Post by desertsp on Apr 27, 2016 8:49:28 GMT -8
My wife and I are planning a three day trip in Indian Peaks this July. This is the first trip I've ever planned on my own (and her first camping trip ever!)...so I'm hoping to have our itinerary reviewed by someone who's been to the area. That would give me the peace of mind that we're maximizing our time there!
Our main objective is to see some awesome scenery both at camp and along the trail, not kill ourselves, and be in relative seclusion most of the time (compared to the busier areas east of the divide and at RMNP). We're both in decent shape and will be doing dayhikes in the area for a few days prior to acclimate. We're ok with a long haul one of the days.
Here's the tentative plan:
Friday
By 10am, start hiking from the Monarch Lake trailhead along the Cascade Falls trail. Going at a leisurely pace, we'd setup camp near the falls by early afternoon. We'll spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the surrounding area, assuming a storm doesn't roll in. Otherwise, basically relax at camp until dark. Maybe a small campfire if condition are favorable.
Saturday
Get up after sunrise (but not too long after!), cook breakfast, and leave for Mirror Lake or Crater Lake. Find a nice campsite, and then explore the immediate surroundings. Would it be unreasonable to drop packs and reach Pawnee Lake or even Pawnee Pass that afternoon and still get back to camp before dark? If not, is there enough interesting stuff to see near Crater/Mirror Lakes? Neither of us fish.
Sunday
Head back to Monarch Lake and camp near the trailhead for an early morning departure (8 hour drive to Yellowstone!!!). We can get there anytime, and it's all downhill, so I figured that if we couldn't visit Pawnee Lake or the pass on Saturday, now would be a good time. If we decided to add this detour, how early would we need to break camp?
Does this all sound reasonable? Will we be able to fill each day given the low mileage between camps? How about camping at Gourd lake instead of Mirror/Crater on Saturday?
Thanks for your help!
Our main objective is to see some awesome scenery both at camp and along the trail, not kill ourselves, and be in relative seclusion most of the time (compared to the busier areas east of the divide and at RMNP). We're both in decent shape and will be doing dayhikes in the area for a few days prior to acclimate. We're ok with a long haul one of the days.
Here's the tentative plan:
Friday
By 10am, start hiking from the Monarch Lake trailhead along the Cascade Falls trail. Going at a leisurely pace, we'd setup camp near the falls by early afternoon. We'll spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the surrounding area, assuming a storm doesn't roll in. Otherwise, basically relax at camp until dark. Maybe a small campfire if condition are favorable.
Saturday
Get up after sunrise (but not too long after!), cook breakfast, and leave for Mirror Lake or Crater Lake. Find a nice campsite, and then explore the immediate surroundings. Would it be unreasonable to drop packs and reach Pawnee Lake or even Pawnee Pass that afternoon and still get back to camp before dark? If not, is there enough interesting stuff to see near Crater/Mirror Lakes? Neither of us fish.
Sunday
Head back to Monarch Lake and camp near the trailhead for an early morning departure (8 hour drive to Yellowstone!!!). We can get there anytime, and it's all downhill, so I figured that if we couldn't visit Pawnee Lake or the pass on Saturday, now would be a good time. If we decided to add this detour, how early would we need to break camp?
Does this all sound reasonable? Will we be able to fill each day given the low mileage between camps? How about camping at Gourd lake instead of Mirror/Crater on Saturday?
Thanks for your help!
