Grizzly Lake is located in Grizzly Gulch near the "ghost town" of St. Elmo. I was on the trail at 7:15 a.m. and did not see another person until I was coming back down at approximately 9:45 a.m. I had the entire lake to myself!

Getting into Grizzly Gulch was a little tricky for me. An extreme 4-wheel drive road travels much of the way to the lake, with a trail south of the creek during the lower part. (The road crosses the creek twice.) To get on the correct trail (if you are walking by foot), it is the third left from the beginning of Hancock Road. The first left leads to a private home, the second left is Grizzly Gulch Road, the third left leads to the trail. On this particular third left, there is an immediate "Y" - go left toward Grizzly Gulch. Another way to get on the trail: On "Main Street" in St. Elmo (with the St. Elmo General Store to your right), walk toward the dead end and continue past the homes on the left. That old road turns sharply to the left and up toward Hancock Road - across the road you will see the trail. Of course, if you bring your topographical map, you will be okay. I used National Geographic's "Trails Illustrated Map" as seen in the left image.

Speaking for myself, this was a nice hike - a great morning to be in the outdoors - but nothing "dazzled" me. Many aspens line the trail and the lake is pretty, but the terrain at the lake was marshy in many areas. There was nowhere particularly inviting to sit and the lake's edge had numerous gnats. Was this an enjoyable hike? You bet. Will I hike this trail again? Probably not.

Lastly, if you really love challenging 4-wheel roads, you might want to consider Grizzly Gulch Road. I dare say it looked more difficult than Tincup Pass. Also, among the five hikers I noticed as I walked back down, all of them had fishing poles. High altitude fishing is probably great up there!

All the best,
-Steve

	Lots of beautiful aspen groves surround the trail near the beginning. TWO BOTTOM PHOTOS: Left - A view of the road where the trail and road merge. Right - A really bumpy section of the road. My camera did not quite capture the full bumpiness of this spot!
	An old cabin along the trail. There are a few old structures and "mine tailings" remaining in the gulch from St. Elmo's busy mining days.
	Two small patches of snow remain near the trail ... And this was the morning of July 4! :)
	On the south side of the gulch was this very obvious avalanche area. It is difficult to see in the photo, but many trees have broken branches and various forest debris (including tree limbs) were lying on this boulder field. I saw a few very dangerous avalanche spots like this one; I would be extremely careful about traveling up here in the winter!
	Looking back down into the gulch. The lowest saddle on the mountain ridge (left of center) is where the Poplar Gulch Trail leads.
	Grizzly Lake, Colorado Here it is ... Grizzly Lake! The pointed peak to the right is an unnamed 13er (alt. 13,070 feet). Below are other hikes, adventures and lakes in this area: Hancock Ghost Town St. Elmo, Romley, Hancock Mary Murphy Mine Area Poplar Gulch Trail Tincup Pass Alpine Tunnel (West of Divide) Agnes Vaille Falls Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Mt. Princeton (Hike) Mt. Princeton (Photos) Mt. Antero Autumn Foliage (2006) Autumn Foliage (2007)
	One token photo of myself among these boulders.
	Photos facing the east were difficult to capture because of the positioning of the sun. Here two shots that are in the general direction.
	At 10 a.m., I encountered the first 4-wheeler of the day on Grizzly Gulch Road. We briefly stopped to talk and he was having a good ol' time in his Jeep!

	The columbines are out! This is probably my best picture.
	Three more photos of columbines earlier in the morning when the sun was blocked by the mountains. My other flower pages: Assorted Flowers Neighborhood Flowers Denver Botanic Gardens Continental Divide
	Not sure what these are named but they sure are pretty.