Gore Lake Hike

For those of you who are hiking the Windsor/Native Lake hike with me the following day (Wednesday), I am staying the night of July 29 in Leadville at Leadville Motor Lodge so that I’m already near Wednesdays hike. If any of you are interested, here is a link to my hotel website: https://www.leadvillemotorlodge.com

This hike will be a first for me…but I have been told it is an amazing hike. We will plan to hike at an average moving pace of about 2 to 2.5mph (slower up…faster down). Everyone is expected to wait at all intersections, stream & road crossings so that no one is left behind or hiking on their own for safety purposes. Plan to have lunch at the lake & we will stop as needed along the way for water, snacks, pictures, etc.

Difficulty: Moderate Plus - about 12.5 miles with about 2,900 feet elevation gain. Most of the elevation gain is completed in the last 1.5 miles of the trail. Max elevation at the lake is about 11,400 feet.

Hikes are always subject to date/time change or cancellation due to weather, trail conditions or closures, or other unforeseen circumstances.

HIKE DESCRIPTION: The Gore Lake hike ends at a beautiful alpine lake perched in the midst of craggy Colorado peaks. There are some steep sections, but it’s all worth it when we get to the lake where we may be greeted by mountain goats.
For the first four miles, we follow Gore Creek. The first half mile immediately starts out with a steep climb that may make you question your decision to go on this hike. Soon enough the path levels off to a steady and consistent, but less grueling incline. At 4.3 miles into the hike, we will come upon “the graves”. The gravesite is the resting place of Andrew and Dan Recen. The Swedish immigrants moved to Vail during the Colorado silver boom in 1876. They lived luxuriously until the 1893 silver crash. After the crash, the two settled in a cabin near the gravesite hunting and trapping to survive.
After the gravesite, the trail once again becomes very steep. The next mile is non-stop incline, but there are views of the mountains peaking out from behind the pine trees. The trail flattens out for a brief time before one last sharp incline for a tough final half mile push up to the lake where the beauty is worth the pain to get there. The turquoise waters stretching out in front of the mountains rising up on the opposite side of the lake make for the perfect place to rest and have lunch. A family of mountain goats are known to inhabit the alpine tundra surrounding Gore Lake. Be mindful of the beautiful animals and keep a safe distance. See the following hike in Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/gore-lake

DOGS ALLOWED IF FOLLOW RULES: Your dog must be leashed at all times. Please be sure your dog is well behaved and can handle the length of the walk. Dog owners must clean up pet excrement.

ADDRESS/DIRECTIONS: We will meet at the Gore Creek Trailhead. To get there, you can click on the alltrails link above and click directions. Or if you use Google maps or Apple Maps, you can type in “Gore Creek Trail” for directions.

We wait 5 minutes for late arrivals…but no longer as that is inconsiderate to those arriving timely. So please allow extra time to get to the trailhead.

IMPORTANT: This is a participate at your own risk event! Life is risky. I am not a professional guide and am simply hosting this event. By signing up for this hike you acknowledge that you are capable of performing this hike and that you are solely responsible for your own safety.

NO SHOWS: If you are a no-show to 2 hikes, you will be booted from this meetup group. So please change your RSVP to “not going” if you are unable to make it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING: Water, snacks, layers of clothing, good hiking shoes/boots, sunscreen, bug repellant, sunglasses, hat, gloves, hiking poles (if you find them helpful), and anything else you deem essential.

WEATHER: Here is the NOAA forecast for the hike location. For hourly temps, wind, precipitation, etc., click “Hourly Weather Forecast” in the upper right: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=39.641530000000046&lon=-106.20938999999998

REQUIRED WAIVER: if you have not already done so, you must sign the updated waiver with our new meetup name prior to this hike. I will have copies at the trailhead that you can sign or you may print, sign, and bring it with you from the following website: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p728z28jjuwdzws/Waiver%20Corona.pdf?dl=0
If you choose to sign at the trailhead, please arrive early so that we can depart for the hike timely.