Backpacker

play list16 10.Turn-by-turnFrom the WildBasin trailhead(^1) Set out west on the WildBasin Trail, paralleling theNorth St. Vrain Creekupstream, to a Y-junction nearmile 1.5.(^2) Veer onto the ThunderLake Trail (hiker’s right) andcontinue ascending the valleyto a junction at mile 4.1. Set upa basecamp here, at thestart and finish of the loopportion of the lollipop.(^3) With only the essentials,bag 13,310-foot Mt. Alice on achallenging, 9.4-mile day trip:Start early and splitimmediately right onto theLion Lake Trail. (Doing thecircuit counterclockwise putsthe most difficult scramblingon the uphill.) Take the pathto its terminus at itsnamesake, near mile 6.7.(^4) Head off-trail, alternatingbetween faint user paths andtundra benches, to gain theridge between Chiefs HeadPeak and Mt. Alice near 12,feet of elevation (roughly40.248221, -105.660103).(^5) Follow the ridge south,maneuvering across mostlyclass 3 rock (with a fewparticularly airy moves) to thesummit at mile 8.9.(^6) Head south off Alice,tiptoeing down steep tundraand glissading down 45-degreeBoulder-Grand Pass to theThunder Lake Trail.(^7) Follow the singletrack 3.miles east and south pastLake of Many Winds andThunder Lake to the originaljunction from step 3.(^8) Veer back into camp togather your stuff (if leaving)and follow your original routeto the trailhead.CampsiteNorth St. Vrain (mile 4.1)Several campsites line theroute, but none is moreconvenient than North St.Vrain (#49) at the junctionof the loop. There are twospots (reservation required).Bonus: The woods are filledwith truck-size boulders forscrambling practice.WaterfallsIt adds traffic, but this .5-miledetour passes a series of gentlewaterfalls, adding sceneryto an otherwise pedestriansection of trail. At mile 1.(step 2 on this itinerary),stay on the Wild Basin Trail,which twists past a numberof cascades off Ouzel Creek,including a 40-footer. TheWild Basin Trail then intersectsthe Thunder Lake Trail againnear mile 2.8 of this route.Lonely at the TopRocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoThe trail fades into the grass at the northern edge of Upper Lion Lake. Ahead, beyond thegreat sloping apron of tundra, beams the wide and craggy face of Mt. Alice. The granitemonolith soars into the sky, blocking a symmetrical section of the horizon. Imposing is anunderstatement. It’s the centerpiece of our 17.6-mile overnight and looks the part. My hikingpartner and I climb a ridge to its shoulder as the mountain seems to grow before us. From thesaddle, the route is less a path than a series of terraces with class 3 moves between. Hours later,we top out on the craggy peak. To the east, the iconic 14,259-foot summit block of Longs Peakhangs in the sky. It’s striking—but we choose to climb in solitude. BY CASEY LYONS7WEEKENDS1 of 3PHOTOS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) IMAGESOFRMNP.COM; LAUREN TEDFORD; ISTOCK.COM (2)