Sand Creek lakes trip

[emiller]

If you had 5 days to spend in the Sand Creek basin how would you plan them? We will be from the midwest, so I think planning on 1 day for hiking in and 1 day out is probably more realistic then a summit day and hike out in one. Thanks in advance for the advice!

[Kent McLemore]

Are you camping at Lower or Upper Sand Creek Lake?
Tijeras Peak looms right above the lower lake and is a fun scramble.
Music Mountain, Milwaukee Peak and Pico Aislado can all be reached from the area.
The saddle between Milwaukee Peak and Unnamed 13,161' provides amazing views of Broken Hand Peak, the Needle, and South Colony Lakes. Makes for a great day hike from the lakes.
A beautiful spot. Have fun.

[timf]

There are awesome spots around the right side of the lower lake maybe 200 yards from the shore and a little bit uphill.
That side is typically the slope you use to go up Music anyway.

Nice soft sand to just walk around in. I need to go back for a Tijeras and Music rematch.
The only thing I would do differently is bring your fishing pole and spend an extra day just lounging at the lake. You won't be completely alone, but much less traffic and more seclusion then South Colony Lakes for sure.

I think you might be able to hit Milwaukee and possibly Pico Asilado from the Upper Lake.
The view of Tijeras from Music Pass (which only takes about 2 miles if I remember right) is one of those amazing "Holy Wow!" views that just opens up abruptly.

[metalmountain]

We had 4 days and got Music Mountain and Milwaukee from the lower lakes (Tijaras still had snow and we didn't have any traction so my partner wasn't psyched on it). The hike from lower to upper isn't all that bad, and there seems to be less people at the lower lake (not that either was crowded, especially considering it was July 4th weekend). You have to deal with the pass on the way in and out, which is a bit of a drag.

The camping at the lower lake is good as well, we found plenty of level open areas for camping. The bugs were a bit of an issue for sure when we were there so just keep that in mind. I seem to remember the camp sites looking better at the lower lake. I think you could pretty easily do Tijeras and/or Music and hike out in the same day. Milwaukee from the lower lake is a bit longer obviously. We managed to do it as a loop which definitely made it more enjoyable I think. Its 4th class/low 5th to do so, but its REALLY solid rock and super fun, and avoids the rather steep slog up to Milwaukee Pass. The "standard" route involves a healthy amount of tundra slog to get to the Pass, and the scramble is pretty short as well from that side. The way we did it adds a good amount of actual scrambling to the route.

If you don't have Cooper's "Colorado Scrambles" book you should pick it up. It has a some good info about the area.

[emiller]

Sounds like camping at the lower lake is the way to go. I was thinking our plan would be something like: Day 1 arrive trailhead mid day and hike in. Day 2: Tijeras Peak, Day 3: Milwuakee and or Music Day 4 pack up and head out even with out being in a rush we could still be back at the trail head around noon

[Monster5]

Milwaukee and Music don't go well together, unless you're looking for spice or lots of drop. Given your schedule, I'd recommend, from the lower lake:

Day 1: Pack in
Day 2: Tijeras and Music (go well together, short day from camp). Option to move to upper lake.
Day 3: Milwaukee. If you feel comfortable routefinding and climbing harder 4th, consider Aislado and the UN. The return over the pass is a bit brutal. Milwaukee by itself is still quite nice and not exactly a gimme.
Day 4: Marble. There are a few other peaks in there one could climb, such as the Cleveland group, but hitting Marble around sunrise would be fantastic w.r.t. Needle views and you'd know the approach from Milwaukee. Relatively short day so you could hike out.
Day 5: Optional out.

[emiller]

Milwaukee and Music don't go well together, unless you're looking for spice or lots of drop. Given your schedule, I'd recommend, from the lower lake:

Day 1: Pack in
Day 2: Tijeras and Music (go well together, short day from camp). Option to move to upper lake.
Day 3: Milwaukee. If you feel comfortable routefinding and climbing harder 4th, consider Aislado and the UN. The return over the pass is a bit brutal. Milwaukee by itself is still quite nice and not exactly a gimme.
Day 4: Marble. There are a few other peaks in there one could climb, such as the Cleveland group, but hitting Marble around sunrise would be fantastic w.r.t. Needle views and you'd know the approach from Milwaukee. Relatively short day so you could hike out.
Day 5: Optional out.

Monster5 I like the way that looks even better

[kaiman]

Milwaukee and Music don't go well together, unless you're looking for spice or lots of drop. Given your schedule, I'd recommend, from the lower lake:

Day 1: Pack in
Day 2: Tijeras and Music (go well together, short day from camp). Option to move to upper lake.
Day 3: Milwaukee. If you feel comfortable routefinding and climbing harder 4th, consider Aislado and the UN. The return over the pass is a bit brutal. Milwaukee by itself is still quite nice and not exactly a gimme.
Day 4: Marble. There are a few other peaks in there one could climb, such as the Cleveland group, but hitting Marble around sunrise would be fantastic w.r.t. Needle views and you'd know the approach from Milwaukee. Relatively short day so you could hike out.
Day 5: Optional out.

Monster5 I like the way that looks even better

+1 I did a five day trip in this area that pretty much included the same schedule as Monster5 recommends minus Aislado and it's a great way to see that part of the Sangres. If you wanted to make a shorter 3-4 trip out of it you could climb Tijeras, Music, and Milwaukee and leave with no regrets.

Kai