Crater Lake

Hike Name: Crater Lake Location: central CO Length: 9 Submitted by: Loren Bechtum Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more Colorado trail reviews Colorado national parks Colorado state parks
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Description
This hike is located in the Indian Peaks wilderness of the Roosevelt national forest. It is a well marked trail on which you cross Cascade creek 3 times and hike around two good sized waterfalls.
At the very end of the backpack you have one final set of swithbacks on which the trail is poorly marked. Cater lake is a medium sized mountain lake surrounded by peaks on 3 sides. Fishing was poor when we were there but as is typical of mountain lakes a month earlier it was excellent. The trail is hard packed with some fist size and larger rock. Except for 5 segments the grade is realitively flat and all of it dry except for one section right after the Pawnee pass trail split. Do it as a backpack and start early in the day so you can take your time getting there. We were there midweek and only two other groups were on the lake. We came down on Friday and droves of people were coming up the trail.

Directions to Hike
From Granby Colorado take 34 to Lake Granby
and take FR125 to the Monarch lake trailhead. Take the Buchanan pass trail to the split at cascade creek, cross the bridge and stay on the trail around cascade falls to the Pawnee pass split. Take the right split and through a narrow trough, this is the wet part, over the top and down into flats below mirror lake. Cross the single log creek crossing and stay on the trail until you are above Mirror lake and you have the option of going up to the right or straight. Go right this is the last climb and at the top take the first left fork and you are at the first camp site on Crater lake.

Contact Information
Sulphur Ranger
district, USDA Forest
Service, 62429 U.S. Highway 40, P.O. box 10,
Granby, Co. 80446
970-887-4100

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