Anderson Lake - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 10/18/2025
Elevation - 12,800'
Route - Anderson Lake Trail
Miles - 3.0
Elevation Gain - 1,500'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Not Applicable

Description

After a late check of the weather and permission from my wife, I made a last-minute decision to attempt climbing Anderson Peak. I drove over Independence Pass and worked my way up Lincoln Creek past Grizzly Reservoir to the end of the road at the Anderson/Petroleum Lakes Trailhead. It was an easy but fun four-wheel drive to 11,300' through the dark. I got my pack ready, crawled into my sleeping bag, and slept reasonably well from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am. At this point, I woke up really cold and had to turn the heat on in my vehicle for a bit.

I woke up before sunrise and watched as Anderson Peak became visible. After seeing how much snow was above 12,000', I nearly just started driving home since I packed in haste and foolishly didn't bring any mountaineering gear. Nevertheless, I started up the trail thinking it was a short hike and couldn't be too hard.

I made it to Anderson Lake fairly quickly as the weather cleared and I remained optimistic. I started working my way up the east slopes of Point 13105 but quickly realized trail runners in deeper snow without and ice axe and crampons likely wasn't going to be very pleasant. At this point I angled towards the northeast ridge of the point thinking I could scramble up dry rock to the ridge that would take me to Anderson Peak. Unfortunately, the ridge became class three very quickly with all the ledges covered in snow making things dicier than I was comfortable with.

My risk tolerance has gotten lower as I have gotten older, so I called it a morning and simply retraced my steps back to the trailhead. The drive out was fun, and I stopped in Leadville, Colorado, for a breakfast burrito and cup of coffee. I plan to return next summer and do an easy snow climb of a gully I spotted on Anderson Peak and maybe hit a couple more peaks in the area since they are relatively close to my primary objective.

Photos