Andrew's Peak and Boulder-Grand Pass

[rdp32]

Hello all,

I booked permits for a backpacking trip through RMNP following an itinerary that looks something like this:

Day 1: Wild Basin to Thunder Lake to Boulder Grand Pass (off-trail) to East Inlet Trail to Lake Verna campsite
Day 2: Lake Verna (off-trail) to Lake Nanita/Nokoni to North Inlet Trail to July Campsite
Day 3: July Campsite to Flattop Mountain to Bear Lake.

My wife would then pick me up at Bear Lake and we'd swing by Wild Basin to pick up my car on the way back to Denver. I am familiar with the East-side, on-trail portions of this route (the Wild Basin stretch and the trail from Bear Lake to Flattop), but I have never been on the West side, and have several questions:

1. How do-able is Boulder Grand Pass? I would be ascending the East side and descending the West side, and am worried about the bushwack to Fourth Lake and the East Inlet Trail from Boulder-Grand Pass. If anyone has any tips on the descent to Fourth Lake, please let me know. I don't have a lot of off-trail experience, and won't attempt this if it's too brutal (especially with my 30+ lb pack).

2. Any advice on how to best get from Lake Verna to Nanita/Nokoni? Should I hit Andrew's Peak and traverse to Ptarmigan Mountain, and then descend to Lake Nokoni? Is this very do-able with a heavy pack (around 30 lbs or slightly more)? If anyone has done a route like this and has any tips for the path of least resistance or the most spectacular route, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any feedback! It's kind of tough finding info for this part of the park.

[pbakwin]

BGP is steep & loose on the east, but easily navigable. It was a trail once, and still is sort of. There's some trail on the west but can be hard to follow. But the nav isn't hard & bushwhacking is minimal.

I'd go up from Spirit Lake through the pass east of pt 12241 then NW to Nanita from there. I think with a big pack that will be much easier than going over Andrews. There will be some bushwhacking, no doubt. Good map reading skills or a GPS will be really helpful for this kind of travel.

[vonmackle]

Anna, Kimo and I hiked Alice and Tanima via Boulder Grand Pass from a camp on the East Inlet (west) side a couple weeks ago. The bushwhack section from the lakes to treeline on the west side was challenging- steep grass/dirt with plenty of annoying deadfall while skirting cliffs. It would be hazardous when wet. We went up a route from Fourth Lake and came down a route that led to Spirit Lake. Neither seemed like a great option. If there was an easier way, we didn't find it. There is a faint trail from the summit of BGP heading west, but it begins to split and fade after the passes below tree line where it suddenly gets steep. We followed the most obvious looking trail which paralleled a creek leading to Spirit lake. The trail became very steep and difficult to follow and we all commented about how terrible it would be to do with an overnight pack. Is it doable? Yes, but only if you're in great shape and confident with your off trail navigation skills (not being able to find the lakes isn't the problem here, finding a safe way down is).

I hope this was helpful with your planning. Let me know if you have any other questions. Be safe and have a great time with whatever you decide to do.

[Steve Nicholls]

I agree with the comment above. It's ben several years, but my memory is the bushwhack down the west side of BGP is steep with lots of deadfall. Doable for sure, but not exactly pleasant with big packs.

[rdp32]

Thanks all. Sounds like I may change plans to avoid the descent down Boulder-Grand Pass. Maybe a different year when I have more navigation experience and a lighter pack...