It’s about a month from my mountaineering class in Washington with International Mountain Guides. I figured it was time to test out my body’s readiness for the trip, and have a little fun backpacking as well. Sometime last year I’d mapped out the Carbonate Creek backpacking loop as a potential multi-day trip with plenty of elevation change and miles. This seemed like a good time to take it on!
By the way, this post is titled Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop since that’s where I started. As you’ll see, the Carbonate Creek trail is only about 8 miles of the overall 55 miles. I do this just to make things a little confusing.
A few notes on pack size and food
Normally my pack will come in between 25 and 30 pounds for a 2-3 night trip. The mountaineering class I’m planning to take says to be prepared to haul 50. Their altitude climbs and distances are shorter. In any case, I wasn’t as careful packing this trip and wasn’t sure how many days I’d be out. The result was my pack weighed in over 40 pounds. It didn’t help that I had to take a bear canister. In the end, I was able to haul this monstrosity through the mountains although I wouldn’t do it again, just sayin.
My oatmeal breakfasts had been getting boring too. This trip I brought along powdered whole milk and dried blueberries. Adding these to the instant oatmeal made breakfast a lot better. When I’d wake up in the middle of the night (yes, that happens frequently to me), I’d start anticipating breakfast. ?
Getting to Carbonate Creek trailhead
Carbonate Creek starts in the town of Marble, south of Glenwood Springs and Redstone. I left the house about 5:45AM to get a mid-morning start to the day. Going through Glenwood Canyon always reminds me how beautiful Colorado is, even those parts with an interstate. The canyon’s steep walls and gorgeous river always bring a smile to my face. The drive from Redstone to Marble is even more beautiful and worth a trip to see it. So many places to explore! The drive was about 3.5 hours.
The trailhead is officially at the Beaver Lake Lodge. You’re supposed to park behind the lodge. I’ve confirmed this with locals as of the time of this writing. In Alltrails, they say parking is available at the old Marble Mill. I suppose either would work although the National Forest Service site might be your safest reference.
Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop – Day 1
The Carbonate Creek trail starts going up right from the beginning. It doesn’t appear that the trail is heavily used as you can see from the pictures below. The first 1.5 miles is private property so you have to be sure to stay on the trail. It was a warm day with a heavy pack so it wasn’t long before I was huffing, puffing and sweating. Creates a wonderful visual, right?
The hike was mainly through forests at the start. There were two sections where the mature aspen trees had been wiped out, probably from an avalanche. These sections involved following a trail that was like an game trail through head-high aspens pushing your way through. It was a pretty fun start.
Up and up and exhausting
As you can see from the GPX track, the climb is pretty steady and consistent. The monstrosity on my back sure made the inclines a lot harder. There were times during the next 4 days I’d hate that pack weight. Next time I’ll find another way to test my fitness!
As I got higher, I could see the pictures of the views weren’t going to be as amazing as they could be. There was a heavy haze of smoke all across the mountains. This haze was present Day 1 and Day 2, but began clearing Day 3.
The journey up didn’t stop for about 6 miles. The last mile or two, my legs felt like spaghetti. Pretty intimidating for a hike that I’d planned for 50 miles or so. Several times I’d stop, rest, contemplate my sanity, then continue on.
The Carbonate Creek trail, and every trail I was on, had tons of elk and deer footprints with the occasional footprints of predators. The wild animals in Maroon Bells-Snowmass seem to prefer taking the trails. Based on the tracks, there must be a lot of wildlife out there or a few very busy animals messing with our human minds.
As I approached the pass, there were several beautiful meadows of flowers. I’d rest and enjoy their beauty, which as you know, never fails to amaze me. Then I looked up and saw Superman! OK, he wasn’t flying or anything, but he was walking the ridgeline about 700′ above me. That was enough for me to be convinced it was Superman. How else could he have made it up there with a pack? Maybe a was delusional since I was so tired. There’s a picture of him below in his “disguise” as a normal person.
I did make it up the pass and took in Buckskin Basin below me. I couldn’t wait to be headed down! For about the next 1.5 miles, I was resting my legs as I was able to go down, one of life’s little pleasures. Unfortunately, I had to head back up. I finished up the day with about another 1000′ of elevation gain which went really slowly.
Camp – Day 1
Eventually I came across a little lake I’d seen on the map, well maybe it was really just a small waterhole which was a fine stopping point by me. It turned out to be a great little camping spot. At about 5PM, I set up camp, fixed dinner, took ibuprofen and called it day. The last few hours I spent reading “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara, a great book recommended by my beautiful, smart honey, Tanya. During this time I saw 2 more people hike by my camp making a total of 3 people for the day.
Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop – Day 2
The first night camping wasn’t very restful. My legs were not happy with me from the previous day’s climb. It wasn’t a big surprise. Sleep doesn’t usually come easily to me on the trail. Around 6:00AM, I kicked myself out of the bag, started breakfast and breaking down camp. This was the first time I’d tried my new oatmeal recipe. It tasted so good. Food is always better on the trail! By 7:00AM, I was hiking and working the kinks out of my tired legs.
The trail up to the first pass wasn’t too bad. There were plenty of switchbacks which made it easier. My mood was good and I felt stronger than the day before. The coyotes I heard yipping on the way up were a nice touch. Ah, the optimism of the morning! I saw plenty of marmots as I made my way up. After the relatively short climb, I was rewarded with my first views into the heart of the Elk Mountains. It was still a little smokey although not as bad as Day 1. The was a refreshing breeze, beautiful alpine meadows, what a moment!
The trail meanders down from the pass through several more meadows. About a half-mile down, I startled an elk. The huge snort and fast movement of hooves gave me as much a fright as it did him! A little later I saw a deer hiding in the trees and got a blurry picture of it.
There were places in the first 1.5 miles after the pass that the trail was hard to follow. Nothing that ever made me feel off trail (that came later), and always with a quick reference to GAIA, I was good. It’s so great to see everything so green and blooming. Don’t take my word for it, see the pictures below!!
The first hiking group I met
At around 3.5 miles, I met my first hikers on the trail. It was a group of five guys coming up from Avalanche Lake. We chatted for a while and they mentioned they saw several trout in Avalanche Lake. I was excited since my plan was to head there. It was about .8 miles, round-trip, off my main trek. I couldn’t help but visualize getting one of the huge trout they described on my line. That’s what fishermen daydream about and then make up stories on the size of the fish they catch. It’s a universal truth. I tried to come back to reality and refocus on what they were saying.
The group was headed to Geneva Lake and then Snowmass Lake, possibly summiting Snowmass Mountain. I told them that I, too, was headed to Snowmass Lake, maybe we’d see each other down the line. They also mentioned in passing they had another in their group on the “Struggle Train” (loved that term). They said I’d be meeting him on the trail shortly. I thought, why did they leave this guy? Anyway, it’s not my place to say. We separated and continued on our respective paths.
After another 1.2 miles, I did run into their companion. We were both traversing a rather steep mountain face (GPS coordinates 39.13075, -107.10328 for you geeks). He seemed nervous, and I understood. It wasn’t a great area to stop and chat…but we did. He said he hadn’t done hiking like this before. I really felt for him since he was out there doing it for the first time. Tough dude, and honestly I felt like he should have a friend there with him. Solo hikers, we’re always thinking how other people should have others around while we’re out there by ourselves. How does that logic work? We passed, and continued on our respective journeys.
Avalanche Lake decision
The trail continued up to a minor pass. Climbing up this one was pretty easy since it wasn’t much of an elevation gain. Once over, the trail transitioned to a steep decline with several switchbacks. Now I realized why that guy had looked tired. It was easier going my way, down. Once down, I was in a beautiful pine forest. The forest looked really healthy without much downfall and lots of large trees.
I came upon the sign for Avalanche Lake. It was about noon and I’d been making good time, always the trap for me. I debated whether I should head up to the lake or not. On the one hand, there were big trout up there. On the other, I felt like I could do the pass over to Capitol Lake and maybe there would be fishing there. Going up to Avalanche Lake and fishing would most likely mean I’d probably camp there. It’s an easy decision in hindsight, go to the lake!! My biggest regret of the trip is that’s NOT what I did. Instead I decided to haul my rear-end up the 1200′ of elevation gain to Capitol Lake.
There are several factors at play here. I was afraid if I stayed the night at Avalanche Lake I might decide to go back the way I came. I wasn’t exactly sure what my pace would be the rest of the trip. Stupid debates about stupid things…I had more than enough supplies to last 6 days out there. It wasn’t really an issue, just a mind game.
Anyway, if you do this hike, stop at Avalanche Lake. Don’t make the same mistake I did!
Up to Capitol Lake
I feel lucky to be a hiker these days. It’s so much easier to navigate when you have GAIA and a phone (with power that is). I knew with certainty that it was 1500′-1600′ feet from my current elevation to the pass. Even with the monstrosity on my back, I felt I could do it since I wasn’t as exhausted as the day before. It took a while to get to the top. OK, in reality, it was a slog.
The first part of the trail is switchbacks in forest. I was warm and breathing hard, hate for the pack building inside me. ? I think it was around 11,000′ that the trees began to thin out. I’m not 100% sure as I believe my brain was oxygen deprived. I do remember great views opening up once above treeline. There, right in front of me, is Capitol Peak. What an amazing sight from the trail. That’s the main picture for this post and also in the gallery below.
Once at the pass, I looked back at mountain ridge in the distance. In front of me was Capitol Lake. To the side, Capitol Peak. What a view! I felt invigorated and headed down towards the lake. It was then I heard a rock fall on Capitol Peak. I suspect this must happen frequently since I’d also heard one on my climb up to the pass. There is a slew of breakdown at the base of the peak. Luckily I’m (mostly) over my fear of rock slides after an incident on July 10, 2008. That’s all I have to say about that.
Anyway, I could tell from the coloring of Capitol Lake that fishing was not going to be productive. My decision not to go up to Avalanche Lake began to clearly form as a mistake. Oh well, I wasn’t going to do that pass again so I continued past Capitol Lake.
Camp – Day 2
Three miles further down the trail and I was ready to call it a day even though it was only about 4:00. I found a camping spot in a meadow .7 miles past the intersection with West Snowmass Creek trail. My plan was to take the West Snowmass trail in the morning.
It didn’t take long for the mosquitoes and flies to get pretty thick. I used my bug spray, put on layers to cover any exposed skin, and put on my head net. Yes, I carry one, and I was really glad I had it. It made setting up camp bearable. A slight breeze eventually made things more tolerable during dinner (Mountain House beef stew). Afterwards I settled into my tent for some reading.
Dusk was settling in and I heard several, loud moos from cows. What the heck? There was a herd in the meadow. I’d passed through a gate on the trail saying the area was open for grazing but I honestly didn’t expect to see this! They eventually left and things were peaceful again.
Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop – Day 3
I woke up just after sunrise after a night with little sleep. It was a nice, cool morning so I started fixing breakfast. A mother cow and her calf joined me, strolling by as I ate. The calf got separated from the mom by no more than 100 feet, and she gave off a loud moo to get him to join her. What a helicopter parent!
The day wasn’t supposed to be as hard from an elevation perspective so I set my sights on Snowmass Lake. There was a nice meadow on the topo map before the lake, so if I was overly tired, that was camping option 2. I broke camp and got on the trail by 7:00.
Trail struggles and some bushwhacking
My original route had me taking West Snowmass trail up to the pass by Haystack Mountain. I couldn’t find the trail as I was walking along. GAIA said that I had passed the turn and was on the Capitol Creek trail. So I turned around and searched carefully for any type of trail in the meadow. No luck.
It wasn’t clear to me if the trail was simply overgrown in the meadow making it hard to find, or if my map was not accurate. I didn’t want to start my day backtracking a half-mile to the official West Snowmass Creek intersection. I decided to head up to the trees to see if I could spot the trail. Sure enough, as I got into the trees, I found a trail which, in reality, was a game trail. After following it for a bit, it quickly petered out.
West Snowmass trail was close to West Snowmass Creek and there was a nice gully that connected the two. I tightened my huge pack down, headed directly up the incline (ugh!), and followed the gully over to West Snowmass Creek. It was a tough haul but got me back on track. It reminded me of when Hayden and I bushwhacked in Pike National Forest. The area is full of wildlife and cow trails so finding the “real” West Snowmass Creek trail was kind of tricky.
Back on track for my Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop
The bushwhacking was a tiring start to the day so I wasn’t sure I’d make the Snowmass Lake target. No biggie, I kept my head down and headed up the pass. As was becoming typical for this hike, there were many meadows of lush grass and flowers. The weather was nice and cool making it easier to head up.
A short 2.25 miles and 2,000′ of elevation gain later and I was at the pass by Haystack Mountain. There was less smoke to the west making the views in that direction even better. To the east, I could see mountains with different colors of rock ranging from a yellowish to red, gorgeous.
The path down from the pass took me through even more meadows of grass and flowers. It was one of the more lush sections of the Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop. Open meadows, flowers, great weather, what a pleasant day. As I was passing from a meadow into some pine forest, I scared another deer from his peaceful breakfast. I apologized but he didn’t seem to care as he jumped off to a new spot.
Cows and a Snowmass Creek crossing
The lower section of this trail is covered in beautiful aspen forests. The aspen trees are huge and the groves are captivating as you walk through them. It was in this section I wandered across more cows. They were on the trail grazing. The cows kept running down the trail in front of me instead of leaving it. I used my trekking poles to make noise to “herd” them off trail. Cows are not nearly as graceful running through the woods as deer or elk.
Next came Snowmass Creek. The creek was running strong and there is no crossing here other than to wade. Well, my wading shoes were back in Denver in the Volt. I tested the water barefooted and realized I’d probably fall if I tried it that way. In hindsight, I should have put on an extra pair of socks and crossed sock-footed. Instead, I took the insoles out of my boots, took off my socks and crossed in my boots. At least I didn’t fall!
In the end, I didn’t experience any issues. I was able to get the boots pretty dry in the sun as I ate lunch. My REI pack towel worked well drying my feet and I had extra socks to put on. Next time I’ll keep the wading shoes in the pack, not in the car.
Continuing up to Snowmass Lake
Once across, the trail transitioned to a forest hike with a gradual climb. The elevation at the creek is 8,700′. Snowmass Lake is at 11,000 and approximately 6.5 miles. The consistent, smaller incline was a nice change of pace from some of the earlier passes.
The path from the creek crossing to Snowmass Lake gets quite a bit more traffic. There is easy access to the trail from Snowmass Village. A few people I met were backpacking over the pass near Haystack Mountain although most headed to the Snowmass Village trailhead. It was nice to meet and chat with the people on the trail even if it was one of the busier sections I’d been on so far.
One group indicated that they had seen several trout in the meadow ponds about a mile below Snowmass Lake. I was daydreaming of landing trout again.
Another interesting stream crossing
The ponds in the meadows clearly had fish in them. I could see them rising and figured I’d fish for about an hour or so after I crossed over the creek. That would give me some rest before continuing on up to Snowmass Lake. So let’s talk about that creek crossing.
As you can see, the “crossing” is a huge jumble of trees. An easy crossing without a huge pack, a little trickier with one. I carefully made my way across and surprisingly didn’t fall. Don’t worry Mom, I was careful. Time to break out the rod and rest.
Fishing, finally!
I took off my boots to allow both the boots and my feet to dry. Several fish were rising so I tied on an elk hair caddis which is one of my favorites in these mountain lakes. First cast, fish on! I was able to get a fish about every other cast.
Unfortunately, my line got caught up in some downfall and I was unable to get it out. I gave my rod a bit of a yank and it broke! It must have had some damage at some point to break so easily. My 4-piece, 5wt rod had been on many journeys with me. I wanted to cry. OK, maybe I did just a little bit.
I sadly packed up my broken rod and headed up to Snowmass Lake in a foul mood.
Snowmass Lake
The incline increased a little bit after the lake yet it wasn’t horrible. Slowly and steadily I headed up. The trail remained mainly pine forest. Just before I reached the trail branch going off to the lake, I scared up a young bull elk. His small, fuzzy antlers were pretty cool.
Once the trail opens up to Snowmass Lake, you are dumbstruck with the view. It can even make you forget about breaking your fly rod! Past the lake is Snowmass Mountain, Hagerman Peak, and Snowmass Peak. In front of it is this beautiful lake. All I can say is wow!
Camping – Day 3
For the first time on my trip, there were other people camping where I was, and quite a few of them. Snowmass Lake is popular as it is accessible in a day from two trailheads, Geneva Lake and Snowmass Village. I snagged a great spot overlooking the lake and set up camp.
About 5:30, I noticed that the clouds hanging around all afternoon had turned a little more ominous. I quickly fixed dinner (Mountain House beef stroganoff, yum!!) and battened down. Sure enough, a thunderstorm moved through within 30 minutes. It was quite a show of force by mother nature with plenty of lightening and thunder reverberating through the mountains. This was followed by 2-3 hours of gentle rain. I stayed safely tucked in my tent reading, enjoying the relaxing sounds of rain on my tent.
One annoying note, a couple of young men set up camp nearby while it was raining. They clearly didn’t understand how to use their inside voices when camping in crowded areas. They talked very loud. Someone must have complained to them as I heard them say “we’re not being that loud”. Funny, I heard that from 50′ away like they were standing next to me.
Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop – Day 4
My sleep on night 3 was better until the loud guys started chatting away at 5AM. As I got out of the sleeping bag, I realized my body had plenty of aches and pains. I thought this was might be my last day on the trail. My original route would have taken me back up through Avalanche Pass on my way back to Marble. Instead, I figured I’d exit at Geneva Lake trailhead and take the road through Crystal back to Marble removing several miles and significant elevation gain from my hike.
Trail Rider Pass
The morning was cloudy, cool and damp making it great for hiking. The pass ahead was occasionally covered with clouds. I wondered if I’d be in the clouds when I crossed.
The trail has a large boulder field that must be traversed within a mile of Snowmass Lake. This was tricky to cross with my pack but I made it. Just after that, a little pika came out to greet me. It was within a few feet of me and quickly ate a small, yellow flower near the trail and then headed back into the rocks. Pika, so cute!!
While hiking, I was gently hit with occasional sprinkles. It never broke out in rain, just a drizzle now and then. It kept things cool as I made my way up the pass which was only about a 1,400′ elevation gain. Once at the pass, I was in the clouds. The view was white in all directions, exactly like when I summited Grays and Torreys Peaks. Luckily I’d taken some shots of the views before being engulfed in the clouds.
The first hiking group – again
Shortly after crossing the pass, I met up with a group of 5 hikers. It was the same group I’d met on Day 2! They were headed to Snowmass Lake. We chatted a bit and I asked about their 6th member. He was safely camping at Geneva Lake, apparently content to leave the hike over the pass to the rest of the gang.
On to Geneva Lake Trailhead
The views after the pass were, again, awesome! The mountains had clouds near their tops, the meadows were bright green, lots of flowers everywhere, just the best. There were also lots of people. It was, by far, the busiest section of trail I’d experienced so far.
One mile after the pass, I took the North Fork Cutoff trail which, after another mile, took me to the intersection with the North Fork Crystal River trail. This path parallels the Crystal River, an exceptionally beautiful, strong running river. It was on this section of trail that I knew for sure I’d be exiting at Geneva Lake. The two miles to the trailhead go through lots of willows which soaked me completely. I didn’t put on my rain pants (go ahead, feel free to judge my bad decision making). The water was going through my water resistant pants and building up in my shoes. That, along with my body aches and pains, said “shorter is better today”. It’d still be a hiking day of 14.5-15 miles.
Taking the road home
I exited the trail at Geneva Lake trailhead and started down the road. The section between Geneva Lake and Crystal is definitely a 4WD road. There are a lot of camp spots along the road with the North Fork Crystal River roaring next to you. This would be a great place to car camp and day hike sometime!
The road from the trailhead intersects with the Schofield Pass Road and begins to follow the Crystal River. At that intersection, I met some guys on bikes, four of them on mountain bikes and two on road bikes. It was a difficult ride for a road bike. We played leap frog all the way to Marble. We’d all bust out laughing every time I’d catch up with them as they took a rest, waited for the road bikers, or dealt with a flat. They did beat me back to Marble. What a hilarious end to the trip.
I arrived at the Jeep, tired and sore, around 1:30. After a change of clothes and putting on my tennis shoes, I headed back home. I had enjoyed my trip and was excited to get home, see my honey, and sleep in bed.
Trip Assessment
This was a great trip and I’d recommend it to anyone who is up for the miles and elevation changes. My recommendation to both myself and others would be to add at least a day. I should have spent the afternoon fishing at Avalanche Lake and camped there for a night. That would have made the trek easier and I could have camped in the meadows coming down from the pass near Haystack Mountain the following day. Both would have been great changes to the Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop.
Another Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop modification would be to avoid the West Snowmass non-existent trail and plan on taking the West Snowmass Creek trail. Maybe the West Snowmass trail exists somewhere out there, I couldn’t find it.
Lastly, I didn’t worry about pack weight since I was testing myself for mountaineering. Next time I will weigh out every item in my pack to get it as light as possible. My old, tired body needs a lighter pack for the elevation change and hard hiking on my version of the Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop.
Waterfall Videos
I’ll leave you with several videos of waterfalls. Click on a thumbnail below and enjoy!
GPX Track for Carbonate Creek Backpacking Loop
Max elevation: 12405 ft
Min elevation: 7927 ft
Total climbing: 34354 ft
Total descent: -34374 ft
Gorgeous pictures Rob! This looks like it was a great hiking trip, just sorry you broke your favorite fishing pole.
Thanks Roger. It was an amazing hike. Already have a replacement rod on the way but I’ll miss that one. A lot of great fishing with it. Hope you’re doing well!
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