Family Trip Recommendations

[awmarlin]

This past summer I took the family to the Chicago Basin and it was awesome! I am looking for some recommendations for another multi day camp/hike trip. I really enjoyed the beauty and challenge it presented for myself and the kids. It doesn't need to be a 14er at the end, but I would enjoy a good climb. I am looking for something that takes us out of the usual day trip range where we could camp, and then look for a climb the next day. My limit is class 3 and Windom was as difficult as I feel happy with taking the kids on. Suggestions?

[Jim Davies]

Camping in Horn Fork Basin and climbing Harvard makes a good 2-3 day trip, if you don't ruin it by doing Columbia also. It's shorter and easier than Chicago Basin/Windom. Great camping near timberline.

Camping at Willow Lake with a climb of Challenger Point is a bit harder, but rivals Chicago Basin in scenery. The climbing is a little trickier than Windom, but still easy class 3 if you stay on route. Another good Sangres experience is camping at South Colony Lakes, with a climb of class-2 Humboldt. The views in that area are awesome.

[jet]

We have made quite a few trips to the Sawatch Mountains near Buena Vista with our kids. Pine Creek valley makes a nice backpacking trip and is one of our favorite areas. There are good camp sites around Little Johns cabin. From there many different hikes are possible. The diversions could include fishing if you do that sort of thing, exploring the mining,old cabin sites and several 14ers ,13ers are doable from that area. We were able to summit Harvard via the South Pine Creek trail when my youngest was 12. The very last section at the top might be a little like Windom. A fun alternative is to get to Pine Creek from Cottonwood pass west of Buena Vista. That involves hiking into the Texas Creek drainage and crossing a ridge. From the trailhead for the Horn Fork Basin approach to Harvard you can also take a trail to Kroenke Lake. We camped at Kroenke Lake and hiked Yale from there. Then my kids went back and climbed Columbia while my wife and I headed over to Hartenstein lake and out the Denny Creek trailhead . We have made trips into Browns Lake, Cholsey Lake(sp?) Lake Ann to name a few more areas. These offer easier backpack trips into scenic camping spots and can still climb a 14er (or 2) in the area.

[nyker]

How about a trip into the San Juans?

American Basin has some of the nicest wildflower displays if you time it right in the summer, the trout fishing in some of the streams/rivers down there is great and you just happen to have a few 14ers nearby. Handies, Redcloud and Sunshine are all nearby and pretty straightforward walkups. For a more remote trip, you could do San Luis Peak for a day or two.

[huffy13]

This past summer I took the family to the Chicago Basin and it was awesome! I am looking for some recommendations for another multi day camp/hike trip. I really enjoyed the beauty and challenge it presented for myself and the kids. It doesn't need to be a 14er at the end, but I would enjoy a good climb. I am looking for something that takes us out of the usual day trip range where we could camp, and then look for a climb the next day. My limit is class 3 and Windom was as difficult as I feel happy with taking the kids on. Suggestions?

I have a couple of sugestions...I would consider a camping and hiking excursion near the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch area in the San Juans. It has access to some great hikes, great scenery and an easy 14er in Handies if you decided to grab a mountain too. It isn't all that hard to get to in a 2WD either. I am planning on taking the kids to hike Redcloud and Sunshine either this Summer or next and that is where we have decided to camp. Another place I recommend is the campground at Winfield on CR 390. That is far enough off the main road that it is very quiet, there are plenty of hiking opportunities that don't include a 14er but Huron Peak is right there for an easier summit if you wanted. It isn't hard to get to in a 2WD either. There is also fishing in Clear Creek Reservoir right off highway 24 too. Many of the old cabins and structures from the old mining town are still standing, although many are still occupied, many have historic signs with info on them too and there is also a mining museum along CR 390 that is pretty neat too. It is also a gorgeous area that we are going to stay at again soon. A third thought is camping at the end of the county road going to South Colony Lakes. There are great spots for camping and Humboldt Peak is a great day hike that really is pretty long, but easy by 14er standards but heck, just hiking in and camping at South Colony Lakes wold be worth the trip too. The Crestones are amazing from that vantage point.

[awmarlin]

Thank everyone! Great advice, I'm already drooling picturing these spots. As always, 14ers.com comes through.

[gonzalj]

Another recommendation around the American Basin/lake City area in addition to handies is that you can go to the alpine loop and then nellie creek that heads W out of lake city and tackle 14ers like Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn (class 2 & 3). Incredibly beautiful landscape around there and a bunch of camping sites.

[kaiman]

Another recommendation around the American Basin/lake City area in addition to handies is that you can go to the alpine loop and then nellie creek that heads W out of lake city and tackle 14ers like Uncompahgre & Wetterhorn (class 2 & 3). Incredibly beautiful landscape around there and a bunch of camping sites.

I'm not sure which direction you are coming from, but I second the advice on any of the 14ers around Lake City/American Basin. That whole area is gorgeous. Maybe another good option that would make an interesting 2-3 trip is Mount of the Holy Cross? You could camp at the Halfmoon Campground at the end of the road the first night and then either hike up Notch Mountain and camp and climb from there, or hike over Half Moon Pass into East Cross Creek and camp and climb from there. It is also a beautiful area and relatively quite (and not any further then hiking into Chicago Basin).

Just my 2 pennies,

kaiman

[awmarlin]

Camping in Horn Fork Basin and climbing Harvard makes a good 2-3 day trip, if you don't ruin it by doing Columbia also. It's shorter and easier than Chicago Basin/Windom. Great camping near timberline.

Camping at Willow Lake with a climb of Challenger Point is a bit harder, but rivals Chicago Basin in scenery. The climbing is a little trickier than Windom, but still easy class 3 if you stay on route. Another good Sangres experience is camping at South Colony Lakes, with a climb of class-2 Humboldt. The views in that area are awesome.

Do you know if there is fishing at Willow Lake?

[jet]

We didn't have any luck fishing Willow Lake at the end of June last year. The fishing poles gave us an excuse to explore all around the lake, catching any fish would have been a little bonus. The mosquitos were a bit of an issue, not as bad as the Minnesota variety but still a nuisance. We spent most of 3 days there. We hiked in early on the first day, climbed Challenger and Kit Carson the second day, hiked to the end of the valley to a little lake than out on the third day.

[MtHurd]

Summit Peak. Remote, very few people, and lots of elk. Several other peaks around to climb as well.

[turbocat]

+1000 on San Juans. Rio Grande Pyramid. Though Chicago Basin is beautiful (and I'm not sure how it stays so pristine with so much traffic)...hop off the train at Elk Park or hike in from Molas Pass and go up to Vestal, Arrow, Trinities from Elk Creek...or hike up the Vallecito side and check out Jagged and the backside of Sunlight. Holy Cross is a nice area in the North Sawatch, which is done in a 2 pack for most. Boy, this is a great state.