Joe stands at the edge of the Iron Fen and looks up at Sullivan Mountain. Above right: Josephine Lake from the east ridge of Sullivan Mountain.
Hike with Joe on August 16, 2007
Hiking distance: 6.0 miles
Trailhead: 39°34’2”N, 105°46’53”W, 10,422 feet
Josephine Lake: 39°33’47”N, 105°49’6”W, 11,776 feet
Sullivan Mountain: 39°33’48”N, 105°49’42”W, 13,134 feet
From Grant, go north on Guanella Pass Road, Park County Road 62. At 7.0 miles, turn left on Forest Service Road 119 and go past Duck Creek Picnic Ground and Geneva Park Campground. The road gets rougher as you go; high clearance is necessary, but you might be able to travel it with two-wheel drive. We stopped at a gate in the road, 11.2 miles from US285. This is an unmarked, unlocked gate; you can pass through and go to the next gate, about a tenth of a mile farther.
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Josephine Lake from the east ridge of Sullivan Mountain.
This second gate should be locked, to prevent motor vehicles from driving on the Geneva Creek Iron Fens. “A fen is an area of peat-forming wetlands that receives nutrients usually from up-slope mineral soils and groundwater movement,” per the
Clear Creek County web site. After the gate, take two left forks, and you will find the fen after the second, as well as a clear view of Sullivan Mountain.
Skirt the fen on the right, and go through the trees toward Sullivan Mountain. You’ll come across another road; follow it
south, but continue south when it turns east. At the top of a low ridge, you’ll find Josephine Lake.
From Josephine Lake, go east up the ridge to the summit of Sullivan Mountain. There are great views north across Geneva Creek Valley, and over that ridge to Gray’s and Torrey’s Peaks. It began to rain when we reached the summit, so we didn’t sight see, but there should be good views west into Summit County towards the Ten Mile Range.
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