The Spirit of the Rockies Trail Journal - Lulu Mountain via American Lakes

ALONE IN PARADISE - LULU MOUNTAIN VIA AMERICAN LAKES

Hike date: July 9, 2008

Trailhead: American Lakes, elevation 9,780 feet;
Highest elevation on the hike: 12,228 feet

Total trip distance: About 9 miles.

Weather/trail conditions: Trail mostly snow free, with occasional snowbanks to cross. Route from Thunder Pass to Lulu Mountain completely free of snow. Clear skies most of the morning with increasing clouds toward midday. No local storms during the hike.

Route: American Lakes Trailhead toward Lower Michigan Lake. Took a brief side trip off-trail to view the Nokhu Crags near the lower lake. From the lower lake, followed the trail to Thunder Pass. Left the trail and followed the NPS boundary and occasional cairns up the steep route to the summit of Lulu Mountain. Followed basically the same route on the return trip, with a side trip to Middle Michigan Lake.

I had hiked the trail from American Lakes Trailhead to all three Michigan Lakes (American Lakes) and Thunder Pass just two summers ago, but had not been able to continue on to the summit of Lulu Mountain. So as I pulled in to the muddy parking area just off of Highway 14 on this July morning, it was with a sense of coming back to this trail with unfinished business.

As soon as I parked and started unloading my gear for the day, two small moving objects caught my eye. It was a pair of red foxes coming down the road toward the parking lot.
One disappeared in to the brush as I watched, but the other came toward me with typical fox curiosity. It walked close to me, within fifteen feet at the nearest, pausing to size me up before continuing on to the other side of the parking lot. I counted it as a good omen and headed up the trail, just moments after the fox disappeared in to the woods.

Greeted by a red fox

First view of Nokhu Crags

Early morning sun on Lulu Mountain

Trail to Lower Michigan Lake

I am probably not the first person to be confused by the designations given to the lakes in this area. Although the trailhead and signs use the name American Lakes, maps and guidebooks refer to Michigan Lakes. To add to it, the lower two Michigan Lakes are referred to as Lower Michigan Lake and Middle Michigan Lake, but there is no Upper Michigan Lake (it's named Snow Lake). In any case, I knew I was headed toward some pretty lakes, regardless of what we decided to call them.

There is also something of a maze of trails in the area, and different maps contradict each other in terms of existence of these trails. On my previous hike, I had followed the creek in a more direct route to the lakes, although I was basically following the terrain rather than any trail, since that hike was through deep snow. On this hike, I crossed the creek and followed what appeared to be the main trail, which headed north above the creek drainage to higher terrain. Although it was a less direct route to the lakes, it did offer better views as I approached timberline.

'The Electrode' and Static Peak

View north toward Rawah Wilderness

Just east of Lower Michigan Lake, I left the trail for a brief off-trail walk to crest a ridge and getter a better look at the dramatic Nokhu Crags. The highest points on the crags are hidden from view in the lakes basin, so this little side trip afforded me a nice, close look. The ridge also offered nice views north to Cameron Pass and the Rawah Wilderness.

Nokhu Crags

Trail approaching Lower Michigan Lake

View toward Rawah and Cameron Pass

Returning to the trail, it was just a few minutes of easy walking to the lowest of the Michigan Lakes. Just shaking off its snow blanket for the summer, this lake was reflecting the towering Static Peak perfectly in the still morning air. This was the first time all day that the absolute stillness and silence of the area really struck me, as the whole scene was frozen in time. Despite its location in the highly-visited Rocky Mountain National Park region, and easy access from a major highway, this corner of the region is, by comparison, forgotten.

Trail at outlet of Lower Michigan Lake

Static Peak reflecting in Lower Michigan Lake

Lower Michigan Lake

From here, I set my sights on Thunder Pass, just about a half-mile south and only a slight elevation gain away. As I approached the pass, there was obvious movement on the otherwise still landscape above the pass. It was a herd of thirteen closely-huddled bighorn sheep, grazing on the tundra. Without any cover around, I am sure they were aware of my presence, but were not disturbed in the least because of my distance from them. I watched them from about 200 yards away as they worked their way above the pass and in to Rocky Mountain National Park. After they had moved on, I headed east from Thunder Pass, leaving the trail and the easier hiking behind.

On the trail to Thunder Pass

Nokhu Crags and Middle Michigan Lake

Bighorn herd above Thunder Pass

Thunder Pass

The first part of this ascent was arguably the hardest, as the terrain quickly rises from the pass. I made my way carefully over the tundra, following a very faint path. After about 10 minutes I had already ascended past 11,500' and continued to push upward. Then a sudden flash of movement on the ground stopped me in my tracks. I had nearly stepped on a well-camouflaged ptarmigan, which was standing right on the faint trail I was using. The bird stopped in its tracks as well, as we proceeded to have a high-altitude standoff. It instinctively remained perfectly still to blend in to the terrain, although I could clearly see it as I was almost close enough to touch it. After snapping a few pictures of my alpine friend, we slowly moved on our separate ways.

Ptarmigan on Lulu Mountain

Remaining still and relying on camouflage

At home among the rocks

Alone in paradise

I continued to ascend the west slopes of Lulu, where the terrain varied in steepness. After another rather steep section, I topped out on a level spot marked with a large cairn and stopped to take in the view. The Never Summer Mountains dominated the views to the west, still decorated with their characteristic coat of summer snow. The peaks of Rawah Wilderness rose up on the horizon to the north, past a large sea of green forests. The tundra was alive with every color of the rainbow in the form of tiny flowers huddled close to the ground, in defiance of the harsh elements. But the shades of yellow were the victors here, as the entire landscape was showcasing splashes of gold to add perfection to the scene. It was paradise.

Looking west from Lulu Mountain

Looking southwest

Mount Richthofen

Tundra near the summit

I pressed on toward the summit, pushing myself at a fairly steady pace, but still laboring a bit to complete the 0.6 mile trek from Thunder Pass. I had gained nearly 900 feet now from the pass, and one final obstacle stood between me and the summit. Carefully scrambling upward, I made my way to the top over a mercifully short section of loose rock. The summit of Lulu Mountain welcomed me amid sunshine and more gold-laced tundra.

Summit of Lulu Mountain, 12,228'

Looking west from the summit

Tundra flowers, Mount Richthofen, Static Peak

Summit view, looking southeast

The scenery was remarkably striking, and in particular I became fixated on the massive, pointy peak of Mount Richthofen, the king of the Never Summers. Lulu's summit offered an unobstructed view of the whole park and surrounding areas, including Long Draw Reservoir, Lake Granby, Longs Peak, and other landmarks. The silence was also striking, as no human voice or artificial sound interrupted the subtle whisper of the mountain breezes. It was a magnificent place and moment in time.

Starting back down

Never Summer Mountains

With stormy weather no concern, I spent nearly an hour on the summit, doing my best to engage in the proverbial activity of "taking it all in". After a snack and a few more pictures, I packed up and headed back down toward Thunder Pass. Other than a few spots with tricky footing on loose rocks, the descent was quick and painless, and I was soon back at the RMNP boundary signs at Thunder Pass. I rejoined the trail, and retraced my steps back in to Colorado State Forest.

Lulu Mountain from Thunder Pass

Park boundary at Thunder Pass

View of Lulu Mountain and Thunder Pass

Trailside wildflowers near Michigan Lakes

Once back at Lower Michigan Lake, I decided to take a few minutes and head up to Middle Michigan Lake. On my previous visit to this area, I had scrambled past this lake to Snow Lake, another great destination. Today I decided I would call it a day at Middle Michigan Lake, which was still primarily covered in snow here in early July.

Glacier lilies

Hiking past Lower Michigan Lake

Middle Michigan Lake

July snow on Middle Michigan Lake

From here, I followed the trail back to the trailhead with very few stops. The downside of the lack of storms was a relentlessly hot sun, as a heat wave had hit northern Colorado. Still, it was hard to complain about a little heat in this great landscape, and the downhill was not physically taxing. I made it all the way back to the trailhead without seeing a single person, making this hike one of the few summer hikes I have ever done where I was alone on the trail all day.

Heading back to the trailhead

The final stretch of trail

As I finished the hike, I was still struck by how this wonderful area gets so relatively few visitors. Still, I enjoy the solitude of the alpine wilderness, so I was not complaining about the lack of human companions on this day. Undoubtedly, other hikers had found their own paradise in other pockets of wilderness today. It is truly a blessing that such places still exist for us to enjoy.

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