- Date of hike: September 13th, 2020
- Location: American Basin Trailhead – Near Lake City, Colorado
- Rough Mileage/Vert: 5.5-7 miles (depending on where you park) & 2,500-2,800 feet of gain
- Our Time: About 3.5 hours round trip
On our last morning in the San Juans, we got up extra early to hike Handies Peak since we had to drive back to Denver that day. While the American Basin route particularly is known as a magnificent wildflower hike, we got to experience it covered in snow. Now we have a great reason to return earlier next summer!
There is an alternate route that begins at the Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch trailhead, which also marks the start for Sunshine and Redcloud Peaks. We are unfamiliar with that route, but scouring various comment sections of trip reports lead us to believe it deserves a little more love than it gets (American Basin is much more popular).
The road leading to the “trailhead” is rough. In a stock Wrangler it was very doable, but still pretty uncomfortable; don’t attempt it in a sedan. There are a couple spots that you can park at, and we made the mistake of thinking we’d arrived when we could have driven about a half mile further up the road. However, with the hike already being so short, it didn’t feel too strenuous to hike the extra distance.
If you’re able to start at sunrise, do it! The parking area faces a beautiful ridge that loops around the south side of Handies and the sunrise glow off of that ridge is the perfect way to start a morning.
Overall, this hike is fairly straightforward, with a couple of steeper areas. One the way up, we were hiking in packed snow that had melted and frozen again overnight, so we were only able to go so fast. Around a mile and half up, you’ll head up a few switchbacks before reaching Sloan Lake on your right which is a great place for a quick snack. Shortly after Sloan Lake, you’ll be able to see most of the remaining trail. The last half mile climbs pretty fiercely and you gain a good amount of elevation, but once at the top, the 360 degree views of the San Juans will cause you to forget the burn in your lungs and legs.
