Mayflower Gulch

My family and I went with our church youth group over MLK weekend up to Copper Mountain. While the rest of the family either boarded or skied, I decided to try my luck at snowshoeing. I had bought a pair of shoes a couple of years ago at an end of season clearance at REI but hadn't really gotten to use them. I did bring them when we went to Copper on the first of the year but one of the bindings snapped before I even left the parking lot.

After that experience I took them back to REI and traded up to a set of MSR's. The salesman said they were good starter shoes, reasonably priced and the same type the store rented out. I actually used them the day prior on this most recent trip when I took a snowshoeing tour at Copper. The tour started at the base of the mountain and consisted of 3 guides and about 18 of us. They took us up on the Kokomo lift and we walked down some nice, well groomed trails.

After this somewhat sheltered experience I felt ready for something on my own. The friday before leaving work I had gotten an e-mail from Boyd Clark about a trip he was planning later in the month to Mayflower Gulch. After hearing where it is located in proximity and hearing his rave reviews I decided to check it out.

I had a little bit of diffculty finding the trailhead but once I found it all was well. I left the trailhead about 10 a.m. and started up the well marked trail. There were several cars already there and by the time finished up about an 1 1/2 later the parking lot was pretty full.


The first landmark, about 2/3 way up the trail.

At the top (appx. 11900 feet) looking towards the North. Not sure what peak this is.

Looking towards the south east.

An abandoned mining cabin. This is obviously still used by groups or individuals because inside I found a rudimentary fire pit along with a rake and a broom!

Looking towards the west. I talked with a snowboarder who was carrying his board and heading towards this area. I also saw some skiers coming down the trail.