Technical climb: Class 3 with brief Class 4 and real exposure
Peak L is a long backpack followed by a scramble on steep slabs, a short knife-edge and a summit block of big cracked slabs. The rock is mostly solid, but a fall in several places would be serious. This page is an outline, not a move-by-move guide.
DifficultyClass 4
Round trip24.8 mi
Elevation gain5,040'
TrailheadBrush Creek
Trailhead elevation9,035'
Conditions on the summit
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Afternoon storm risk is the line that matters. Everything else is comfort. In summer, plan to be off the ridge before the build-up starts, not as it starts. Forecast for the summit point, adjusted for its elevation · data from Open-Meteo.
Colorado 13er · Southwest Ridge from Upper Slate Lake
Overview
Peak L, sometimes called Necklace Peak, is one of the most remote 13ers in the Gore Range and one of the best scrambles in the state. From the Brush Creek trailhead you backpack about 10.8 miles along the Gore Range and Slate Creek trails to Upper Slate Lake. From camp you cross the creek above the lake, climb a grassy avalanche gully to a flowery bench, and follow the southwest ridge over a short slab knife-edge to the summit block.
The climb is Class 3 with a few brief Class 4 moves and some exposure. The knife-edge is about 100 feet of solid slabs tilted steeply to the south, followed by a 20-foot Class 3 downclimb. The summit block is a maze of huge fractured slabs.
From the trailhead the round trip is about 24.8 miles with 5,040 feet of gain, plus a few hundred more on the rolling Gore Range Trail on the way out. From camp it is about 3.2 miles and 2,345 feet. Plan on at least two nights. Peaks R and Q are nearby.
Plan of the day
Start by
From a camp at Upper Slate Lake, by 6 a.m.
Turnaround
Be at the start of the knife-edge by 10:30 a.m.
Crux
The slab knife-edge, the short downclimb after it, and the summit block.
Route-finding
Moderate. A use trail leads southwest above the lake to a creek crossing at the top of the lowest waterfall. Then find the grassy avalanche gully leading west to the bench at 11,920 feet.
Water
Brush Creek and Slate Creek, then Upper Slate Lake and its streams. Filter it.
From I-70, take exit 205 for Silverthorne and drive north on Highway 9 for about 16.8 miles. County Road 30 to Heeney goes left just past mile marker 118. Half a mile along it, the old Grandview Cemetery lot is on your right. Without a high-clearance 4WD, park here and walk the road (2.4 miles each way).
Brush Creek Road (FR 1695) starts across from the cemetery. The first climb is the worst part: big potholes that can hold mud after rain. Then the road switchbacks up an open hillside, steep and a bit rocky, and winds up a dry gully through dead forest to a small lot in the aspens. At a fork about 1.75 miles up, stay left. Early in the season, fallen trees can block the road.
Camping is no longer allowed in the field by the cemetery. There are a few spots in the last quarter mile before the trailhead, plus fee campgrounds at Green Mountain Reservoir (Prairie Point, McDonald Flats) and Blue River.
Trail in the treesTalus and screeExposed to lightning
The line is elevation, the band underneath is the ground, and the numbered dots match the steps below. Mileage and elevations are approximate.
1
Brush Creek trailhead 9,035' · 0 mi
The trail follows an old, dry ditch west to the Gore Range Trail.
2
Gore Range Trail 9,000' · 0.7 mi
Turn left (south). Right away you drop down and wade Brush Creek. There is no bridge.
Watch for: Can be high in early summer.
3
Lost Lake junction 9,100' · 1.65 mi
Pass the signed trail to Lost Lake and keep going southeast on the Gore Range Trail.
4
Squaw and Hay Camp creeks 9,000' · 3.5 mi
Cross another branch of Brush Creek, then contour for about a mile and drop about 200 feet to Squaw Creek. Climb back out over a ridge and drop to Hay Camp Creek.
Watch for: Grass hides the trail for a short stretch near Hay Camp Creek. Make sure you stay on the Gore Range Trail.
5
Slate Creek junction 9,075' · 5.3 mi
Climb over one more ridge and come down to the creek. A signpost there points up the Slate Creek Trail, close to an old ruined cabin. A good campsite sits just south of the junction in the trees.
Watch for: Miles of dead, beetle-killed forest on the way here.
6
Beaver ponds 9,200' · 7.2 mi
The Slate Creek Trail wanders through meadows and small aspen stands, barely gaining height, for about two miles to some beaver ponds. The real climbing starts here.
7
Slate Lake turnoff 9,890' · 8.8 mi
Pass the turnoff for the lower Slate Lake. The trail now stays on the north side of the creek, even though older maps show it crossing.
8
Upper Slate Lake 10,860' · 10.8 mi
Climb steeply up several switchbacks, then level off and dip slightly to the lake. The trail comes out on a small, tree-covered rocky point on the southeast shore with lots of campsites.
Watch for: Last good camping before the lake is in the forest just before the steep climb.
9
Above the lake 11,000' · 11.1 mi
From the campsites, head south out of the trees, cross a small stream and climb through tall plants beside a rock outcrop. A short ledge doubling back takes you onto its top, where a trail heads southwest high above the lake.
Watch for: Plants are often soaking wet in the morning.
10
Creek crossing 10,950' · 11.4 mi
The trail dips through wet forest and brush past a small pond. A side path drops to the creek. Cross at the top of the lowest waterfall, below a second, higher one.
11
Avalanche gully 11,150' · 11.6 mi
On the north side, follow a rocky rib beside the creek for a short way, then bear right over a couple of rock outcrops to a grassy avalanche chute.
12
Flower bench 11,920' · 12 mi
Climb west up the grassy gully, keeping left of a bouldery stretch, to a wide bench with willows and tall yellow flowers. Great view down to Upper Slate Lake.
13
Southwest ridge 12,800' · 12.2 mi
Turn north and climb rubble toward a yellowish saddle. Before you reach it, bear right and scramble over boulders and big blocks just below the crest on the south side to a higher saddle.
14
Knife-edge 13,050' · 12.3 mi
Cross some slabs to the knife-edge: about 100 feet of solid slabs tilted steeply to the south. Walk the crest using cracks and an occasional hand. At the far end, downclimb about 20 feet (Class 3) and cross a short ridge to the summit block.
Watch for: Exposed. Take your time.
15
Summit 13,235' · 12.4 mi
Scramble up the maze of cracked slabs and blocks, mostly Class 3 with maybe a few Class 4 moves. The top is the tip of one of these slabs.
Watch for: Test holds. A slip here would be serious.
Getting down
Reverse the route to the bench and the gully, then back to camp. From the bench you can also drop southwest about 400 feet to the upper lake below Peaks Q and R and climb Peak R the same day.
If things go wrong
The flower bench is the last easy place to turn around before the scrambling starts.
3D flyover
No 3D flyover for this peak
Above Upper Slate Lake the route climbs a trailless gully and a scrambling ridge. A flyover only works when there is a set trail to trace. Without one, the line would be a guess, and a guess could send you the wrong way on the mountain. Use the step-by-step route with a good map and GPS track instead.
See the trail on video
No video yet
We haven’t found a good video of this route that matches the way we describe it. The route strip, junctions and 3D flyover show the way in the meantime.
This describes the route on a dry summer day. Most 13ers see few people, so there may be no one along behind you. Check recent conditions the week you go, carry a map, tell someone your plan, and turn around when the day tells you to.