A party of two hiked to Thornton Lakes and Trappers Peak on June 11-12, 2017. The trail is in great condition, with only one stream crossing requiring some attention for the first few miles. The snow level is at about 4200 ft. Above the snowline, the trail becomes very difficult to follow. It ascends a shallow gully to attain the col above Thornton Lakes. It is necessary to cross a snowmelt stream that runs under the snowpack at some point. As the snow bridges over the stream weaken, the crossing may become treacherous. After some routefinding difficulty, we were able to gain the ridge. The best route seemed to be keeping as far to the climber’s left as the cliff bands would allow, once well above the snowmelt stream. We ended up too high to the right and had to traverse some steep snow and rock sections. Our ascent path (the right side of the tracks) contained some steep sections that I wouldn’t recommend.
The trail down to the lake is completely snow covered. From the ridge, the route generally goes to the skier’s left. There are plenty of options, but all are somewhat steep. We were grateful for our ice axes and mountaineering boots to kick steps. The snow was well-consolidated, but slippery. The lake itself is still completely snow covered, as is the terrain around it. The log jam at the lake outlet is currently impassable. The small cliffs going down to the log jam are covered with snow, hiding several large holes with the potential for a nasty fall. The snow bridge over the log jam looks questionable at best. It is only about 2 feet at the thickest, and spans a very wide outlet. We abandoned the goal of crossing to the official campsite after probing the route down and finding several weak snow bridges over large holes. Perhaps if someone were well-versed in the summer route down to the water it could be done safely, but I still wouldn’t trust the snow over the logjam. We set up camp on a flat patch of snow near the slope down to the logjam.
On the second day, we regained the ridge by following our steps. Just before starting the climb up to the ridge, we passed by some fresh bear scat. Our bear canister was left untouched overnight, so I would guess the bear passed through that morning, after we were awake. The route up to Trapper’s Peak follows the obvious ridge. The trail is visible perhaps 40
Unfortunately, the legendary views from Trapper’s Peak were socked in for us, but the climb offered some nice exposure and snow conditions created some spicy sections to keep things interesting. We encountered a solo hiker on the first day whose footprints the next day indicated she also made it to the summit. After descending back to the col, we spoke with two Parks employees who were working on a scientific study of wolverine activity in the area. Following their tracks, we were able to find a lower-grade option than our ascent the previous day for getting off the ridge and back to the trail.