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Peak(s):  Grizzly Peak  -  13,435 feet
Lenawee Mountain  -  13,201 feet
Date Posted:  07/27/2008
Date Climbed:   07/25/2008
Author:  Ecocrazy
 Loveland Pass - A-Basin Traverse   

On Friday morning I parked at the top of Loveland Pass with the intention of traversing the entire ridge over to the top of Arapahoe Basin, including Grizzly Peak and Lenawee Mountain in between. I had a tough time finding any beta online, hopefully this will help future climbers. In brief, it was a very fun ridge traverse, probably class 4 along the ridge, with many tough spots that can be skirted.

I parked at the top of the pass (signs say parking permitted 7am - 7pm) and started hiking east around 7:30. There‘s a very strong trail up to the first peak around 11,900‘. From there, I turned south and followed a good trail up to the peak around 13,100‘. Between the two there are some limited opportunities for class 2+/3 scrambling here:
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Alternatively, you can stay on a strong trail. Here‘s a broad look back on those sections from the top of Grizzly:
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To that point, it‘s all trail hiking, much of it steep. Going up Grizzly, it turns to class 2 hiking, again steep:
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Heading off Grizzly to the Southwest (East would lead to Torreys) it‘s clear the hiking is nearing its end:
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There is much scrambling between Grizzly and Lenawee. Where I went, I would judge 4th class, but I don‘t have the experience to distinguish between 4th and lower-5th class. For the most part, where there was exposure, the moves weren‘t tough. And many of the tougher sections could be skirted, usually by heading left of the ridge.

Despite my best intentions, my memory of all the scrambling is blurred. I don‘t know how Bill does the write-ups... a notebook on the climbs, perhaps? Anyway, here are some pictures of the area, with anything I remember below them:
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This is one section that would be tough to skirt. Steep talus on the left.
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This section I found a bit challenging.
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At some point the rock turns iron-stained red, and a trail picks up briefly. The rock is still mostly solid here:
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Somehow I thought that when I got to the pasture in the upper-right corner of the above picture, the scrambling would be done, and I would walk down into A-Basin. Infact, Lenawee is a significant scramble beyond the grass. That assumption ended up messing me up pretty good.
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I believe that was a down climb.
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Looking back on much of the terrain between Grizzly and Lenawee.

So I got to the grass thinking I was all but done and had a snack, and then noticed I had this in front of me:
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I scrambled across the ridge to the small saddle about 1/4 from the left of the above picture, and looked up at a ridge with miserable looking rock. Wanting to be done at this point, I decided to traverse across the Northwest face of Lenawee. Big mistake. The rock on the face was incomparably worse than any I‘ve been on previously. I ended up on slabs requiring exposed, 5th class moves with every rock wanting to come off at every hold. This looks up on the worst of it from below:
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I ended up descending this awful gully:
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I don‘t know what the difficulty on the ridge is like, but it didn‘t look bad. The rock did look awful. Skirting the summit on the NW side isn‘t really an option. I think you could bail and descend sooner, but sticking with the ridge seems like the best way to go.

Walking down thru A-Basin, I found a number of items that had presumably fallen out of skiers pockets during falls, including an iPhone! Haven‘t figured out if it works or is under warranty, but somehow I doubt either. From the road, it took 3 cars to get a ride back up to the top. Round trip time was about 7 hours. Much of that was spent trying to traverse Lenawee‘s NW face. About 2.5 hours to the top of Grizzly and another 2 to the grassy field.

I really enjoyed the traverse and would encourage it for anyone comfortable scrambling. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Happy climbing!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19


Comments or Questions
kloop
Huge climb
7/28/2008 3:41pm
About 9 years ago a buddy and I climbed Greys and Torreys peaks from Loveland pass (we stupidly thought if we were starting ”that high” the trip would be easier despite the greater distance). We went over Grizzly peak on the way - awesome but grueling day. We learned that saddles between peaks can actually be close to 1000 feet lower than the peaks. We never experienced anything more technical than 2+ scrambling (I think mainly coming down the south side of Grizzly through a snow field). We made it by good luck with the weather - I think we were hiking from around 7am - 4pm.
Great pics.


Layne Bracy
User
congrats
7/28/2008 4:42pm
Nice report, sounds like an interesting route. That‘s too bad if parking is limited to 7a-7p - makes it difficult to use the pass for long traverses.


Ecocrazy
User
parking
7/28/2008 6:33pm
Yeah - who knows if they enforce that. I slept in my truck at the first pullout east of the pass summit. I sheriff came by to see if I was alright within 10 minutes of parking (at about 11pm) and was fine with me sleeping there.


Jack
User
cool pics
7/28/2008 11:12pm
I will definitely have to try that one when I get healthy next spring... but I wont try and skirt the ridge up to Lewanee‘s summit. good hint there. Looks like a lot of fun though over all, and probably more so if you know what‘s ahead of you past the grassy spot. That would be like the worst false summit possible.


MountainSlayer
User
Helpful
7/11/2013 9:24pm
Ecocrazy,

First, I too have always wondered how some remember the exact route utilized when looking back on photos many hours and miles later. More time and experience, I guess.

At any rate, have you gone back to this route? I am wanting to take my wife on this route, starting with Sniktau and then going the same route as you. I am wondering if anyone has done the ridge, as you suggest, and then even gone over to South Lenawee?


Ecocrazy
User
~
7/11/2013 10:58pm
Slayer,

I haven't been back since. But seeing this again makes me want to! If you go for it, definitely let us know how it goes. I'm curious...


MountainSlayer
User
*
7/18/2013 1:21am
Ecocrazy,

Will do. I am thinking of heading up, Thursday night, and camping and attempting the entire Traverse, Friday. We are then going to Lost Creek Wilderness for the weekend with friends, so I will post information, next week. Thanks for the beta.


piolet
User
"Awful Gulley" = Willys?
8/9/2015 4:31pm
Thanks for the information.
Picture #19 of the "awful gulley" looks like Willy’s Wide on A–Basin’s Upper East Wall.


emt0229
That gully in the winter
10/12/2017 11:59am
Possible to bail and come down at A-basin in the winter? Avy danger in that area?



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