Backpacking to Boulder lakes and 13ers in Gore Range

Strenuous, includes hiking 1 or 2 13-ers.
Please only register if you enjoy off trail and class 2-3 hiking. Must have backpacking experience.

Will start at a different place- at the Rock Creek Trailhead, upper. AWD or extra clearance should be enough to get there. We might need to look for parking along the road if the parking lot is full. Those that come from Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, will meet at the Woolly Mammoth AA parking lot so that we only take 1 car, as parking at Gore Range is limited. Please arrive on time for us to leave by 7:30 AM. If you do not arrive and I dont hear from you by that time, we will leave. We will meet James and Walker at Rock Creek TH at 8:45 AM.

Please see the link below.
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-june-15-2025-90e69a6

Day 1, red track: backpack 6-7 miles, starting on Rock creek trailhead to the Upper Boulder Lake. It’s about 1,500’ gain. Past Lower Boulder Lake, it will be off trail hiking. This trail is snow‑free now with occasional downed trees. We will cross a creek a few times to avoid hiking in large boulder fields.

Day 2, purple track to Peak Z (13,227’) and blue is to Z prime (12,980’)- this one is optional, depends on the snow conditions. 6-6.5 miles and 2,300’ vertical. It is off trail, class 2-3 hiking, with trail finding (especially if there is snow there) and a lot of rock scrambling. Typically, there are no technical stretches but we might find snow there and microspikes might be needed.

Day 3, yellow track, but we would do either Keller Mountain or Z lake, not both. If we do Keller Mountain (13,075’), we would drop our backpacks to hike Keller. That would make about 12 miles and 3,500 vertical. It is off trail, class 2-3 hiking, a lot of rock scrambling.
If it’s too much, we could choose a much easier side trip to Z lake instead of Keller peak.

We will be camping at the Upper Boulder lake at about 11,000 ft elevation on both nights. Second day does not include any backpacking.

Everybody needs to bring their own backpacking and cooking gear, microspikes, wear multiple layers and have rain gear as weather can change a lot. A helmet is advised to protect against occasional rockfall over loose terrain.

By registering for this trip, you take a full responsibility for your safety.