Trail Stats
Distance: 5 KM (out-and-back to Elfin Lake)
Elevation: 350m
Time: 1-2 hours
The trail
If you are undertaking the hike to Elfin Lakes as a day hike, continuing on to summit the Gargoyles is very doable as it is a short hike, but be warned it is all uphill. I did this the morning after having spent the night in the Elfin hut, before hiking back down to the car park and it was more challenging than I thought it would be, but totally worth it.
There’s a sign near the hut that points you in the direction of the Saddle, marked as a 1.5km hike. It was the longest 1.5km of my life.
If you’re sitting on the porch of the hut, you can see two mountains to your right. It appears rocky and steep and I can confirm it is just that. The Gargoyles is on the right and Columnar Peak is the left. The reason we chose the Gargoyles is simply because I saw a video of someone doing it! You could do both if you were feeling up to it, as the climb to the Saddle was the toughest part for me. Scrambling up to summit the Gargoyles was really fun.
Gargoyles to the right, Columnar to the left (pic of mountains)
While the trail to Elfin was a standard hike on even terrain and a clear path, this is more of a challenge due to uneven loose gravel and rocks and the steepness is relentless. There is also no shade which is why we opted to do it early, but it was still extremely hot.
The view from the Saddle is cool as you are closer to Diamond peak, but you need to summit one of the peaks because just when you think you’ve seen it all, even more beauty follows! It is steep and sandy with lots of loose rocks, so you just need to take your time and be conscious of where you’re stepping.
