At a bit under 20 miles, this Lower Great Range loop is an incredibly rewarding trek that packs plenty of challenges and peaks. Gothics (and Pyramid by extension) are the absolute best so if you’re only looking to take on a small portion of the range that is probably where we would recommend heading, so just an out and back to that portion. Also if you were really looking to skim this down you could probably skip Sawteeth and Lower Wolfjaw, although you would be missing out on some solid views.

We start this loop by going all the way out to Sawteeth first, there is a scenic route with some extra milage or a straighter shot if you’re trying to get there quicker. From there the order is Gothics, Armstrong, Upper and finally Lower. Although Gothics, Armstrong and Upper are basically perfectly lined up, both Saweteeth and Lower require a little bit of an off-shoot, nothing too extreme or difficult. 

The views here are really tough to beat and the actual difficulty across all the peaks is pretty mild. Going down Upper is probably the steepest and most technically difficult spot across the range, it gets a little scary for a minute. Thankfully, there are some wood ladders where things get unreasonably difficult. 

• This one is best done from the AMR so plan accordingly. The area of parking reservations is still upon us for the AMR lot.
• The shear length of this trail is it’s greatest huddle, be prepared with lots of food and water.
• Lake Road is longer that it seems, out and back, be prepared for a few miles of flat walking at the start and the finish.