Hallett Peak was formed by glacial action chipping away until the massive stone face was nothing more than a wall face. The constant weathering by ice and rain continue to chip away at its face, as evidence by the rock accumulated at its base.
Emerald Lake sits in a glacial cirque beneath the Peak. Many people climb this peak via the Flattop trail, crossing the ridge between Flattop Mountain and Hallett Peak carefully above the Tyndall Glacier. The dramatic rock face of Hallett Peak has been a landmark as long as people have visited this area.
Its sharp face attracts many to explore it closely. On one such expedition in 1887, Frederick Chapin of the Appalachian Mountain Club hired a guide to take him over the Divide next to the peak with the steep face. He wrote of this peak gloriously and named it Hallett Mountain. Mr. William L. Hallett was one of the first men in Colorado to enjoy the mountains for the sheer joy of exploration (as opposed to hunting, mining, or building trails and roads) and the sport we now call mountain climbing. He established the first mountain club, Rocky Mountain Club, in 1886.
Our most dramatic views of this peak occur on the Virtual Landscape Hike to Emerald Lake. #
