Colorado Pictures (13 pictures)
Lulu City - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From Estes Park, take 36 to 34 all the way to the Colorado River
Trailhead parking lot (other side of the mountains).
$20 per car for a week's pass or National Parks Pass
Trails:
The Lulu City-Little Yellowstone trail is about 5 miles one-way on
a mostly one-person width (starts out wider) trail. Along the way
to Lulu City, take a short hike up to the mine shaft (can't go in).
Besides the hike up to the mine, it is a mostly flat (but some
elevation change) hike to the Lulu City area. There are a couple
of log cabin foundation remains (not much) along the way, but not
much is left of Lulu City. A short ways past Lulu City is a big
climb up for a mile or two where there is a pretty view of Little
Yellowstone Canyon (pretty, but not really worth all the effort).
Area:
Lulu City is in a valley between the mountains.
When I did the hike:
September 1999
Recommendation:
Unless you have a lot of time at RMNP, don't do the Little
Yellowstone Canyon trail - stick to the trails in the eastern area
of the park. There is not much at Lulu City (not worth a hike just
for that), but Little Yellowstone Canyon is kind of pretty.
Fern Lake Loop - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From Estes Park, take 36 to Bear Lake Rd to the end of the road and
the Bear Lake parking lot.
$20 per car for a week's pass or National Parks Pass
Chemical toilets at parking lot.
Trails:
The trail starts to the right of Bear Lake (pick up a trail map of
the area at the info kiosk at the parking lot if you don't already
have one). A short bit onto the trail is another junction and
take a left (the right is the return spot if you do the full loop).
The packed dirt and rocky trail (well defined trail, but they
didn't clear all the rocks so it isn't smooth (not complaining,
just describing) heads up for a while. After the Flattop Mt
junction (continue straight), the trail is a milder up and it
remains that way almost all the way to Lake Helene (2.5 miles in).
Make sure you get off the main trail and make your way lakeside for
Lake Helene - the prettiest of the lakes along this hike. It is
not a deep lake and there is a nice backdrop of mountain peaks
(probably some snow on them). From the north side of the lake, you
can make your way up a rockcrop for a pretty view down the valley
(don't head down any of the pseudo-trails you see - there is no
trail down to Odessa Lake from there). Back on the main trail, the
trail heads a steady down (no switchbacks) alongside the mountain
for a little over a mile to just past Odessa Lake. At the
junction, the main trail continues straight, but first take the
sharp left and a short level walk to the top of Odessa Lake, a tree
surrounded lake with the peaks visible above. Back on the main
trail, it is .7 miles further and more down to the uneventful Fern
Lake. From there, you can take a .9 mile (one-way) sidetrip to
Spruce Lake. I didn't do it on my second visit (and don't remember
it from my first), but this is what I had written from the first
trip: it's a thinner trail and you have to climb over some rocks,
but the payoff is beautiful. The rest of the hike is uneventful.
It is a little over 2 miles to The Pool (a small area of water (not
lake-sized) along the river). At the junction next to The Pool,
you can either head left for a fairly blah 1.7 miles through the
trees and another .8 miles of road walking to reach the free park
shuttle spot (chemical toilets there) or take a right for a much
harder blah 4.3 miles to complete the loop. The views along the
back portion of the loop are nothing exciting (no peak views), Cub
Lake is nothing to write about, and the trail goes up a small
mountain and down the other side.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: 13.4 miles
2.9 miles Bear Lake to Two Rivers Lake
1.1 miles Two Rivers Lake to Odessa Lake
.7 miles Odessa Lake to Fern Lake
1.0 mile Fern Lake to Spruce Lake
2.2 miles Fern Lake to The Pool
4.5 miles The Pool to Bear Lake
Area:
It's the Rockies. Mountainous with a number of mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
September 1999; Saturday, September 1, 2007 (half-loop)
Recommendation:
The Bear Lake area is gorgeous. I really like Lake Helene, but
could skip the rest of the hike. If you want to do more than just
Helene, do the half-loop with taking the shuttle back to the start.
I felt really sorry for the people who hiked 5 miles from the Fern
Lake trailhead to Fern Lake (a lot of effort for almost no reward).
Emerald-Haiyaha-The Loch loop - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From Estes Park, take 36 to Bear Lake Rd to the end of the road and
the Bear Lake parking lot.
$20 per car for a week's pass or National Parks Pass
Trails:
For this trip I went on the hike that I had planned in 1998, but
got snowed out. I did a pseudo-loop starting from the south of
Bear Lake. The 1.1 miles up to Nymph and Dream lakes are on a 2
person paved (but not smooth) trail. The elevation gain to Dream
Lake is 425 feet. The lakes are very pretty and you can see why
it is the most traveled trail in the park. Past Dream Lake, the
trail thins into a rocky and rooty trail that makes its way up to
Emerald Lake for .7 miles. Emerald Lake is a beautiful mountain
lake with mountains surrounding it. You climb an additional 180
feet to get to Emerald Lake. I started at 6:50 am and had the
trail to myself, but passed more than 15 people just heading back
from Emerald to Dream Lake. Back at Dream Lake, I hooked a right
onto the Lake Haiyaha trail. It starts with a climb over the
mountain and then the elevation change is not quite as dramatic.
After about 1.4 miles from Dream Lake and 320 feet additional
elevation, you reach the large, rocky Lake Haiyaha. There are
lots of fun rock scrambling to be had around this lake. Going
back about .3 miles from Lake Haiyaha is a branch trail towards
The Loch. It's a small trail in that it's a 1 person width and
does not see as much traffic as some of the other trails - the
trail is also going downhill most of the way. At the 4 trail
intersection, take a hard right on to The Loch trail and start
climbing again for a little over a mile. The Loch was another
pretty lake and I enjoyed my lunch break there. Then came my
mistake. Lake of Glass looked to be less than a mile away and I
decided to head for it. See the pretty waterfall in the distance?
The lake is at the _top_ of that. After over a mile of hiking
uphill (not too steep) and over some rocks, I came to 2 snow
fields and the waterfall. The snow fields were steep, but
passable. At the top of the 2nd snow field, you are right next
to the impressive waterfalls. The wonderful view of the falls is
the good news. The bad news is that you have to climb up the
small waterfall to the right - and it's pretty scary. At the top
of the falls is Lake of Glass - a clear mountain lake that almost
makes the climb worth it. Another .3 miles ahead on a thin trail
that involves some rock scrambling is Sky Pond - a bowl encased
lake. If you've come this far, go on to Sky Pond. The climb
back down the waterfall wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was
going to be, but I did butt-slide through the second half of the
2nd snow field (and my fingers were tingling for the next hour).
Back at the 4 trail intersection, head towards the Glacier Gorge
Junction for 1.9 miles - its a little climb for the start and the
downhill for the rest of the way. The trail goes passed Alberta
Falls (the falls at Lake of Glass are more impressive). At
Glacier Gorge Junction, head left for .5 uphill to Bear Lake (I
resisted the strong temptation to take the shuttle from Glacier
Gorge parking lot to Bear Lake). I finished the about 13 mile
hike a little after 5 pm. Ouch.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: 12.7 miles, over 2000 feet
1.1 miles, 425 feet Bear Lake to Dream Lake
.7 miles, 180 feet Dream Lake to Emerald Lake
1.1 miles, 320 feet Dream Lake to Lake Haiyaha
1.9 miles Lake Haiyaha to 4 trail junction
1.5 miles 4 trail junction to The Loch
.8 miles, 720 feet The Loch to Sky Pond
1.9 miles 4 trail junction to Glacier Gorge Junction
.5 miles, 235 feet Glacier Gorge Junction to Bear Lake
Area:
It's the Rockies. Mountainous with a number of mountain lakes
Picture
When I did the hike:
June 24, 2001; Saturday, September 1, 2007 (Dream and Emerald lakes)
Recommendation:
This was a little much for one hike, but all of the sights along
the way were worth it. Definitely go up to Emerald Lake and to
Lake Haiyaha. If you want to go to Lake of Glass and Sky Pond
(and be fully aware that it is a tough hike - I can't not recommend
it though as the sights are worth it), I'd do it on a separate day
(ie, not like I did). The Loch is pretty and worth going to even
without going on to Sky Pond. If you have 2 days, do the loop as
I did it and head towards Mills Lake and Jewel Lake (1 mile) [haven't
been there] from the 4 trail intersection and do The Loch/Lake of
Glass/Sky Pond on a separate day. Start your hikes _early_ to avoid
the crowds. Dream Lake is my favorite lake in the park.
Dream-Haiyaha-Black Lakes loop - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From Estes Park, take 36 to Bear Lake Rd to the end of the road and
the Bear Lake parking lot.
$20 per car for a week's pass or National Parks Pass
Trails:
See the Emerald-Haiyaha-The Loch loop description for most of
of this pseudo-loop hike. After hiking to Dream [Emerald was
temporarily closed due to trail work when I went] and Haiyaha
Lakes and taking the connecting trail between Lake Haiyaha and
Glacier Falls 4-trail junction, I took the branch towards
Glacier Falls (not impressive) and Mills Lake instead of towards
The Loch. It's a mild up from the junction to Mills Lake (with
little shade). Mills Lake is a large mountain lake and there
are some good views and resting spots early on. The trail
continues in the tress along the lake and then goes passed the
small, blah Jewel Lake. And then it is forever and a day 2
miles with some good ups to Black Lake - you'll think you should
be there long before you finally reach it. You're not almost
there until you spot the waterfall, and then it's a hike up next
to the falls. But you are rewarded with a very pretty lake in
a half-bowl. The best views and resting spots are right as you
cross the stream at the front of the lake. The trail does
continue along the lake and there is a small viewing area at the
head of the lake (but may be buggy). There also may be a snow
field near the head of the lake and the falls that feed it (the
trail does continue along the falls and you can off-trail hike
up to Frozen Lake, but I didn't do that). Back at the 4 trail
intersection, head towards the Glacier Gorge Junction for a long
blah 2 miles (it's not a pure down, you head up immediately from
the junction for a good while before it starts going down). You
can cheat and skip the last uphill .5 miles by taking a right
for a mild .3 miles to the Glacier Gorge parking lot and catch
the shuttle back to Bear Lake.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Total: 13.1 miles, over 1800 feet
1.1 miles, 425 feet Bear Lake to Dream Lake
1.1 miles, 320 feet Dream Lake to Lake Haiyaha
1.9 miles Lake Haiyaha to 4 trail junction
.6 miles 4 trail junction to Mills Lake
2.6 miles, 680 feet Mills Lake to Black Lake
1.9 miles 4 trail junction to Glacier Gorge Junction
.5 miles, 235 feet Glacier Gorge Junction to Bear Lake
Area:
It's the Rockies. Mountainous with a number of mountain lakes.
When I did the hike:
July 18, 2005
Recommendation:
Again, it's a lot for a day hike, but it has several worthy
stops along the way (if there was just a way to skip those last
2.5 miles). Dream Lake is probably my favorite Lake in the park.
Black Lake was definitely worth the effort and Mills Lake is
pretty, but can get crowded later in the day.
Start your hikes _early_ to avoid the crowds.
Chasm Lake - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From Estes Park, take Hwy 7 to the turn off on the right for the
Longs Peak area (the turn off is a short ways pass Lily Lake).
Flush toilets at the parking area.
Free [they don't check for a park pass].
Trails:
Nothing like a recent weather-reason failed hike to make you want to
come right back and try again. My unexpected free time (unemployed
and taking the summer off due to other previously planned trips)
and wanting to hit a couple of hikes in Colorado and return to
Glacier National Park prompted an on-the-cheap-side driving trip
with Chasm Lake definitely on the schedule. My first attempt at
this hike was cut short a little over a mile short of my destination
as the skies opened up and it really, really started snowing on me
with a very strong wind - a quick turnaround and fast walking to get
below the tree line - and that was in June. So my 2nd try came with
a beautiful clear day (despite rain prediction) and I reached the
lake with no problem. The trail is 2-person width that starts
climbing right away and continues going up through the woods for
about a mile. It levels for a bit with a mild up and then starts
going up again and goes next to a creek and then later crosses 2
creeks. Shortly after the 2nd creek crossing, the trail comes out
of the forest and is above the tree line the rest of the way and is
a mild up for a bit. After turning a sharp corner, you'll soon have
great views of the peaks. There is a harder up, then a stretch with
a mild up, then a harder up to a ridge. There are posts to tie
horses to at the ridge [the trail does not seem to be used much by
horses - manure traces were very few and old when I went] and an
outhouse to the left of the trail. From the ridge, the trail heads
down to a meadow with a waterfall above - along the way, there are
pretty views down to a lake (not your destination) with falls above
it. There may be a short snow patch along this section - only go
through it if there is a worn boot-path. The meadow is pretty and a
nice resting spot. There is an outhouse up to the left and a patrol
hut/emergency shelter to the right. The good news is that the lake
is just above you, at the top of the pretty falls that feeds the
meadow. The bad news is that it is a little ways ABOVE you. Catch
your breath because the trail becomes a rock scramble up behind the
hut. Take your time, use your hands, and watch your step - follow
the rock cairns when you can and look for footprints where you don't
see cairns or simply just head up. There is one part where you do
have to lift yourself up - it gets a little tricky right there
seeing which way is the best way up and the way you are supposed to
go. The lake is just a short ways after that harder up. Find a
nice spot near the smaller size (not dinky, though) lake and enjoy
the view with Longs Peak above you. It took me 2:45 to get to the
lake. Be careful going back down the rock scramble and take your
time.
Trail Length + Elevation:
4.2 miles, 2,360 feet (one-way)
Area:
Rocky Mountains, woods, creek, above tree line, mountain lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, June 12, 2005; Tuesday, July 19, 2005; Sunday,
September 2, 2007 (part of Longs Peak hike)
Recommendation:
It's a lot of up, up, up. But it is a pretty hike with nice views.
Longs Peak/Keyhole - Rocky Mountain National Park
Directions:
From the town of Estes Park, take Hwy 7 south about 10
miles to the Longs Peak road (on the right) (the turn off
is a short ways pass Lily Lake). Take that road to the
parking area at the end.
Flush toilets at parking area, outhouses at Chasm
Junction (3.5 miles) and the Boulder Field Campground
(5.9 miles).
Free [they don't check for a park pass].
Trails:
Because of the threat of afternoon lightning storms,
this is one of those hikes you have to start in the
middle of the morning (as in before 3 am). I started
at 2:15 am - and I wasn't alone as a lot of people were
doing this hike (didn't help that it was Labor Day
Weekend). With such an early start, you are hiking by
headlamp for several hours. It didn't start to get
light until I was on the backside of Mt. Lady
Washington (past Granite Pass). The trail starts by
heading up (a common theme with this hike) and
switchbacks through the forest (it is a pretty hike,
see the Chasm Lake hike description). There is a
milder section through the Goblins Forest area
(campground) and then more switchbacks ahead before
crossing over the bridge (2 miles). The trail is then
mild for a bit. When it rounds the curve, you head
up again (no switchbacks) and you are above the tree
line. At the junction, take a left and the trail goes
through the open rocky area (not that you can see any
of this) - the trail remains a rocky area (path through
the rocks) the rest of the way. Right before Chasm
Junction is a harder switchback up to the junction.
Take a right at the junction and the trail is fairly
mild as it heads around the east side of Mt Lady
Washington. When the trail rounds the mountain to the
north side, the grade is more up. Shortly past Granite
Pass (4.2 miles) is more switchbacks. When the sun is
out, you'll have nice views the rest of the way of the
valleys and mountains to the west. Then it is milder
to the campground of Boulder Field (5.9 miles). The
views of the Keyhole (a distinct sight of a gap in
a pass that actually looks like a keyhole) and Longs
Peak are great. Someone told me that from the
campground, you can make a (no trail) trek across the
rocks to a low point to the left and have a view
down on Chasm Lake. From the campground, there is no
true trail up to the Keyhole. The parks service calls
it a rock scramble, but the end is more of a rock
climb. It is only about .3 miles from the campground
up to the Keyhole, but you gain 354 feet in that short
distance. There are some cairns along the way up, but
there are multiple ones marking different routes and
it is hard to follow them. So you simply make your
way up (yes, up) the rock field by chosing the route
that looks best to you and/or following others. A
hiking stick will help you maneuver over the rocks
until the last hard bit where you'll need to use your
hands to get up the rocks. It is not a technical
climb as you don't need climbing equipment, but I
heard one person say that it is as non-technical as
you can get before being technical. Take your time,
watch your step, and take plenty of breaks (don't
rush to get up). The Keyhole area is a very small
area and you'll likely be sharing it with other
people. Find a nice spot and sit and enjoy the
great views down on Glacier Gorge Valley below
including a number of mountain lakes [you can hike
to Black Lake, one of the lower lakes you see, from
the Bear Lake area]. Then take a look to the left
and see the trail up to Longs Peak - there are
Bullseye paint spots marking the way along the
mountainside heading to a scree slope and the trail
heads up that slope (on which for the down, you
reportedly have to crab walk). The Keyhole was
actually my planned destination. I was worried
about the last bit for the Longs Peak hike and
decided that I would make my decision for continuing
up to the peak based on what I felt like at the
Keyhole and seeing the rest of the way. I took one
look to the left and said, 'No fricken way!!!' It
is about 1.3 miles and 900 feet gained from the
Keyhole to Longs Peak. Since I didn't do Longs
Peak, I took a sidetrip to Chasm Lake on the way
back down (only .7 miles and 260 feet from the
Chasm Junction).
Trail Length + Elevation:
about 6.2 miles, 3754 feet trailhead to Keyhole
7.5 miles, 4853 feet trailhead to Longs Peak
Area:
Huge mountains and mountain views.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Recommendation:
Even with going just to the Keyhole, it's more of an 'I
did it!' hike than a beautiful hike - you get just as
pretty of a hike going to Chasm Lake. Though the view
of Glacier Gorge Valley from the Keyhole is very pretty.
If you are thinking about going all the way to Longs
Peak, read some of the trip reports out there about the
hike and make sure you understand what you are getting
into - you need to be in great shape to do this hike and
the area past the Keyhole is harrowing.
Lost Lake and King Lake - Hessie area
Directions:
72 to Nederland. 1/2 mile south of Nederland on 72, go west toward
the Eldora Ski Area. At the ski area fork, go straight through the
town of Eldora (the road will become dirt just after the town).
Park at the fork in the dirt road (there's room for a handful of
cars). There is a pretty little trail that goes besides the road to
Hessie (and the road to Hessie is _definitely_ high clearance
vehicles only as it is part creek - there is more parking at Hessie
and a few spots at the end of the road) that includes a small pond
where I got a pretty reflection picture.
No facilities [nearest is in Nederland]
Free
Trails:
Hessie is the site of an old mining town (there are no building
remains at Hessie - just a field). Crossing the bridge over the
river takes you to the trailhead for the Hessie trails. The trail
starts as an old mining dirt road, but there are more rocks than
dirt. A short ways up the road is an abandon cabin that you can
roam around. The road starts with a nice climb up a small
mountain. Near the top, you can see 2 cabins on the mountain side
to the left (look for the orange mounds) - you can get to one of
them from the Lost Lake area. The road continues on and crosses
the stream over a solid bridge. A short ways later (1 mile from
the trailhead), the Lost Lake trail branches to the left for 1/2 a
mile (and a good climb) up to Lost Lake. Lost Lake is a very
pretty lake with a nice view of the rocky peaks of the Continental
Divide in the distance (the base of which is the destination for
the King Lake trail). From Lost Lake, you can see an abandoned
mine on the far hillside. The road continues around the lake and
up to the mine - with a branch to the left up to another (smaller)
mine. An abandoned cabin is also somewhere to the left, but I
didn't bother trying to find a way to it. Back on the King Lake
trail, the road continues for a bit and then crosses the creek
(the last crossing of the creek you'll make until the Bob Lake
branch). Woodland Lake trail heads off to the right and King
Lake trail heads off to the left. And finally you are on a true
trail. The trail narrows to a one-person width and at times
rocky trail that slowly gains in elevation. A ways along the
trail, you can see 2 old train trestles from the old Rollins
Pass Road on the mountainside to the left - before Moffat tunnel
was built, the trains used to go over Rollins Pass and then it
was a road for a number of years before being abandoned.
There's also an old crashed car on the mountainside before the
first trestle. After the trestles, the trail started getting
muddy at spots and I had to hike over a number of small snow
fields (it had snowed 2 weeks before I went). After a little
bit longer, the trail starts heading up a mountain with a number
of switchbacks. At the top was a large rock with snow surrounding
it. I couldn't figure out which way the trail went (there was
a post nearby, but no sign on it with directions). I took one
step into the snow, my foot sunk, and I pulled it out and
decided to stop there. I had lunch and enjoyed the views of
the large granite bowl I was in before heading back. Ya, I know
I was likely at the fork for the King Lake and Bob Lake trails
and only 1/2 mile from King Lake, but I was pretty tired (did a
10 hour hike the day before), sick of hiking over snow (not fun)
and there was snow everywhere (not blanketed, though), the lake
was probably snowed over, I couldn't figure out which way the
trail really was, and I was tired. Despite my cutting my hike
a little short (had planned on hitting King, Betty, and Bob
lakes), it was still a 8 hour and 50 minute hike by the time I
got back to the car. Ouch.
See the King Lake-Devil's Thumb Loop description below for more
details of the King Lake, Betty Lake, and Bob Lake area.
Trail Length + Elevation:
1.75 miles, 777 feet (one-way) to Lost Lake (from parking area)
5.75 miles, 2,422 feet (one-way) to King Lake (from parking area)
Area:
Indian's Peak Wilderness/Roosevelt National Forest: mountains,
trees, abandoned cabins, and mines.
Picture
When I did the hike:
September 1999 (short visit), June 25, 2001
Recommendation:
Once you get passed the old road (and Lost Lake is worth visiting
despite the old road), there are some very nice trails with
interesting sights along the way. The fact that it is isolated
and there are few parking spots means it's not crowded. A great
place to hike (but better with less snow).
Devil's Thumb Trail - Hessie area
Directions:
72 to Nederland. 1/2 mile south of Nederland on 72, go west toward
the Eldora Ski Area. At the ski area fork, go straight through the
town of Eldora (the road will become dirt just after the town.
Park at the fork in the dirt road (there's room for a handful of
cars). There is a pretty little trail that goes besides the road to
Hessie (and the road to Hessie is _definitely_ high clearance
vehicles only as it is part creek - there is more parking at Hessie
and a few spots at the end of the road).
No facilities [nearest is in Nederland]
Free
Trails:
Hessie is the site of an old mining town (there are no building
remains at Hessie - just a field). Crossing the bridge over the
river takes you to the trailhead for the Hessie trails. The trail
starts as an old mining dirt road, but there are more rocks than
dirt. A short ways up the road is an abandon cabin that you can
roam around. The road starts with a nice climb up a small
mountain. The road continues on at a smaller grade and comes to
a bridge with a branch for the Devil's Thumb Bypass heading up to
the right. You can either can either take the bypass or head
across the bridge (the trails meet up later and the distance is
the same). Take the bypass - it's a true trail (not the old road)
and gives you some nice distance views of your destination. The
bypass heads up for a little ways before leveling off and going
through a long meadow. From the meadow, you can see the granite
peaks ahead. Your destination is at the base of the farthest
peak to the right. After the bypass re-joins with the Devil's
Thumb Trail, the trail starts heading up (not steep) and varies
between the old mining road and a one person-width trail. I
encountered lots of snow and water (with streams taking over
parts of the trail - my socks were soaked by the time I got to
the lake) along the way. From the junction for the Diamond Lake
trail, it is 1/2 mile to Jasper Lake. It was an almost pure snow
1/2 mile for me, so I can't tell you what the trail was really
like. When I was there, Jasper Lake was 80% frozen over (very
pretty, though) and there was no way I was going to continue on
to Devil's Thumb Lake with all the snow and threatening clouds
rolling in [I didn't get the expected rain or storms on my way
down, but it started flurrying 15 minutes after I left Jasper
Lake, which was cool]. Back at the branch for the bypass, I opted
for not repeating my path and took the Devil's Thumb Trail back.
I'd recommended using the bypass both ways as from the branch, the
trail is purely the old mining road, there were several stream
parts [maybe dry later in the summer], and no interesting views.
See the King Lake-Devil's Thumb Loop description below for more
details of Devil's Thumb area.
Trail Length + Elevation:
about 5 miles, 1,805 feet (one-way) to Jasper Lake
about 1 mile, 325 feet further to Devil's Thumb Lake
Area:
Indian's Peak Wilderness/Roosevelt National Forest: mountains,
trees, abandoned cabins, and mines.
When I did the hike:
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Recommendation:
Very pretty area. Hiking on the old road isn't that great, but
the mountain lakes are worth it. I went too early in the season,
though, as there was too much snow. Be fore warned: seeing snow
early on the hike is not a good thing as that means there will be
lots more to come. A bonus to the area is that it is not crowded
(the Lost Lake trail gets the most people), even if the parking
area is full.
King Lake - Devil's Thumb Loop - Hessie area
Directions:
72 to Nederland. 1/2 mile south of Nederland on 72, go west toward
the Eldora Ski Area. At the ski area fork, go straight through the
town of Eldora (the road will become dirt just after the town.
Park at the fork in the dirt road (there's room for a handful of
cars). There is a pretty little trail that goes besides the road to
Hessie (and the road to Hessie is _definitely_ high clearance
vehicles only as it is part creek - there is more parking at Hessie
and a few spots at the end of the road). Note that more people have
found the Hessie area and the parking area fills up early on the
weekends.
No facilities [nearest is in Nederland]
Free
Trails:
Hessie is the site of an old mining town (there are no building
remains at Hessie - just a field). Crossing the bridge over the
river takes you to the trailhead for the Hessie trails. The trail
starts as an old mining dirt road, but there are more rocks than
dirt. A short ways up the road is an abandon cabin that you can
roam around. The road starts with a nice climb up a small
mountain. The road continues on at a smaller grade and comes to
a bridge with a branch for the Devil's Thumb Bypass heading up to
the right. For my hike, I did the King Lake branch first, but
would recommend going to the Devil's Thumb area first [mostly to
make sure the Devil's Thumb Pass is not snowed over - it's a
steep down from the pass]. The King Lake trail is described in
more detail above. So after 2 3/4 hours of hiking with mostly a
gentle up (start with a harder up and end with a harder up and
mild in the mild), I reached the top of the waterfall and the Y
junction for Betty Lake and King Lake. I headed to Betty Lake
first - taking a hard right at the junction. The narrow trail
heads up for about .5 mile to the tail of Betty Lake. Betty Lake
is a long, oblong lake next to a mountainside. Pretty, but Bob
Lake is prettier. It's also harder to get to as the trail will
keep disappearing on you. Head along the left side of Betty Lake
and make your way as best you can for about .5 mile to Bob Lake
(it's just above Betty Lake, where you'd expect it to be). Once
you find your way there, sit and have a rest and enjoy the
smaller lake in a mountain bowl. Back at the Y junction, King
Lake is about .5 mile to the left (or straight if you're coming
from Betty lake) and some more climbing. With some careful rock
hopping, you should be able to cross the stream near the Y
junction without getting your feet wet. As you near the lake, you
should see a branch to the right while the trail continues up -
take the branch to reach the lake. King Lake is also in a bowl,
but is not as pretty as one side is pure slate (and maybe snow).
After a rest at the lake, you can continue on the trail heading up
towards Rollins Pass (it's not as hard as an up as it looks). At
the ridge, the trail T intersects with the Continental Divide
Trail. Heading left for a very mild quarter of a mile to the
ghost town of Corona and Rollins Pass (and the parking area for
Rollins Pass for those with 4-wheel drive that came up from Winter
Park). There is hardly anything left of Corona, just one
foundation and a collapsed roof. But the view from the collapsed
roof area down the valley and over to the Y junction area is
wonderful. Back at the T junction, the Continental Divide Trail
heads up over a mountain and continues for about 2 miles (and the
CDT continues passed that) to the Devil's Thumb Pass. However,
there is no sign indicating the Devil's Thumb trail branch and it
is hard to locate it (I passed it, going over the next mountain,
located it looking down into the valley, and had to go back over
the mountain (off trail) sticking to the ridgeline and keeping an
eye out for the trail headed down) - the 2nd reason to recommend
doing this hike the opposite way that I did it. It's a steep
down from the pass for about a mile to the small sized Devil's
Thumb Lake. There is not really a good lake side resting spot
for Devil's Thumb Lake. It's about a mile further at a much
milder down to Jasper Lake, a pretty larger lake. There is a
wet water crossing along the shore of Jasper Lake, right before
the open resting (and camping) area. You can see the Devil's
Thumb trail description above for more information for the hike
to Jasper Lake. It was a long hike for me, but I wasn't
rushing and took long breaks at each lake. Including about an
hour for missing the Devil's Thumb Pass and trying to locate it,
it was over an 11 hour hike for me.
Trail Length + Elevation:
about 5 miles, 2,000 feet to the King Lake-Betty Lake Y junction
about .5 miles, 400 feet to Betty Lake from Y Junction
about .5 miles, 200 feet to Bob Lake from Betty Lake
about .5 miles, 422 feet to King Lake from Y junction
about .5 miles, 250 feet to Rollins Pass
about 2.25 miles from Rollins Pass to Devil's Thumb Pass (not level)
about 1 mile, 595 feet down to Devil's Thumb Lake from the pass
about 1 mile, 375 feet down to Jasper Lake from Devil's Thumb Lake
about 5 miles, 1,805 feet down to trailhead from Jasper Lake
[Note: book descriptions describe the King Lake-High Lonesome Trail
(CDT)-Devil's Thumb Lake loop as a 13 mile hike, but I think it's
a bit longer than that, even without all the side trips I took.]
Area:
Indian's Peak Wilderness/Roosevelt National Forest: mountains,
mountain lakes, trees.
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Recommendation:
It's a very pretty, long loop and worth doing (if the pass
isn't snowed over). If you have a full day and are in
condition, it's worth doing.
Blue Lake - Brainard area
Directions:
72 to Ward. Just north of Ward, you should see a sign for the
Brainard Recreation Area and turn on that paved road and drive
for about 5 miles to the entrance station. If you can find a
parking spot, park in the Mitchell Lake parking lot.
Note that it is very popular.
Chemical toilets at the parking lots.
$7 per car
Trails:
The well used dirt and rock trail goes a mild up for a mile to
Mitchell Lake (not all that pretty). The trail continues passed
Mitchell with a little more up for 2 miles, pass a couple of
small ponds and a stream, to Blue Lake. Blue Lake is in a bowl
with granite peaks above and a small waterfall feeding it. It
was windy when I was there. [I was going to also do the Long
Lake and Lake Isabelle trail in the park, but gave up after
waiting 20 minutes for a parking spot that never came.]
Trail Length + Elevation:
1 mile, 200 feet from trailhead to Mitchell Lake
2 miles, 1100 feet from Mitchell Lake to Blue Lake
Area:
Indian's Peak Wilderness/Roosevelt National Forest: mountains,
mountain lakes, trees.
When I did the hike:
Monday, August 1, 2005
Recommendation:
Na, far too many people (and it costs money) - go to Hessie.
If it was this crowded on a Monday, I could only image how
crowded it gets on the weekend. Because of the trail length,
it probably would be a good outing for a family.