Arrived at the trailhead around 7:30 after deciding to skip the crowds at the Ice Lakes trail. The parking lot was packed, with people already parking down the road before 7am. So, I decided to drive a bit farther up South Mineral Creek road to the Lake Hope trail.

Took me just under 1.5 hours to reach the pass at 12,440′, gaining an elevation of approximately 1,700′ and covering a roundtrip distance of 5.8 miles. There weren’t many people on this trail, as I only encountered 4 hikers on my way back down.