Mount Zirkel


Mount Zirkel

Statistics:
Date of Hike: 8/6/2003 Trailhead: Slavonia Round Trip Dist: 18 miles
Elevation Gain: approx. 4,200 feet Start Time: 8:30 a.m. Finish Time: 5:00 p.m.
Trip Report:
This hike featured 2 first time experiences for me: I ventured onto class 3 terrain for the first time, and I had my first misstep while crossing a stream. Fortunately, the thrill of scrambling up to the summit of Mt. Zirkel (elevation 12,185 ft.) far outweighed the embarrassment of sitting on a rock dumping water out of my boots in front of my hiking companions.

Gold Creek The initial part of the hike was relatively easy and enjoyable. The first 3 miles of the trail follow Gold Creek to Gold Creek Lake (elev. 9,550). The highlight of this stretch was a waterfall that could be viewed up close from the trail. I also enjoyed the soothing sound of the mountain stream along this section of trail.

Gold Creek Lake Stream Crossing After arriving at Gold Creek Lake, we stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view and then continued up the trail around the western edge of the lake. A short while later, we arrived at a stream crossing. The stream was about 10 feet wide, and we had to hop across several rocks to make it to the other side. After the 1st person in our group crossed with no trouble, I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, the next to last rock was wet and small, and my boot slipped as soon as I stepped on the rock. The next thing I knew I was standing in the water looking slightly embarrassed. While the rest of the group crossed the stream (carefully), I changed my socks and poured the water out of my boots.

Red Dirt Pass The weather was great, and my boots quickly dried out as we continued up the trail. After a few switchbacks through the trees, we traveled through a meadow and past an old mining camp. From here we could see Flattop Mountain on the right and Red Dirt Pass in front of us. We then descended slightly to 10,900’ and crossed a stream at the bottom of Red Dirt Pass.

The next section of the trail is the only real steep part of the hike. We followed the trail to the top of the pass at 11,500’, and sure enough, we found a patch of red dirt at the top. The Red Dirt Pass Trail continues down the other side of the pass, so we left the trail and hiked northwest up a steep, grassy slope to 11,900’ where we got our first view of the summit.

On The Summit The route to the summit is obvious from this point. We followed a wide ridge for about a mile, staying mostly to the left to look over the steep cliffs on that side. Zirkel’s summit looked like a large pile of boulders at the end of the ridge. The final climb to the summit was quite fun. We stayed to the right of the ridge, but occasionally ventured near the ridge crest to peer over the other side. The summit is pretty small, so we took turns standing on top getting our picture taken.

The trip back down was uneventful. We stopped in a meadow just below tree line to have lunch and filter some water. I made it back across the stream without incident. We started talking about what we were going to have for dinner, and I began to pick up the pace. After we got back, I enjoyed a nice steak dinner with an extra helping of mashed potatoes.

This is a great hike, and I would recommend it to anyone who is going to be in the Steamboat Springs area. The views are spectacular, and we only saw one other group of hikers above Gold Creek Lake. To view all the pictures of my hike click on the link below:

Mt. Zirkel Photos at Ofoto.com
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Web page created by John Ferreby 8/19/2003