SHELF & SOLITUDE LAKES (& MILLS & JEWEL LAKEs) (WINTER)

Other times I've passed by Shelf & Solitude Lakes en route to or descending from a climb: 
Category: Colorado (RMNP)Glacier Gorge Trailhead Elev: 9,240 ftMills Lake Elev: 9,940 ftJewel Lake Elev: 9,940 ftShelf Lake Elev: 11,220 ftSolitude Lake Elev: 11,420 ft
Date: March 17, 2023 (Fri)Trip Report #: 610Partner: solo

Route: Snow-covered trail & cross-country (~10.0 miles round trip, ~2240 ft gain/loss, snowy)

Four alpine lakes in four hours.

Shelf and Solitude Lakes lie in a hanging glacial valley between the towering walls of Thatchtop to the north and Arrowhead to the south, hidden on a rock shelf high above the popular Glacier Gorge Trail. The only hint of this sublime basin is Shelf Creek draining to the valley below. I had skirted these lakes twice before: in July 2020 at the beginning of The Great Wheel / Walk in the Park traverse around Glaicer Gorge and again in June 2021 when headed to climb Ripsaw Ridge on Arrowhead. Shelf and Solitude Lakes were on my list of RMNP lakes to visit in the winter. So when it was one of those rare bluebird and calm days (usually you get bluebird and windy or snowy and calm, but rarely bluebird and calm), I woke up early to get a few extra hours of work in and then took a midday lull in work to go snowshoe up to Shelf and Solitude Lakes. It was glorious.

My round trip car-to-car time to just above Solitude Lake was 4 hours 21 minutes.

Below is a sampling of photos from my midday excursion. 

A few summer photos of Shelf and Solitude Lakes for comparison!

Shelf Lake and Arrowhead, taken at the beginning of The Great Wheel / Walk in the Park traverse in July 2020.
Solitude Lake and Arrowhead, taken from the slopes of Thatchtop while embarking on the The Great Wheel / Walk in the Park  traverse in July 2020.
Solitude Lake, taken while climbing Ripsaw Ridge on Arrowhead in June 2021.

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