S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Trailhead condition requests, questions, alerts, etc.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
User avatar
Will_E
Posts: 411
Joined: 8/13/2018
14ers: 58  58 
13ers: 210 37
Trip Reports (21)
 

S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Will_E »

Anyone know current conditions for Ice Lakes TH? Is 585 plowed at all typically?
User avatar
cottonmountaineering
Posts: 849
Joined: 5/11/2018
14ers: 58  7  18 
13ers: 178 38 31
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by cottonmountaineering »

i think that area might be closed due to the fire last year
User avatar
supranihilest
Posts: 719
Joined: 6/29/2015
14ers: 58  42 
13ers: 709 1 8
Trip Reports (112)
 
Contact:

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by supranihilest »

Hey Will, the trail to Ice Lake Basin itself is closed. I doubt the road is plowed until around mid-May when South Mineral campground officially opens, and I believe it's only plowed to the campground itself. The roads to Rico-Silverton trailhead and up FS 518 are very likely never plowed.
User avatar
dwoodward13
Posts: 735
Joined: 3/26/2011
14ers: 58  12 
13ers: 157 6
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by dwoodward13 »

Not exactly what you are seeking, but the Ice Lakes Trail (and the 4x4 roads near it) are still closed due to the fire.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan ... EPRD835676

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_D ... 835677.pdf

Edit: everyone else beat me to it :lol:
User avatar
Will_E
Posts: 411
Joined: 8/13/2018
14ers: 58  58 
13ers: 210 37
Trip Reports (21)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Will_E »

Thanks all, looking to get Vermillion, guess I’ll look at the Hope Lake side.
User avatar
Reg0928
Posts: 174
Joined: 8/17/2016
14ers: 58 
13ers: 253 2 11
Trip Reports (0)
 
Contact:

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Reg0928 »

Will_E wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:52 am Thanks all, looking to get Vermillion, guess I’ll look at the Hope Lake side.
I did it from the Hope Lake side. Fun day and you can loop it with V8, Beattie, and Fuller pretty easily.
User avatar
supranihilest
Posts: 719
Joined: 6/29/2015
14ers: 58  42 
13ers: 709 1 8
Trip Reports (112)
 
Contact:

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by supranihilest »

Reg0928 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:18 am
Will_E wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:52 am Thanks all, looking to get Vermillion, guess I’ll look at the Hope Lake side.
I did it from the Hope Lake side. Fun day and you can loop it with V8, Beattie, and Fuller pretty easily.
And "V 9" as an out and back from Hope Pass. Will, you might like "V 9", it's a gigantic pile of hideously loose crap. :-D
User avatar
Reg0928
Posts: 174
Joined: 8/17/2016
14ers: 58 
13ers: 253 2 11
Trip Reports (0)
 
Contact:

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Reg0928 »

supranihilest wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:43 am
Reg0928 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:18 am
Will_E wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 5:52 am Thanks all, looking to get Vermillion, guess I’ll look at the Hope Lake side.
I did it from the Hope Lake side. Fun day and you can loop it with V8, Beattie, and Fuller pretty easily.
And "V 9" as an out and back from Hope Pass. Will, you might like "V 9", it's a gigantic pile of hideously loose crap. :-D
Could also tack on Golden Horn and descend Poverty Gulch if he's feeling really ambitious
d_baker
Posts: 3095
Joined: 11/18/2007
14ers: 58  15 
13ers: 348 11
Trip Reports (59)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by d_baker »

Reg0928 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:41 am tack on Golden Horn and descend Poverty Gulch
Have you been in Poverty Gulch? How is it, terrain wise?
Thinking about a snow climb of GH and using that approach. I think that is how Mad Dad did Vermilion in winter, but haven't confirmed with him yet.
User avatar
Reg0928
Posts: 174
Joined: 8/17/2016
14ers: 58 
13ers: 253 2 11
Trip Reports (0)
 
Contact:

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Reg0928 »

d_baker wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:26 pm
Reg0928 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:41 am tack on Golden Horn and descend Poverty Gulch
Have you been in Poverty Gulch? How is it, terrain wise?
Thinking about a snow climb of GH and using that approach. I think that is how Mad Dad did Vermilion in winter, but haven't confirmed with him yet.
No I've never been in Poverty Gulch. I was planning on going to Golden Horn after I did Vermilion and descending it, but the weather had other plans.
User avatar
Bombay2Boulder
Posts: 580
Joined: 1/19/2015
14ers: 56  3 
13ers: 269 1
Trip Reports (4)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Bombay2Boulder »

d_baker wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:26 pm
Reg0928 wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:41 am tack on Golden Horn and descend Poverty Gulch
Have you been in Poverty Gulch? How is it, terrain wise?
Thinking about a snow climb of GH and using that approach. I think that is how Mad Dad did Vermilion in winter, but haven't confirmed with him yet.
I did the V8-Beattie-Vermillion-Golden Horn loop from Lake Hope and descended Poverty Gulch last summer. I did it on August 12th after a few weeks of no moisture so the ground was DRY. The worst part was descending the saddle from Golden Horn into Poverty Gulch. Dry stiff gravel laden soil that offers zero traction or scree surfing opportunity. This would have been significantly better if there was even little rain the day before. This was around 150-200 ft of descent. After that, it was continuous rolling talus fest till I got to the waterfall in poverty gulch. Talus that moved with my every step. There is a nice trail once you get to the waterfall there that eventually meets the lake hope trail. I have a GPX file for this if you want.
On the recent conditions, I did see a lot of slide activity remnants when I visited Trout Lake in February and then again last week. If anyone wants a recent condition of the gulch, I can take some pictures from Trout lake, but still plenty of snow up high there.
Last edited by Bombay2Boulder on Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Bombay2Boulder
Posts: 580
Joined: 1/19/2015
14ers: 56  3 
13ers: 269 1
Trip Reports (4)
 

Re: S Mineral campground/Ice Lakes TH conditions

Post by Bombay2Boulder »

Here are some of the pics.
Looking back towards the drop off saddle, looking down into poverty gulch and the trail in poverty gulch.
https://imgur.com/a/KFY03SX
Let it be officially known that I found this loose crap in poverty gulch less pleasant than Mears. Mainly because I was able to scree ski considerably on Mears, but this was one rolling fest of medium to large sized talus. :mrgreen:
Post Reply