Howdy! Thinking ahead a little to the the 4th of July weekend, and I'm hoping to get down to the Crested Butte area, specifically Paradise Divide. Just wondering if anyone has current info on the road conditions up there? Obviously the Slate River Road to get to Paradise Divide, but also spots like the road to Gothic, and even the road past Irwin, up towards Green Lake.
On a side note, does anyone think that the huge snow drift that has closed the Gothic Road near Emerald Lake for the past few years will melt out finally this year? Or are there any plans to actually plow it?
Thanks for any info!
Posted by Jesse Speer on June 22, 2006 at 12:20 PM
Brent, after chatting with you, I talked to our friends who had camped with us at Irwin Saturday. They drove Green Lake Road up past the waterfalls, but were stopped by snowdrifts below the tarns where the road fizzles out. They also saw a mountain lion up there, for a brief moment. Anyway, they guessed that the snow would be gone by the 4th.
BTW, the lupine were looking awesome along the lower portions of Washington Gulch (the private property area, of course) and were just starting to pop out around Gothic. And there is a lot of snow in those mountains (relative to the rest of the state)!
Brent,
When I was in CB last year for the 4th, I stayed with a local couple, and asked them about the avalanche near Emerald Lake. They said that the road is NEVER plowed. The Chamber of Commerce in town confirmed this. The number for the chamber is (800) 545-4505 if you want to double check.
If you have time, grab a Philly Cheesesteak pizza at the Last Stand restaurant. Mmm, Mmm good!
Brent, the avalanche did melt out late last year. I drove the loop from Gothic over Schofield (passing Emerald Lake) to Paradise and down to CB in September. No signs of snow; the road probably opened sometime in August. They only got half as much snow this winter, so hopefully it will melt out earlier this year. Not likely by the 4th, though.
If you're looking for solitude, you will not find it in that area near the 4th. I went up there two years ago on the July 4th weekend and found more people than wildflowers. And the flowers were abundant.
The road to Emerald Lake is clear of snow and it is probably driveable all the way to Schofield Park now. There are still several large snow drifts in Elko Park (aka Paradise Basin) so you can not drive between the Slate River Valley and Gothic yet.
Most of the wildflowers blooming right now are below about 9500'.
A great source of info around the CB/Gothic area is the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (www.rmbl.org). Look under "Gothic Weather". He updates it fairly regularly -- currently it says that the road is open to the snowplug.
I drove the loop from CB to Paradise (via Slate River Road) to Schofield Pass to Gothic and back to CB on Saturday, 6/24. The only snow drift still present was at Paradise where the road just begins to drop down toward the basin. It covered most of the road for about 30 feet, but tracks showed that a lot of people had been easily driving around it by getting two wheels off the road on solid ground (as I did).
Glacier lillies were abundant at Paradise, and lupines below Gothic. Still early (and dry!) so didn't see a lot of flowers other than those. A short hike (2 miles) up toward Frigid Air Pass from the Schofield Park trailhead showed that columbines are beginning to come out, but they weren't abundant yet. They may be in a week or two, but not yet. Other than that, I only saw a few scattered paintbrush on the hike.
Discussion
9 repliesOn a side note, does anyone think that the huge snow drift that has closed the Gothic Road near Emerald Lake for the past few years will melt out finally this year? Or are there any plans to actually plow it?
Thanks for any info!
BTW, the lupine were looking awesome along the lower portions of Washington Gulch (the private property area, of course) and were just starting to pop out around Gothic. And there is a lot of snow in those mountains (relative to the rest of the state)!
When I was in CB last year for the 4th, I stayed with a local couple, and asked them about the avalanche near Emerald Lake. They said that the road is NEVER plowed. The Chamber of Commerce in town confirmed this. The number for the chamber is (800) 545-4505 if you want to double check.
If you have time, grab a Philly Cheesesteak pizza at the Last Stand restaurant. Mmm, Mmm good!
If you're looking for solitude, you will not find it in that area near the 4th. I went up there two years ago on the July 4th weekend and found more people than wildflowers. And the flowers were abundant.
Rich, I thought about that (the crowds). Still undecided, but will probably give it a shot. If not, Hermit Pass is next in line!
Most of the wildflowers blooming right now are below about 9500'.
Glacier lillies were abundant at Paradise, and lupines below Gothic. Still early (and dry!) so didn't see a lot of flowers other than those. A short hike (2 miles) up toward Frigid Air Pass from the Schofield Park trailhead showed that columbines are beginning to come out, but they weren't abundant yet. They may be in a week or two, but not yet. Other than that, I only saw a few scattered paintbrush on the hike.