サウォッチ山脈の湖・トップ20

Lake Ann is an amazing alpine lake just below Lake Ann Pass. It sits above treeline and there a just a few spots to pitch a tent that are kind of sheltered. You can pitch next to a small stream in a ditch or hike a little further along the south shore towards a rocky incline with some trees to find suitable spots to spend the night.

That was the starting point for our trail up to Mount Elbert.

Bear Lake is a beautiful alpine lake close to the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail. There is a spur trail running around the lake. It is a great spot to spend time and is also home to brook trouts.

Located between Basalt and Leadville, Colorado, the Fryingpan Lakes are nestled at the foothills of several two 13,000 foot peaks (Mount Oklahoma and Deer Mountain) and a 14er (Mount Massive). The lakes themselves are a little over 11,000 feet high. The lakes are often fished, but most people stop at the first lake (making the upper two lakes more private).

The more northern miles of Turquoise Lake Trail (the section past the campsites) are known for being the rootier, rockier, hillier, and more technical portions of trail. With rocky access down to the shore at the end towards May Queen Campground, the rest of this section of trail stays in the trees crossing creeks and bridges.

There are actually quite a few alpine lakes in the Holy Cross Wilderness, but the West Tennessee Lakes are some of the least visited. They are a beautiful collection of alpine lakes above treeline, but the primitive wilderness trail leading to the lakes can be overgrown and buggy in the warmer months when the trail is thawed out. The West Tennessee Lakes are actually a collection of three lakes. The first lake is much smaller than the upper lakes. To get to the highest (and biggest) lake, you can follow a sometimes visible goat trail and gain elevation quickly at the end of the official trail. It can be a wet journey to get to the upper lakes, but it is absolutely worth the work.

Bear Lake sits right at 11,070 feet elevation within the Holy Cross Wilderness. There are many ponds off the side of the Colorado Trail close to Bear Lake, but the actual lake is down the spur trail headed south. It's pretty rough terrain for running, but the Colorado Trail offers runnable terrain.

This is actually the site of the first aid station for the Leadville Trail 100 mile run. May Queen Campground serves as the western terminus of Turquoise Lake Trail. There is river/lake beach access from the campground parking area, and you can even walk out onto the lake in the spring when it is still frozen. The campground itself is a USFS campground with reservable sites and vault toilets right next to the trailhead.