam is quite scenic with views into Rocky Mountain National Park and entertaining snippets into the lives of the ice fisherman perched on the icy expanse below. The ~8 mile distance from US-34 takes a bit of time as the road is snowpacked and the speed limit is 25 mph. It looks like fly fisherman also take advantage of the easy route on the closed section (the last 1.4 miles) of the road to venture downslope for a bit of fishing in the icy river. Be sure to register at the kiosk near the ranger cabin – there is a nice map of the Monarch Lake loop trail inside the register box, which came in handy as a digital photo in my camera when I reached some of the trail junctions.