Access to Balsam Lake

[hillcody975]

Hey everyone -
Looking at a trip next week and I want Balsam Lake to be my base camp for climbing a few peaks nearby. I'll be leaving from Molas Pass and I have hiked into Vestal Basin before. Wondering if anyone can speak to the best way to approach Balsam from this area with a pack - I have a GPX in Gaia that I don't remember where I found that goes around Arrow and approaches Balsam via the pass between Arrow and Greystone. Also see a few TRs and forum mentions that suggest going between Vestal and West Trinity. Would love thoughts on either approach.

[k_fergie]

Both options you list would work, but I have personally done neither of them in their entirety. I would imagine that the Vestal/W. Trinity pass option will be easiest with a pack. I have heard that the best way is to just head down to the lake, but the "Kodiak High Route" (discussed elsewhere in the forum) along the bench evident in the slope angle shading seems to work fine, but is more annoying sidehilling. I climbed Greystone from Balsam and getting from the basin below Greystone/Arrow would be a pain if you didn't navigate well, but would not be too bad if you located the climbers/game trail that hugs beneath the cliffs that we did. Lots of raspberries as well. Image with green GPX shows the approx location of the trail coming out of the basin to the lake

[hillcody975]

Great, thank you! This is good to know.

[Chicago Transplant]

I used the Vestal-West Trinity approach, this great except for about 300' of loose talus near the saddle on the north side. Trending right picked up an angling climbers trail that is key, hopefully with the popularity of the Trinity Traverse this climbers trail will get even better.

Some notes/tips:

- Vestal Basin trail continues past the lower meadows people usually camp in for Vestal (11,400) and opens up again at an upper meadow just below 11,800. This meadow is best crossed early on the west end as its pretty swampy otherwise, there is a cluster of trees on the south side that we were able to find a climbers trail in leading to upper flats that go from 12,300 to 12,600.
- As you approach the steep talus slope to the saddle, trend right and try to find the climbers trail, you can even make it out on the satellite images.
-Drop off the south side to about 12,400/12,300, then angle southeast on a grassy game/climbers trail. The start of this trail was cairned last time I was there (July 2022), this is lower than the Kodiak High Route and keeps you a) on grass and b) below the cliffs that would otherwise separate you from Balsam Lake. If you stay higher you have to go a lot farther east to get to the lake. Drop to the lake from the trail when you see fit, we camped on the north side of the lake about midway between the "U" and "C" on CalTopo in "Weminuche", there is also camping near the west outlet. The east/northeast side of the lake was swampy and the south is all scree/talus.

Peak Eight TR I did in 2022 might be helpful: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=21781

[hillcody975]

That info and trip report are super helpful. Thank you for the write up! I had actually been thinking of climbing Peak 8 while there, and perhaps Storm King.

[BKS]

I haven’t been all the way to the lake, but have been to the west trinity-vestal saddle from molas and have been to a bench above the lake between 8, 9, and storm king from bear town. If you are looking for a shorter/easier way to balsam lake going in from bear town, hunchback, stormy Gulch and 9-sk saddle would be preferable over molas.

Another trip report of access to balsam from molas:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=22684

[hillcody975]

I haven’t been all the way to the lake, but have been to the west trinity-vestal saddle from molas and have been to a bench above the lake between 8, 9, and storm king from bear town. If you are looking for a shorter/easier way to balsam lake going in from bear town, hunchback, stormy Gulch and 9-sk saddle would be preferable over molas.

Another trip report of access to balsam from molas:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=22684

Unfortunately my vehicle won't be able to get to Beartown - thank you for the TR!

[sodomike]

I bushwhacked to Balsam Lake from the Animas with a group of friends back in 2015. (I can only remember when because we stumbled upon the runoff from the Gold King mine spill when we forded the river from the railroad. Wading through neon orange water in the wilderness will leave a memory!)

We attempted to find and follow the old CMC route that's described on this site and others, hoping for a similar plan to yours - Balsam Lake home base for a bunch of 13ers. 4 days of rain and fog had other ideas...

I'm sure it's not quite as efficient as the routes from Vestal Basin area, but my recollection of our trip was the route was feasible and not entirely horrible:

-From Elk Park to Ten Mile Creek along the tracks was quick, with only one longer span/bridge that would be scary with an oncoming train. Otherwise easy to get well off of tracks with plenty of time. Also we ran into a railroad employee near our intended crossing who didn't mind at all that we were blatantly trespassing, FWIW.
-Crossing the river (other than the potential health side effects from our superfund trip) was no sweat in early Aug of an average snow year.
-The first part of our bushwhack was tough. With lots of thick, and wet, vegetation. And lots of social/game trails making the mouth of the creek near the river very confusing.
-Once up the drainage a short distance we found social trails that converged into a 'trail' that before long crossed to the north side of the creek and followed that side up the drainage all the way to the lake.
-Higher up, the trail segments came and went, especially passing through wetter meadow-y areas. But by then it was clear where the path of least resistance would be found.
-Overall, difficult but not much worse than other trail-less drainages I've explored, especially in my homerange of the Gore. And perhaps no worse than the sidehilling I've heard of coming down from those Vestal Basin passes.

Our trip consisted of up Ten Mile to Balsam. Up and over to Leviathan. Down to Vallecito and up to Hunchback Pass. Down Elk Creek to the river and back up to Molas Pass TH to make a loop of it. All very doable with big packs despite the constant rain and no idea WTF we were up to.

Have fun however you go!

[yaktoleft13]

I haven’t been all the way to the lake, but have been to the west trinity-vestal saddle from molas and have been to a bench above the lake between 8, 9, and storm king from bear town. If you are looking for a shorter/easier way to balsam lake going in from bear town, hunchback, stormy Gulch and 9-sk saddle would be preferable over molas.

Another trip report of access to balsam from molas:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=22684

Unfortunately my vehicle won't be able to get to Beartown - thank you for the TR!

If you can't reach beartown, or the spot where the road gets rougher before the lake, I'd recommend the vestal/w trinity saddle as the approach point. I'd only go the way I did in that report if you're desperate to tag on the greystone group too

[Tweedie]

I was just at Balsam this past weekend from Molas via vestal. Chicago Transplant has the best description. Use the vestal/trinity pass, the arrow/vestal is a rough hike over to balsam (did it last year). There was a tiny bit of snow on the vestal/trinity pass, but it was easily avoidable. Two years ago I did the route described that drops down the grassy slopes to cross to the East. It’s great and a nice trail that you bail off to the lake when you like. This time I stayed high above the cliffs and there is not much of a trail and lots of rock hopping and scree. Stick to the lower trail below the cliffs.
There are three existing camp spots I know of. One on the north side near the creek from the Storm/peak8 pass (this site is small but really cool 37.67518, -107.58420). One at the run out near the west end (this one is big and could handle three tents). The third is just a little northeast of the run out camp near the top of a cliff. It’s a cool spot, but could only handle a small tent. The one near the run in would be best for summiting peak7/8/9 and storm king.
The lake is awesome, one of my favorites places. I have never met another soul at the lake on the three trips I have done into the lake. I have also never caught or seen a fish in the lake, I don’t think it holds fish for some reason.

Enjoy!!

[k_fergie]

There are three existing camp spots I know of. One on the north side near the creek from the Storm/peak8 pass (this site is small but really cool 37.67518, -107.58420).

This is where we tarp+bivy camped, and it was excellent. Plenty of room for a tent or two as well. The creek cascades down some cool slabs into the lake.