When it comes to the best lake hikes in Colorado, this post has it all. We chose the out and back option, not the loop option. An amazing 8.4 mile round trip hike will take you up the 2,552-ft. to Island Lake. To be honest though, I’m constantly on the go, always moving, and got very restless spending all day in one place. The turn off will be for South Mineral campground and the parking lot is adjacent to it at the very end. Getting antsy for another Southwest adventure... b The best views really do come after the hardest cl Ice Lake exceeded my expectations – the blue hue in the deep section of the lake and the aqua color of the shoreline were unreal… the morning reflection of the rainbow-colored mountain from all the wildflowers made it all more surreal. Again, creek crossing shoes and poles may be helpful, especially early in the hiking season. Your email address will not be published. On the four-mile trail to the lakes, hikers pass several legacies of the fortune-seekers who settled Silverton in the late 1800s — mines and equipment abandoned when the price of metal fell in the 1920s (though the last large mine in the area didn’t close until 1991). The trailhead is just outside Silverton, CO (southwest Colorado). DIRECTIONS: Island Lake is located along Hwy 65 (Grand Mesa Scenic Byway), 23 miles south of the town of Mesa, CO or 16 miles north of Cedaredge, CO. Or a map that you can get to help guide the way? The Ice Lakes Basin Trail is located near Silverton, Colorado, within the Columbine Ranger District of San Juan National Forest.The Ice Lakes Basin trailhead begins from the dirt parking lot across the road from South Mineral Campground.The parking lot is at N 37 48.394, W 107 46.428, The trail … No storms while we were there, but so darn windy all weekend. Thanks for sharing- this hiking trip looks awesome! Getting There To reach Island Lake in Nevada County, drive to the Carr Lake trailhead by taking Highway 20 from Highway 80 at Yuba Pass.Take Highway 20 west until you can turn right on Bowman Lake Road. Island Lake sits in a small cirque directly beneath Ulysses S Grant Peak, and is made especially pretty by the small island right at the center. It’s so much that we even saw some tents pitched on them. The cliffs are about 30-50 feet tall. To do both of … This out-and-back uses the West Branch Trail #960 in its entirety up to Carey Lake and Island Lake and was done as a one-night backpack. Dogs are also able to use this trail. The colors seem surreal, a beautiful turquoise lake, surrounded by high peaks. Mystic Island Lake is about 4.5 miles from the Fulford Campground along the Lake Charles Trail in the northwestern Sawatch Range. After setting up our campsite upon arrival, we had an early dinner, watched the sunset and early bedtime. Island Lake Via Ice Lakes Trail [CLOSED] is a 7.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Ophir, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The lake sits in a basin at the foot of Ulysses S. Grant Peak (13,767). Island Lake lies just 0.5 miles and 250 vertical feet above the Upper Ice Lakes. The hike to Island Lake via Ice Lake Trail is 3.23 miles directly from the parking lot near Silverton, CO. For Labor Day weekend, August 29 – Sept 2, 2019, I took a little road trip to finally hike in the San Juan Mountains. This hike is commonly hiked from June – October since snow will make this a much more challenging (and potentially less beautiful) hike. Let’s get the dry, statistical information out of the way before delving into the juicy highlights for this adventure. Map(s) - Trails Illustrated: #112 Poudre River Cameron Pass; Mountain Jay - Rawah Wilderness Map(s) - USGS 7-½ î Quadrangles: Chambers Lake, Clark Peak, Rawah Lakes TRAILHEAD LOCATION: Upper Poudre River Area: Drive 53.7 miles on CO-14 from Teds Place to mm 69.5. Yes the trail is very straightforward for the whole loop! I was actually a little discouraged for the first three miles or so of the trail. You’ll reach a waterfall one mile in and have another mile to go before you reach the junction that splits off to Ice lake and Island lake. The trailhead parking and campground lot are also visible some 2,300 feet below. Thank you so so much for sharing all of this! This blog is only for the highlight trail of the trip: Island Lake and Ice Lake in San Juan National Forest. Red path is an estimation of the remainder of the trail.). Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. The trail begins at the trailhead next to the Fulford Cave Campground and meanders up to Lake Charles, a good destination for those wanting a shorter hike. Follow on Instagram. The trail is 1.9 miles each way with a net elevation gain of 940 feet and terminates at Island Lake at just over 9,700 feet in elevation. Along the way there is some evidence of old mining activity, including mine tailings. You can camp anywhere around the lake and campfires are permitted. From the trailhead you quickly start gaining some decent altitude. Hello! [Day 2: Sat 8/31] For the second day, we were thinking about day hiking to Ice Lake, but it took so much effort and energy to make it to Island lake which I’ve been wanting to see for years that we decided to have my very first ever zero-day in the mountains at just enjoy Island Lake. Most people hike clockwise to Ice lake first and then Island lake after, but my friend recommended we go counter-clockwise first to Island Lake to get all the elevation over with which I’m glad we did. To reach the trailhead from the intersection of Highway 550 and the turnoff to Silverton (Highway 110), drive 2 miles north on Highway 550 to County Road 7, located between mile markers 72 and 73. The trailhead is a mile or two north of the Silverton exit, where you’ll head west and onto a dirt road for probably 15 minutes. BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK, SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. Were there some spots that were covered? We were expecting the trail to be very crowded because it’s a major holiday weekend which would have sucked after traveling from 850 miles away, but we were pleasantly surprised and had almost the entire place to ourselves in the evenings. Thank you so much! PS – it’s very exposed and hard to find a covered area to use the restroom… but where there’s a will, there’s a way. The parking area is limited in size and is less than a half mile short of Wood's Lake, which is on private property. There is a clearly marked trailhead at this parking lot for Ice Lake. It may be one of the prettiest lakes on the Grand Mesa. Island Lake is just over 1/2 mile further up the trail. Island Lake surely got its name from the flat-topped rock that is visible whenever water levels ebb. It was so informative reading your post!I’m planning to do this trip around the same time you did it , 8/28-8/29. The colors seem surreal, a beautiful turquoise lake, surrounded by high peaks. We woke up to the heat of the sun but stepped outside to the chill mountain air, spent the entire day hanging out at camp, enjoying the lake from all sides, had a snowball fight, and even paddled to the island in the lake on my new packraft (definitely worth hauling up)! We didn’t stay at this lake very long since we wanted to jump on another trail for our last night in the San Juan Mountains, so we were on our way within half an hour after a quick snack, and got off the trail from Ice Lake to the parking lot in just under two hours. The signed trail departs from the west end of the trailhead parking lot, located across from the South Mineral Campground (see driving directions below). Jackie, Juno and I hiked up to the Ice Lakes & Island Lake in late September 2018. Ice Lake has to be one of the most spectacular destinations for the hiker that wants an experience to remember. Did you catch any afternoon storms while you were there? When the sun was out, the temps were perfect, but when the clouds took over (which was often), the chill came. Take a hike. Island Lake supports a small population of Brook trout. Check conditions (snowfields may persist through June, though unlikely this year) and head out on the Ice Lakes Trail past its namesake basin, which should be filled with an array of blooms in summer, near mile 2. Parts of the Island Lake trail have been damaged by landslides, creating some exposed areas. An amazing 8.4 mile round trip hike will take you up the 2,552-ft. to Island Lake. Out and back, the hike to Ice Lake Basin is a 7 to 7 1/2 mile roundtrip, not including Island Lake. There was still snow by Island lake when we visited in August. In addition to that, were there a lot of tents around ice lake when you went there? The Blue Lake parking lot and trailhead will be on your right (west side of From the trailhead, the route to Lake Charles runs roughly 5 miles and ascends approximately 2000 vertical feet. Hi Kira, I don’t know how the bear situation is there right now, didn’t have any issues when I went. 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