FINOCJ previously posted:
"Thanks Tom - we were just discussing how much time we would seriously commit to the St Elmo area, as the group is planning a basecamp near Leadville....I was thinking 3 of the 5 days would be in the nearby vicinity of Leadville, leaving a couple days for longer trips further away. I am a huge red cone fan as well as Chinamans, but I think spending one day down near St Elmo would be good - and the standard known trails are probably more than enough for a single day...thinking antero will be a prime choice. As for other trails in the area - what is the status of Williams Pass these days? Is it still open for a small window of time in Aug or so every years? And also, if some are more interested in history, the alpine tunner and Palisades is always worth a visit on the west side of Hancock pass (and I think that is also the west end of Williams) - but not sure what the status of those are given the avalanches from a few years ago...."
Alpine tunnel road on the west side is closed. Huge avalanche 2-3 years ago took down the palisade retaining wall. I strongly suspect Williams pass is completely closed as well.
Antero is awesome. If you do it also do the trail on the back side down to the lake, Browns creek, as well as Baldwin lakes. All doable in one day.