Hike to the Continental Divide

Yours truly at Thunder Pass--the Continental Divide--with Rocky Mountain National Park behind

Five members of the Red Feather Lakes Library (Colorado) Hiking Club (including me) climbed 1,502 feet in Colorado's State Forest State Park on Monday, August 20 to explore the American Lakes basin at treeline.  We started our five-mile each-way hike at 9,840 feet and turned around at 11,342 feet at Thunder Pass--the Continental Divide--at the northwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Our group on the American Lakes/Thunder Pass Trail approaching the American Lakes basin (extreme left of image)

Yours truly at Thunder Pass with the Nokhu Crags in the background

The American Lakes are also known as the Michigan Lakes.  They form the headwaters of the Michigan River, a modest stream that flows 69 miles out of the Rocky Mountains northward as a tributary to the North Platte River.  The American/Michigan Lakes lay at the foot of a glacial cirque that holds a much larger and deeper lake called Snow Lake.  Snow Lake discharges down a steep scree slope and feeds the American Lakes.  Several members of our group climbed up to barren, rocky Snow Lake, but I decided to join two others to ascend to Thunder Pass and the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National Park.

American (Michigan) Lakes, with the Snow Lake cirque in the background

Along our route, we spotted six moose (including five bulls) browsing in the alder and willow thickets at lower elevations.

Bull moose

Mountain Gentian

Elephant Head (the flowers, on close inspection, resemble a miniature elephant head)

This trek was a beautiful and dramatic experience that I'd like to repeat again.  The scenery was spectacular, the weather was perfect, and the company was great.  This was my second-best day so far since moving to Colorado.