Travel: From the town of Hermosa travel north on US 550. Drive over four rollers known as the Four Sisters. Pinkerton Hot Springs (a.k.a. Bubbling Rock) is at the top of the Fourth Sister. Continue for 0.2 mile and turn right on La Plata CR 250. The road makes a sharp hairpin to the right then hooks back left. It splits just before the KOA, 0.2 mile from the highway. Make a sharp left (while watching for bicyclists!) onto "Old Shalona Hill" and in 0.1 mile park in a wide turnout on the left. The Mitchell Lakes Trail goes west up FSR 740, a technical track suitable for dirt bikes and OHVs but not 4WD vehicles.
Distance and Elevation Gain Round Trip:
Point 9,564', 8.2 miles, 2,850 feet of vertical
North to Peak 9,661', 11.8 miles, 3,400 feet
South to Point 9,117', 12.8 miles; 4,000 feet
Mitchell Lakes, 7.4 miles, 1,900 feet
Total Time: 5:30 to 7:30 for either of the ridge hikes
Difficulty: Trail, off-trail (south on ridge); navigation easy; no exposure; Caution! Standing dead--do not hike on a high wind day.
Map: Hermosa, Colorado 7.5' USGS Quad
Latest Date Hiked: June 5, 2023
Historical Note: James Harvey Pinkerton, Ann Eliza, and their seven children (no relation with the Pinkerton Detective Agency) homesteaded in the area now known as Pinkerton Hot Springs in 1875. The family raised dairy cows and sold butter to Silverton miners. James Pinkerton became a La Plata County judge in the late 1870s.
Quote: One of the hardest lessons we have to learn in this life, and one that many persons never learn, is to see the divine, the celestial, the pure, in the common, the near at hand—to see that heaven lies about us here in this world. John Burroughs, 1908
Two large benches break the fall line of the Hermosa Cliffs as they plummet 2,700 feet to the Animas River Valley. Mitchell Lakes rest on the upper terrace. The Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail threads its way up a south-facing slope and the San Juan Mountains preside over the whole scene.
Route: Begin on the Mitchell Lakes Trail and ascend westward. For the shortest hike follow the trail onto the Mitchell Lakes bench and explore the three lakes. Or, transition to the Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail and climb to Hermosa Ridge. Hike north to Peak 9,661', or south to Point 9,117'. The blue-line route is a shortcut option from Hermosa Ridge to Mitchell Lakes.
Mitchell Lakes Trail
There is no trailhead sign for Mitchell Lakes at the parking pullout, elevation 6,780 feet. Forest Service Road 740 is labeled on a post. Private land surrounds the road for the first 0.4 mile. Pass through a tunnel under US 550 and arrive at the Fume Wall, a technical climbing area, shown. The wall is composed of Leadville limestone. It is the very same formation as the Redwall limestone in the Grand Canyon.
The cement fortresses you see are intended to protect homes from floods and debris flows emanating from the 416 Fire burn scar. The fire started on June 1, 2018 just up the tracks from this crossing. It was contained on July 31 after burning 52,778 acres. After an extended investigation, Federal officials claim that embers from a D&SNG coal locomotive started the blaze. Cross the tracks, hop across a creek, and enter the San Juan National Forest.
The road degenerates and the grade varies from nearly flat to super steep. Almost a mile up the initial northwest traverse, a spur takes off to the left. Turns out, it's not much of a shortcut. The main road makes a sharp hairpin to the southwest at 1.1 miles. Below, look through the burned hillside to some Hermosa Cliff structure blazing in morning sun. Between the town of Hermosa and Purgatory three trails penetrate the cliffs: Mitchell Lakes, Goulding Creek Trail (north of Glacier Club), and Elbert Creek Trail at Needles.
Cross a series of shallow ravines scoured out from the fire. The sandstone seen below is part of the Hermosa Group found on this east-facing slope. The repetition of sandstone, limestone, shale, and siltstone record sea level rise and fall, and glaciation in the Pennsylvanian epoch 300 million years ago.
At 1.8 miles, 8,000 feet, the track strikes north across a broad bench. It is a pleasant interlude through a woodland of Rocky Mountain and Utah juniper, ponderosa, and gambel oak. In April, the mahonia (Oregon grape) was blooming bright yellow.
At 2.5 miles, the two-track approaches the base of the east ridge of Point 9,564'. It swings left and ascends the south flank of the ridge. This explains why the trail was clear of snow in mid-April after an average winter.
Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail to Point 9,564'
At 2.7 miles, 8,560 feet, arrive at the signed junction with the south end of the Pinkerton-Flagstaff Trail #522. The Mitchell Lakes Trail continues as a two-track to the lakes. To reach Hermosa Ridge, transition onto the PFT. It is a multi-use singletrack open to hikers, horses, mountain bikes, dirt bikes and quads.
The trail climbs swiftly. Old growth Ponderosa survived the conflagration, aspen groves are living, and three very different lakes rest on the bench below. One lake has almost completed the age-old Earth process of turning into a grassy meadow. (Thomas Holt Ward, photo)
Intersect north-south-running Hermosa Ridge at 3.9 miles, elevation 9,420 feet. The field of vision from the divide is as big as you would expect. Below, Peak 10,562' is mid-way along Missionary Ridge.
West, the East Block of the La Plata Mountains rises substantially above Barnes Mountain and Cape Horn.
To climb Point 9,564', stay on the PFT as it turns north. Enter the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area located on the east side of the watershed between US 550 and the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection legislation, passed by Congress
and signed by President Barack Obama in December, 2014, created both the 37,236-acre Hermosa Creek Wilderness and the SMA.
Follow the PFT for less than 0.1 mile. As it swings west of the prominence watch for a social trail that ascends on the ridgeline to the crest.
Top out on Point 9,564' at 4.1 miles. A great view doesn't make a legal summit. For that you need 300 feet of relief on both sides and this knob only drops 224 feet to the north. But still, a few people have signed the register tucked in the branches of a limber pine. North are Engineer Mountain, Spud Mountain, Snowdon Peak, and the Twilights in the West Needle Mountains.
Northeast is Mountain View Crest, Shalona Lake, Old Shalona Hill, and US 550.
North from Point 9,564' to Peak 9,661'
Peak 9,661' is 1.8 miles north on the PFT. In this image, it is the nondescript brown roller low and to the right of Engineer Mountain. In April, we needed microspikes to get down the north ridge. Below, you can see the PFT just off the ridgeline on the west.
The trail stays on top of the divide most of the way to Peak 9,661'. We walked on patches of snow for most of our journey, lost the trail at times, and went right over the top of the roller, Point 9,436'.
Arrive on Peak 9,661' at 5.9 miles, shown. If you weren't going for it deliberately, you might not even notice this one for what it is, a ranked summit on Hermosa Ridge. There are a few signatures in the register. Views are obscured by trees.
While this hike turns around here, other exit strategies exist provided you set up a short shuttle. I have not trail-tested the following mileages. Continue north on the PFT and intersect the Jones Creek Trail in 0.6 mile. The lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead is about five miles south. Or, continue north for about 3.2 miles on the PFT to the Goulding Creek Trail and descend three miles east to the trailhead off US 550. A standard 19-mile-loop for mountain bikers begins at the lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead and climbs on the Jones Creek Trail to the PFT. It serves as a "rough and ugly" connector (sections of hike-a-bike) with the Dutch Creek Trail. Be ready for a stiff climb back to the Hermosa Creek Trail. (THW, photo)
South from Point 9,564' to Point 9,117'
Hike to the south end of the ridge for an astounding lookout over the Animas River Valley. Point 9,564' provides the best vista to all other compass points so this description begins there with 4.1 miles behind you. It is 2.5 miles to Point 9,117'. The ridge is loaded with rollers so be psyched for repeated up and down.
There is a faint social trial to Point 9,304'. Arrive on the prominence, shown, at 5.8 miles. While it is the highest point on the south end of the ridge, it is not a legal summit. And yet, there is a peak register tucked into three placed stones. It is a good hangout and most people turn around here. Find Pigeon and Turret Peaks poking above Mountain View Crest.
Continuing south, the wildcat trail disappears and the oak brush thickens. We found fresh elk scat all along the ridge. There's a fascinating cluster of exposed sandstone boulders and stacks.
Heft up the southernmost hill at 6.6 miles and walk a few steps further out Point 9,117' for an uncommon view of the Animas River Valley. Runoff from every low hill, every high mountain seen on this hike contributes to the Animas, creator of an extensive, flat-floored bottomland. Yes, it is our hometown river, but strip away all the trappings of humanity and envision its timeless, ever-flowing force. (THW, photo)
This image looks up at the south end of Hermosa Ridge from La Plata CR 202 on Hermosa Creek.
If you are comfortable descending a steep slope off-trail, you can cut your return effort by taking the blue-line route down to Mitchell Lakes. From the second roller north of Point 9,304', descend about 400 feet on the northeast ridge. Get a visual on the lakes and plunge 200 feet north to the bench. We actually came up that way on one of our exploratory hikes. The fire cleared out almost all the underbrush and footing was good.
Mitchell Lakes
For a more leisurely hike, explore the three lakes. When the PFT takes off at 2.7 miles, veer left, staying on the Mitchell Lakes Trail. Big green trees, a pocket of aspen, grasses--it is pretty and peaceful. Follow the two-track up and over a low ridge and onto the lake terrace, a glacial cirque. (THW, photo)
The first lake is mostly grass.
The next pond is hidden from view to the northwest over a low rise. The reedy tarn is teaming with Boreal Chorus Frogs. Their cheerful springtime cacophony fills the hollow with song. (THW, photo)
Walk south to the third lakelet. A witness tree stands sentry over pleasing blue water. The image below shows the ridge we climbed to link with Hermosa Ridge.
Follow the PFT for less than 0.1 mile. As it swings west of the prominence watch for a social trail that ascends on the ridgeline to the crest.
Top out on Point 9,564' at 4.1 miles. A great view doesn't make a legal summit. For that you need 300 feet of relief on both sides and this knob only drops 224 feet to the north. But still, a few people have signed the register tucked in the branches of a limber pine. North are Engineer Mountain, Spud Mountain, Snowdon Peak, and the Twilights in the West Needle Mountains.
Northeast is Mountain View Crest, Shalona Lake, Old Shalona Hill, and US 550.
North from Point 9,564' to Peak 9,661'
Peak 9,661' is 1.8 miles north on the PFT. In this image, it is the nondescript brown roller low and to the right of Engineer Mountain. In April, we needed microspikes to get down the north ridge. Below, you can see the PFT just off the ridgeline on the west.
The trail stays on top of the divide most of the way to Peak 9,661'. We walked on patches of snow for most of our journey, lost the trail at times, and went right over the top of the roller, Point 9,436'.
Arrive on Peak 9,661' at 5.9 miles, shown. If you weren't going for it deliberately, you might not even notice this one for what it is, a ranked summit on Hermosa Ridge. There are a few signatures in the register. Views are obscured by trees.
While this hike turns around here, other exit strategies exist provided you set up a short shuttle. I have not trail-tested the following mileages. Continue north on the PFT and intersect the Jones Creek Trail in 0.6 mile. The lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead is about five miles south. Or, continue north for about 3.2 miles on the PFT to the Goulding Creek Trail and descend three miles east to the trailhead off US 550. A standard 19-mile-loop for mountain bikers begins at the lower Hermosa Creek Trailhead and climbs on the Jones Creek Trail to the PFT. It serves as a "rough and ugly" connector (sections of hike-a-bike) with the Dutch Creek Trail. Be ready for a stiff climb back to the Hermosa Creek Trail. (THW, photo)
South from Point 9,564' to Point 9,117'
Hike to the south end of the ridge for an astounding lookout over the Animas River Valley. Point 9,564' provides the best vista to all other compass points so this description begins there with 4.1 miles behind you. It is 2.5 miles to Point 9,117'. The ridge is loaded with rollers so be psyched for repeated up and down.
There is a faint social trial to Point 9,304'. Arrive on the prominence, shown, at 5.8 miles. While it is the highest point on the south end of the ridge, it is not a legal summit. And yet, there is a peak register tucked into three placed stones. It is a good hangout and most people turn around here. Find Pigeon and Turret Peaks poking above Mountain View Crest.
Continuing south, the wildcat trail disappears and the oak brush thickens. We found fresh elk scat all along the ridge. There's a fascinating cluster of exposed sandstone boulders and stacks.
Heft up the southernmost hill at 6.6 miles and walk a few steps further out Point 9,117' for an uncommon view of the Animas River Valley. Runoff from every low hill, every high mountain seen on this hike contributes to the Animas, creator of an extensive, flat-floored bottomland. Yes, it is our hometown river, but strip away all the trappings of humanity and envision its timeless, ever-flowing force. (THW, photo)
This image looks up at the south end of Hermosa Ridge from La Plata CR 202 on Hermosa Creek.
If you are comfortable descending a steep slope off-trail, you can cut your return effort by taking the blue-line route down to Mitchell Lakes. From the second roller north of Point 9,304', descend about 400 feet on the northeast ridge. Get a visual on the lakes and plunge 200 feet north to the bench. We actually came up that way on one of our exploratory hikes. The fire cleared out almost all the underbrush and footing was good.
Mitchell Lakes
For a more leisurely hike, explore the three lakes. When the PFT takes off at 2.7 miles, veer left, staying on the Mitchell Lakes Trail. Big green trees, a pocket of aspen, grasses--it is pretty and peaceful. Follow the two-track up and over a low ridge and onto the lake terrace, a glacial cirque. (THW, photo)
The first lake is mostly grass.
The next pond is hidden from view to the northwest over a low rise. The reedy tarn is teaming with Boreal Chorus Frogs. Their cheerful springtime cacophony fills the hollow with song. (THW, photo)
Walk south to the third lakelet. A witness tree stands sentry over pleasing blue water. The image below shows the ridge we climbed to link with Hermosa Ridge.
Pinkerton Hot Springs is on the east side of the highway just before the turnoff for La Plata CR 250. (THW, photo)
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