Trip Report
Alpine Scramble - Silver King
Gorgeous day for this rarely done summer route!
Nancy Lloyd
- Sun, Aug 10, 2025
- Alpine Scramble - Silver King
- Silver King
- Scrambling
- Successful
-
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
Started at 7:30 from the Crystal Lakes trailhead, only about a half dozen other cars were there. The trail is in excellent condition to the lakes. It could use a little TLC just past the upper lake, but otherwise no problems. Many wildflowers were blooming as we got closer to the lakes. Berries are not ready to eat yet, most are just beginning their life.
We had the trail to ourselves most of the way to the lakes and only a few small parties with apparently light packs passed us by. The trail is wooded, but views were wonderful with a clear blue sky when we broke out into the open. Surprisingly, very few annoying bugs found us.
We started uphill on steep, grassy slopes past the upper lake and also after passing exposed rocky areas. It is not a straight line up to the ridge. We had to adjust our compass bearings several times to get around overly steep stretches and clumps of trees. I had a gps track from a previous trip which made navigating easier, but it was more fun to find the path of least resistance leading in the right direction. We found an occasional boot or animal track that gave us some relief and chances to rest a little. The slope was fully in sun and we felt the heat increase as the morning progressed. Once on the ridge though, it was all worth the effort. The final stretch to the true summit was a pleasure with views all around! And, we left all other humans behind at the lakes!
We lounged over a half hour on the summit, had lunch, took photos, and simply enjoyed the mountain! On the way back, we stopped at the upper lake for water and final relaxing moments before hitting the trail. Total moving time was 5 hours/15 minutes, stopped time total about 2 hours. Mileage: just under 9 rt/el. gain 3,450'.
A couple of photos:
