Colden from Loj, 6/5/25
I had the pleasure of guiding Shannon and Susan up Colden yesterday from the Loj. We had a splendid day with great views despite Canadian wildfire smoke, and the rain even held off for us!
We opted to do it as an out-and-back via the Lake Arnold Trail. ~13 miles, 2734 ft of vert, 10 hours car-to-car.
Trails were in really good condition — some of the best I’ve seen for this hike. Basically no blowdown left, and even the trail near Lake Arnold wasn’t as muddy as usual. Some slick rock near the summit was our only challenge, and only when coming down.
Trails were quiet for most of the day. We saw two people headed out to Skylight, and another couple we leap frogged with up and down Colden. Once returning, more groups were headed to the Avalanche Campsites and Marcy Dam.
Timeline:
- 6:45am - Departed from Loj
- 7:45am - Marcy Dam
- 8:30am - Avalanche Camps/Lake Arnold Crossover
- 10:00am - Lake Arnold
- 11:15am - Little Colden
- 11:45am - Colden Summit (5 hours)
- 1:30pm - Lake Arnold
- 2:45pm - Avalanche Camps
- 3:30pm - Marcy Dam
- 4:30pm - Loj Trailhead (~10 hours)