A weekend in Summit County seemed like a great time to visit a beautiful waterfall near Breckenridge.
White Falls is below Quandary Peak, a popular 14er (a peak over 14,000 feet). They share the same small trailhead, so back in 2021, the City of Breckenridge created a shuttle and paid parking system.
Shuttle tickets are $7 online. Paid parking at the trailhead runs $10 to $55, depending on when you hike. However, parking is free for shuttle riders at the "South Gondola Parking Garage" in Breckenridge. The shuttle between Breckenridge and Quandary starts running at 5 a.m. A second shuttle from the Quandary parking lot to the McCullough Gulch drop off point starts at 8 a.m. Yes, you need to take two different shuttles for the McCullough Gulch hike.
At the drop off, the hike starts on the road. At 0.1 miles, you’ll come to a split (the sign says go left for McCullough Gulch trail). At 0.4, you’ll walk past a gate. At 0.7, you’ll come to the old trailhead (before the shuttle system). Here a sign points hikers left.
The sign also says White Falls is just one mile ahead. While that’s great news, the road/trail gets harder here, as it goes up in elevation.
As you hike, enjoy the views — the mountain peaks, a cascade under a bridge, even an old cabin about a mile from the trailhead.
After 1.25 miles of hiking, you may start seeing trail signs. There are several signs pointing you in the right direction, even one on a fallen tree. At this point, it’s hard to imagine anyone getting lost, like the shuttle bus driver warned us, but we managed to get off the trail twice on the way down, so I highly recommend downloading a trail map from AllTrails or COTREX.
At 1.8 miles, the trail brings you to White Falls. This isn’t just one waterfall, it’s multiple cascades. There are double falls at the top, then a small cascade and a long one. There aren’t a lot of great places to sit, but take lots of pictures and find a place to enjoy the loud sounds of water crashing over rock and the views of this beautiful waterfall.
After a snack, it’s time to decide: Will you turn around or keep going?
The trail actually gets even steeper after the falls, but it’s just under a half mile (and 300 feet of gain) to the lower lake, simply called Lower McCullough Gulch Lake.
It looks like most people stop at the lake for picnics, and maybe a cold swim, before heading back.
If you keep going, even a little way, the trail has some rock scrambling and some ups and downs. There are areas of thick willows and some steep sections, but whenever you need a break, turn around and enjoy the views of the lower lake and beyond.
About 3 miles from the trailhead, you’ll arrive in the upper valley. This cirque is large, serene and beautiful. The scenery will take your breath away and so will the elevation at 12,400ish.
You may notice several tarns, or ponds, on your left, these are not the upper lake. That lake is about a half mile across the upper valley. As you walk, enjoy the fields of flowers and different blooms.
There’s one more short climb of about 40 feet to get to Upper McCullough Gulch Lake.
The map shows more lakes higher up, but we decided this was a great place for lunch, watching the clouds, marveling at the quiet, enjoying the different colors in the water and catching our breath.
Details: The hike to White Falls is about 3.6 miles roundtrip with 600 feet of gain. The hike to the first lake is about 4.5 miles with 900 feet of gain roundtrip. The hike to the second lake is about 7 miles roundtrip with 1,500 feet of gain.
If you have any questions, or hike suggestions, email me at HikingDebbie@gmail.com and find more great hikes by following me on Facebook at Facebook.com/DenverHikingExaminer.
