レイク郡の天然記念物・トップ12

To be honest, it's a bit disappointing that they haven't managed to install a decent summit cross or other special marker on Colorado's highest mountain. Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico are much better at that on their highest mountains.

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.

A wonderful hike in the "tundra", for a long time above the 4000m mark, former mines are falling into disrepair along the way; often visited but always nice conversations at the summit; be careful with the thunderstorm warning! Open mountain flank!

Chalk Mountain is the western summit looming 500 feet above Fremont Pass off of Highway 91. At 12,017 feet, Chalk Mountain is not the highest mountain in the area, but because it's above treeline, it offers great 360 degree views. The summit proper is in a wide open alpine meadow and offers views of the Climax Molybdenum Mine, Mount Democrat (14,155 feet), Mount of the Holy Cross (14,009 feet), and much of the Mosquito range running down the northern Arkansas River Valley.

A seldom visited peak, Horseshoe Mountain sits at 13,898 feet and is easily combined with other peaks on the same ridge in the Mosquito Range. There is a summit registry at the top accompanied by 360 degree views over Weston Pass, Horseshoe Pass, and into the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness. The approach to the peak is very doable, but it's really rocky, and the trail seems to disappear at times. On your way to the summit, don't forget to stop at Horseshoe Pass and take in the views down into California Gulch.

At 14,043 feet, Mount Sherman is one of the highest peaks in the Mosquito Range. Like the other peaks in the grouping, Sherman is a rocky pile of talus. The trails reaching the summit ridge are steep, and the ridge itself is a mess of scree and sandy trails. With its short and straightforward approaches, Mount Sherman is one of the most frequently climbed 14ers in the state. There is limited running up the steep slopes to the peak, but the ridge itself and the way down serve as a fun, rocky trail run.

Mount Democrat is a very popular mountain summit in the Mosquito Range. Its peak rests at 14,155 feet, and it's a relatively short trek from the upper parking lot (situated over 12,000 feet) to the top. Hiking is a must on the way up, but if you are good at jogging on scree, you can do some running on the ridge between the peaks. Mount Democrat serves as the first 14er in the DeCaLiBron loop when being completed in the clockwise direction. Because there is a lot of private property on the DeCaLiBron loop, all four peaks (including Democrat) are subject to closure by the private landowners.

Chalk Mountain is the western summit looming 500 feet above Fremont Pass off of Highway 91. At 12,017 feet, Chalk Mountain is not the highest mountain in the area, but because it's above treeline, it offers great 360 degree views. The road to the top is smooth dirt and runnable the entire way. The summit proper is in a wide open alpine meadow and offers views of the Climax Molybdenum Mine, Mount Democrat (14,155 feet), Mount of the Holy Cross (14,009 feet), and much of the Mosquito range running down the northern Arkansas River Valley.