Log In 
Peak(s):  Argentine Peak  -  13,743 feet
Square Top Mountain  -  13,799 feet
Mt. Wilcox  -  13,414 feet
Date Posted:  11/09/2012
Date Climbed:   11/08/2012
Author:  SolarAlex
 A Lazy Day on Guanella Pass, or so I Thought   

On wednesday, Chase and I made a plan to go hike Holy Cross via the Halo Ridge. I wanted to get one more simple hike in before winter comes in this weekend. He planned to meet me in Golden at 4 and we head out from here. When the alarm went off though, i was comatose. i texted him to meet me at 430. He shows up around 5, and we both are not feeling the drive or the long day ahead. Since we woke up so damn early, we didnt want to waste it, so we decided to head up to Guanella Pass and hit some 13ers. I had a read a couple trip reports from others detailing the Square Top- Argentine - Wilcox combo from Naylor Lake and thought that fit the bill for a lazy day. Chase agreed, so after wasting more time at starbucks we were on the road by 610.

The first issue we had was not being able to find the silver dollar lake trailhead. A trip report said it was about a mile from the pass and well signed. We drove around both sides of the pass, going down a private driveway on the grant side of the pass before realizing our error. We drove back and parked on the top of the pass. Now it looked like we were just going to get square top...this day was getting lazy fast. Finally we started hiking about 8am. The weather was amazing and the temperature was pretty much ideal, so I figured it was still a pretty good day.

Image
square top


The trail up square top is great. Very easy to follow. There was a little of bit of ice on a few sections in the willows, but we managed fine in trail runners. The trail goes along the side of the slope for a while until starting to gain elevation near the lakes.

Image

Image

Image
approaching the first false summit


id say square tops trail is a little steeper than Bierstadt on average, but its not bad at all. There are a few false summits but the true summit pops up eventually. The summit is big! I had always thought squaretop was rather unimpressive from guanella pass, but i was proven wrong.
Image
summit of square top

Image


While sitting on the summit and admiring the views, we discussed heading over to argentine and wilcox. They didnt look that far away, but I knew that we end up pretty far from the car. I remembered the trip reports saying the silver dollar trailhead is about a mile from the pass and suggested to chase that we go for it. we figured it wouldnt be more than an extra mile and a half. We both agreed that just square top was not enough of a day and began descending down squaretop to argentine.

Image
looking back at squaretop on the way to argentine


In my opinion, this was the crappiest segment of the hike. It was a little snowy, and the talus was kind of loose in places. It was relatively slow going, but it was easy enough. Before long, we were at the low point of the ridge. The views are absolutely awesome...for me it was a new look at areas that I have been in before, so that was really cool. There are some powerlines which are ugly, but everything else is so awesome I hardly noticed. There is a little house on the ridge, anyone know what thats about? it looked like it was anchored pretty well and seemed to be in reasonable shape (for being at 13000 feet).

Image
the ridge to argentine peak

Image
more

Image
little house on the ridge

Image
scenery on the ridge to argentine


The trudge up to argentine is definitely not as bad as it looks. From square top, i thought it was going to be a mix of loose talus and snow. Turns out it was pretty solid. There was some snow, but it was shallow...there was one icy section that was over some pretty steep snow but it was short. Before too much longer we were cruising to the top of argentine peak. Looking to Naylor Lake, it didnt seem like we would be that far to the road. it also looked as if it was close to the top of the pass. I felt confident that we had made a good choice

Image
summit of argentine

Image
chase on top

Image
more summit scenery

Image


After a few minutes relaxing, we began heading over to Mt. Wilcox. The descent to the low point of the ridge seems to take longer than it should. You get a good view of squaretop...looks like there is a pretty sweet couloir in the middle of it, anyone know anything about this?

Image
ridge to wilcox

Image

Image

Image
getting closer


the ridge to wilcox looks like it will be loose and ugly near the top, but as it turns out its solid talus that is very easy to ascend. We topped out on wilcox and took a few minutes to really sit and take it all in. The view you get of bierstadt-sawtooth evans is amazing...makes them look like a pretty serious group of peaks. Looking down towards the lake, the descent seemed easy and obvious.

Image
grays and torreys back there

Image
chase on wilcox

Image
me on wilcox

Image
bierstadt sawtooth evans


The descent route is mainly just sidehilling down mellow grassy slopes. It gets a little tedious, but its easy. We aimed for the start of the road, not realizing that naylor lake is private property. Luckily no one was there and we cruised on out of there. To avoid the private property, youd have to continue angling through the forest for a ways and then cut down to the road. wouldnt be too difficult.

Image
long cruise down grassy slopes

Image

Image
naylor lake


Now all we had to do was walk down the road and back to the pass. As we walked down the road, I realized we were losing a pretty good amount of elevation. I started to think maybe i wasnt as clever as I thought as I was. We passed the trailhead that we were looking for in the first place (silver dollar lake) and i lamented the fact that the car could be right there. But it wasnt, so we marched on. Finally, we reached the road. I instantly realized we were at the winter closure. DOH!! from hiking bierstadt this winter, i knew it was roughly 2 more miles to the pass. Bummer.

Image
joy


We laughed our way up the road, hoping a motorist would help us out and give us a lift, but no dice. Some guy in a truck drove by and gunned it past us. appreciate it dick. We trudged onwards, deciding to cut some of the switchbacks to save distance and effort. We saved distance. We came up through the forest to find a 20 foot retaining wall blocking us. definitely the crux of the day. There was a way around it to the left up a steep icy hill. fun times.

Image
5.7+ id say


Finally after one final bushwack through the willows we were back at the car. we were done! i ran over and ripped off my shoes and socks as fast as i could and plopped down in the seat and closed my eyes for a couple minutes before heading back down to golden.

This is a really, really cool route. The route finding is very simple, the terrain is easy and the views are spectacular. Just make sure to park at the silver dollar trailhead, or at least at the winter closure lot. Id guess our mileage was somewhere between 12 and 15 miles. previous trip reports say different things, so it may remain a mystery. It took us about 8.5 hours car to car. I am starting to see what people like about 13ers...being able to get off the beaten path is nice. We didnt see a single person all day long.

Now bring on winter!!



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29


Comments or Questions
Svenski Norski
User
Easy to miss turn for Silver Dollar on the Uphill!
11/10/2012 12:02pm
Then when you drive back down from the pass it's SO obvious- camped up there prior to Bierstadt last summer. Nice Report!


Trotter
User
answer
10/8/2015 10:29pm
used this TR among others on my loop hike. For your question, that little building on the argentine saddle contains parts and tools for fixing the powerlines that go right by it



   Not registered?


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.


Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.