The road to the trailhead was dry at the time. The very beginning section of the road is probably the worst. It was extremely rutted and full of potholes. It could be very problematic if wet and/or the potholes full of water. It continued this way past the first switchback. After that, it got better, though it is quite steep as it climbs up the hillside on switchbacks. As others have reported, the first half mile is the worst. Once it heads up the drainage, it's not too bad, except for a couple other places that were also rutted. 4WD is definitely recommended for access. The trailhead area allows for parking of a half dozen vehicles easily. There is one nice camping area a short distance before the trailhead.
The access trail to the Gore Range trail contours in about a half mile to the intersection. It's an easy stretch along an open, vegetated hillside. We took the southern trail access to Lost Lake. There were no problems following the trail up to there except briefly when it crossed the stream coming out of the large meadow just east of the lake. Just be careful to look for the logs that assist crossing and they'll get you back on track.
Lost lake is definitely lost - a mirror lake below Peaks O and N surrounded by beetle-kill forest. To venture from here into the basin between Guyselman and Peak N is a bushwhacking, route-finding adventure. It goes very slowly. After a mile and a half of dense, beetle-kill forest, you then emerge into boulder-strewn slopes that are little faster. Best advice we can give, go up higher where the forest is thinner, watch for faint game trails. We saw a couple of cairns along the way and left a few more of our own.
From the upper basin between Guyselman and Peak N, gaining either summit becomes easier than the bushwhack or boulder fields. There's actually a little tundra coverage in a few places.
If returning by the same route - good luck. We don't own a GPS - but here is one situation where it could probably help some. Once you enter the forest again on the way back down to Lost Lake, you'll never get another view of the lake - so it's all instinct to get you there. A compass is helpful at a minimum. Nevertheless, we managed to come out at the large meadow just east of the lake by staying on the left (west side) of the main stream as it flowed through the forest. With some persevering through the even difficult meadow, we arrived back at the trail where it crosses the creek that flows through the meadow. From there it was a 3 mile trudge back to the vehicle. In all, it took us 12 hours to complete the climb of Peak N alone. I can see why some are perhaps tempted to traverse from Peak N to O so they can descend O's NE ridgeline back to Lost Lake - however, that reportedly involves a long, slow descent on boulders and rubble as well. Views from the summit of Peak N are impressive. Good luck to anyone trying this route. Be prepared for a lot of scrapes and bruises.
