Gothic Basin

(A Geologist's wet dream!)

This page best viewed at 1024x768
Click on pictures for a better view.

August 12, 2001

Many many moons ago, I heard of a place called Gothic Basin. I was immediately drawn to it's name: Gothic. Sounds spooky and evil. The person who told me about it proclaimed it to be a hellish nasty hike with horrible footing but with a spectacular destination. It was described as the 'REI version of Disneyland'. So, it got stored in my brain as a place to go sometime.

This year, I added it to our Gotta Go list. It turns out that there has been a tremendous amount of trail work done. Tremendous, meaning, an entire new trail for a good chunk of the hike. The trailhead is at Barlow Pass, and you walk the road to Monte Cristo for 1.2 miles and pass the old trailhead to the new trailhead right before the bridge over the creek. The road is flaaaat. Then, you go UP. Without hesitation.

I had been in Chicago for the week prior, and I had to get out and do a hike. The weather was very sunny and hot, so I got an early start to beat the heat. I am extremely glad I did. This trail is relentlessly steep. I stopped more times than I really care to admit to. The trail is a beauty, right up until you get into the clearings and the good stuff.

There are a bunch of waterfalls/creeks you need to cross along the way. They were not running at full steam, which was probably a good thing. This is not a place that you want to get swept away with the current.

One really neat waterfall is called King Kong's Shower bath. Exactly why, I am not sure. But it seems that anyone who has hiked here knows about it, so here it is. After panting, sweating, and being exposed to the sun for about an hour or so, you finally make the final turn and ascent into Gothic Basin. The best part? Filtering and filling your now empty water bottles in Foggy Lake. There is a lot of good camping spots on the rocks. Maybe one day...

Now, every hike I go to provides me with quite a variety of rocks and geology. But Gothic Basin is the most interesting. The color of the rocks, the ice carvings, the cracks, the meadows that cling to the rocks with practically no soil, it is amazing. Here's some of the best pictures I took.

After wandering around, I found my lunch spot right next to the small creek that runs from Foggy Lake through the basin and down about 1000 feet to Weden Lake. Weden Lake is right at the foot of Sheep Gap Mountain

After recovering, I made the ascent back down. While the trail is not really that long, it is a tiring route. Do not attempt it unless you are a glutton for punishment, or tend to ignore that sort of thing for the sake of spectacular views and terrain. Like me.

A marvelous place.

Go back to the main hiking page.