Colorado Dog Hikes: Crater Lakes
The Crater Lakes Trail takes you to group of lovely alpine lakes located in the James Peak Wilderness. The hike starts easily enough and there is plenty of shade as you wind through dense forests with intermittent crossing through open meadows. The trail can get hard to follow in a few spots so be sure to keep an eye out for the cairns that will show you the way.
There is a third lake that sits higher up, but it looked like quite a scramble up a lot of scree and weren’t sure how Ansel would handle it so we opted to not go any further. We noticed some camping spots along the lower lakes that looked incredibly idyllic. I’d love to come again for a little backcountry camping.
TRIP DATE
JulyLENGTH
6.5 miles; out and backELEVATION GAIN
1,804 feetFEES
NoneTRAILHEAD
Moffat Tunnel East Portal TH on Google Maps.DIFFICULTY
ModerateBEST TIME TO HIKE
Year round (snowshoes/skis necessary in winter)WATER/SHADE
Alternating forests and meadows. You'll reach an outlet stream around 3 miles.DOG RULES
Allowed on leash.If you found this post helpful, you may also like reading about some of my favorite dog-friendly hikes near Denver: