Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Front Range | Arapaho National Forest | Georgetown, CO
06/07/20 | 7.47 miles | 2,564′ gain | Class 1 & 2
While 2020 has “blessed” us with many a dumpster fire, an early start to summer was something to be truly happy about, especially after the very short summer of 2019! I’m never one to complain about a snow-free route, so I was more than happy to meet up with my friend Allie for our first “summer” hike of 2020. (It was technically still spring.)
Mount Wilcox is most easily accessed via a very popular Silver Dollar Lake Trail. This trail is open year-round from the 2wd trailhead off Guanella Pass, but if you have an appropriate vehicle (and the snow is melted) you can drive another 0.7 miles to the upper trailhead. Thankfully, my Crosstrek easily made it, saving us 1.4 miles of road-walking.
We arrived at 6:45am, early enough to beat the crowds. The trail starts in the forest but soon reaches treeline at Naylor Lake, the first of three lakes along this trail. Naylor Lake is on private property, so make sure you stay on-trail through this area. There were a few remaining snowfields but they were all trenched in.
Allie & Harper in front of Naylor Lake & Mount WilcoxOur first view of our route! Mount Wilcox is on the right.We spotted a number of fox along this hike.Another view of Naylor Lake
The trail was super easy to follow and we soon found ourselves at Silver Dollar Lake. Now that we were nearing the end of the trail, we really needed to scope out our route. I had an approximate route downloaded, but there is always some route-finding to be done in person.
The trail continued past Silver Dollar Lake but was covered by snowfields. We were able to walk around the snow, avoiding the steepest sections. (You may be able to see a glissade track in the below picture, near center. This was our route down.)
Silver Dollar LakeCool ice on Silver Dollar LakeSilver Dollar LakeNaylor Lake
We picked up the trail again above the snowfields and quickly made our way to the third lake, Murray Lake. The trail crosses the outlet at an old dam. There were rocks to step on but it was really windy so I did get a wet foot here.
Murray LakeOutlet crossing – after this, I ascended the grassy slope to the far right, just right of the snowfield. Allie ascended the gully to the left of the snowfield.A closer look at the crossing
The trail slowly faded into the tundra, and we began to plot out our route. There were a few different options here, but a grassy ramp seemed to be the easiest. Allie liked the look of an adjacent gully better, so we separated briefly and met at the top. Her gully turned out to be worse than anticipated, so we both took the grassy slope on our way down.
Grassy slopeLady shows the steepness – 14ers Mount Evans & Mount Bierstadt in the background
Once back together, we crossed a small stream and ascended grass & rock slopes. The farther left (west), the more gradual and less rocky the terrain. We picked a line that looked good to both of us, and climbed to the ridge.
We ascended the grass just right of centerA better look at the options up Mount Wilcox’s south slopes. Our ascent route is out of frame, but we descended a slightly steeper and rockier route on the left. Anything goes here.Looking towards Bierstadt & Evans
Once on the ridge, the wind picked up a bit. We followed the ridge all the way to the summit.
Cresting the ridge – looking towards 13er Argentine Peak13er Square Top Mountain with Murray and Silver Dollar Lakes belowLeavenworth BasinHeading up Wilcox, a bit rockier nowThe summit!Summit viewsZoom of Evans & BierstadtMe & Lady
This was such a fun hike and a great first 13er of “summer”!
My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):
Great report as always! Another fun one near Wilcox is Otter Peak - a 12er - if you get up that way again...
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
