Barr Lake

Distance: 9 mile loop
Elevation gain: none, flat
Dogs: Not allowed
Critters: Birds, birds birds!
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes

Distant view of birds out on Barr Lake

Barr Lake is a State Park filled with waterfowl. I went there to try out my new 500mm Canon lens. The lake was too low to get very close to the birds but the scenery made up for it. All the marsh plants were high and dry and a fall-ish rusty color. The weather was also sublime, particularly knowing that the following day it was supposed to snow!

A group of Cackling Geese (Branta hutchinsii) swim past some of their sleeping cousins [Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)]. Until recently, the Cackling Goose was thought to be a sub-species of the Canada Goose. They have shorter necks, are smaller in general, and have a dark breast.

A half of a mile from the shoreline was a small cluster of birds. These include Pelicans and Cormorants.

American Coot (Fulica americana) was a common site at the lake.

I was surprised at how built up the area is around the lake. There is one large shopping mall nearby and the ubiquitous Starbucks a few miles away for those who need their fix. It was not long ago that Barr Lake was practically "in Kansas" it was so far out on the plains. Humans are encroaching here as well.

My prized shot, a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) roosting in a tall Cottonwood tree. We had stood under this tree for half an hour taking pictures, walked on and met some birders who asked if we had seen the owl. We raced back and there he was. I "hoo hoo'ed" at him and he open his eye ever so slightly. From the ground and with the naked eye he looked like just part of the tree. See how his banded feathers make him blend in with the tree bark?

Bald Eagle from a mile a way. Compared with my photos of Bald Eagles from the Bird Islands Nova Scotia, this shot is particularly dull. You can walk right up to this snag however.

Female Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

The park contains a nice nature center, which puts on educational programs. There was the typical stuffed birds and animal skins. I wrapped the fox skin around my neck and struck a naughty, aristocratic pose. Fortunately, only the ghosts of the birds lining the walls were there to poo poo my shameful behavior. The nature center also has a solarium with a nice couch overlooking an extensive bird feeder. Numerous Sparrows and Blue Jays could be seen hopping about feeding area.

Views of the Lake

The trail around the lake is a broad dirt road intermixed with side trails and board walks. While long, it is any easy walk. Since we were all loaded down with camera gear we only managed to travel 1.5 miles to a gazebo that juts out into the water. From there we saw the resident Bald Eagle on its perch a mile away. Some large deer with huge antlers could be seen cowering under the shrubbery near the eagle's nest. The closest birds were only 0.3 miles from the nature center however near a nice shaded sitting area.

Boardwalk from the Gazebo. At one point this was all over water.

Some areas of the lake are totally overgrown now

I have no idea if the water level in Barr Lake is seasonal or if drought has kept it low. For now it is better enjoyed as a broad panorama vice a photographers mecca.

Emerald Lake Snowshoe

Trail Length: 3.4 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,475 ft -10,090 ft
Elevation gain: 615 ft (net),  1,000 ft (cumulative)
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: Not allowed, National Park
Update Date: 20 Dec 2014
Tags: #coloradooutdoors, #rmnp, #snowshoe, #mountainlake

Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park 

No winter season should go by without a quick jaunt up to Dream and Emerald Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. This snowshoe has everything a winter aficionado needs; wind swept trees, frozen lakes, towering peaks, and sometimes life-sucking chill.

Trailhead at Bear Lake. The cabana is out of sight to the left. Bear Lake is straight ahead. The route to Dream Lake is to the left and is well marked with a sign. 

Starting out on the well packed trail. 

The trail starts at Bear Lake, and there are helpful volunteers scurrying amongst the hordes offering friendly advice, but alas no hot chocolate or cookies. This significantly reduces their utility in my mind.

The route is across tiny Nymph Lake and through the trees to the left. 

On a broad shelf

While there are several ways to get to the Emerald Lake, the images in this post profile the summer route, which should be well tracked and easy to find.  Recent snow or breath of wind, can and will obscure things, so be prepared to find your way if necessary.

A rare open area

Crossing Dream Lake

After a short stroll through the trees near Bear Lake, the trail begins to climb steeply, which in some places can be quite steep and potentially very deep. I have seen tourists bite the dust quickly on this segment.  Anyone with a modicum of fitness however, can easily scale these humps to the shelf above.

Lichens add a touch of green to an otherwise gray landscape.

The route past Dream Lake

0.6 miles up the trail is the first milestone,  Nymph Lake at 9,705 ft and 231 ft elevation gain. The route crosses it on the left and then heads sharply uphill to a view point. The route then follows a shelf overlooking a drainage until it reaches a broad meadow. Shortly there after is Dream Lake (see it in the fall), which is austere, windblown, and bordered by twisted, claw-like trees. Here, sculptures carved in ice, rock, and wood stand vigil. Dress warmly though and bring your goggles and face mask! Those twisted trees did not get that way from pleasant pastoral breezes. The winds here whip and blow in constant, blinding vortices. Dream Lake (at 1.2 miles) is located 9,912 ft for a total of 437 ft of elevation gain.

Emerald Lake is just through the trees

Emerald Lake on a snowy day

Sometimes I have crossed Dream Lake on the side and other times straight down the middle. It all depends upon the visibility and ever present wind chill.  The numerous cracks in the ice make seem daunting, but in the middle of winter the lake should be safe.

Hallet Peak on a sunny day

I have photographed this twisted pine on every trip to the lake. Years go by for me, but for this aged giant, a year is but a brief moment.  

Emerald Lake is a half-mile beyond Dream Lake and is achieved after another short accent that winds through the trees. It sits below Hallett Peak, which can be gray and dreary, shrouded in clouds like an Ansel Adams portrait or graced by a halo of sunshine and blue skies. I have never crossed Emerald Lake but have certainly seen enough people on the far side. It is much deeper than Dream Lake though, so use caution.

While short and windy this snowshoe has the advantage of being close to the Metro Area and without avalanche danger.

Ice Lakes

Distance: 8 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,850 ft - 12,270 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,420 ft (net) 2,736 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Off leash
Bathroom at the trailhead: Yes
Date Hiked: 27 Aug, 2013

Surreal Ice Lake near Silverton Colorado is mind-blowing in a good way. 

Ice Lakes near Silverton CO is one of THE premier hikes in the state. Not only is the destination an otherworldly cerulean blue lake nestled beneath towering spires, but the journey itself will take you up several shelves filled with water falls, majestic pines, and dramatic boulder fields. If you are traveling to Colorado to hike, this should be at the top of your list.

Looking up to the first shelf from the trailhead. 

Standing on a small spur trail looking at the upper falls. The trail crosses what turned out to be Clear Creek on some rickety logs far below and then switch-backed up to this point. It looks like the trail use to cross here, but I would stick to the new trail and not chance the dilapidated construction. 

The trailhead to Ice Lakes starts at the far end of South Mineral Campground. You get there by taking highway 550 north from Silverton for two miles and then county road 7 for 4 miles. While the route to the campground is well marked, there is no signage at the trailhead. If you find yourself continuing up a rough 4x4 road off into the trees, you will have gone to far. The trailhead is actually in a large parking lot across located across from the bathrooms. We missed it because it was empty and looked like just another part of the campground.

Crossing some of the rock rivulets on the first shelf

The route leaves the upper shelf through a series of steep switchbacks that wander in and out of stands of Spruce and Fir Trees. 

Even though the elevation gain on this hike was close to a hefty 3,000 ft, the trail was so soft and the switchbacks so continuous, that I practically glided upwards. The only confusing moment came around 1.0 miles near the upper segment of a large water fall that the trail laboriously skirts. Near the top of the falls the trails begins to descend again and heads off in a totally different direction. Since we did not know where the lake was in relation to the various cliffs visible from below we wondered if we were meant to take one of the many social trails around the falls.

The first view, at 2.6 miles, of the second shelf. Ice Lake is on the next shelf. 

Walking through the fall color to base of the second shelf

A half a mile from the upper falls, the trail breaks out into a wide sloping meadow below the first set of cliffs. Rivulets of rock cascade down from above and the route crosses these several times as it inches upwards. Don't worry about the imposing vertical barrier ahead. The trail will sidle off to the left and enter the trees where a few tenths of a mile and a hard pounding assent will take you up to the next shelf.

The second shelf is surrounded on three sides by vertical cliffs dripping with waterfalls. 

Looking up at some old mine tailings. 

The stroll across this middle shelf was a journey to a Coloradan Shangri-La. Despite the fall color, the air was humid and the ambience tropical. Had we passed through a wormhole that had transported us to Hawaii? There were waterfalls cascading down all three sides of the amphitheater-like bowl and water was clinging to our shoes deposited there from the overgrown shrubbery. I did not want to leave this unusual place but my friends had already bolted ahead towards the final pitch (at 3.3 miles, 11,500 ft) so I gamely began to climb the cliff face near a large waterfall on the left.

We got quite wet crossing this stream to get to the base of the second shelf. If you follow the stream into the meadow a bit there are a couple of places you can jump over with little difficulty. 

Heading up the wall of the second shelf. The route will go close to the waterfall on the left.

We did run into some mid-westerners who had turned around at this point claiming the exposure and terror of this segment drove them whimpering backwards. With some trepidation I began to ascend the well defined but steadily upwards-sloping route at the base of the bowl. Within two tenths of a mile the route did indeed get rocky but it was at least ten to fifteen yards wide and only required the most modest of bracing on the uneven terrain. Unless you have never stepped off the sidewalk in your life this portion will be a piece of cake.

Looking down on the route from half-way up the wall of the second shelf

The easy trail to the third shelf

From this point on, the route traverses horizontally across the face of the bowl as it weaves in and out of the steadily diminishing shrubbery. There is still a ways to go once you reach the upper shelf, but you will sense the lake is near and hasten your step for that final view.

Oh and what a view it is. Ice Lake is a geologic marvel. Its startling color looks more like a fancy liqueur than a mountain tarn. The blue comes from "rock-flour", superfine ground up rock produced by glaciers. When the glaciers that used to exist there melted, they deposited this material in the lake itself. This rock is so small that it remains suspended in the water instead of sinking to the bottom. These particles absorb the reds, yellows, and oranges in sunlight allowing only the blues to be reflected back to the eye. Ice Lake is seriously and totally blue. The kind of "did I toke too much?" sort of mind-blowing blue. Wow is all I can say.

Once you reach the third shelf, the lake is still a ways away. 

After sitting awhile, my brain cells popping in awe like overheated popcorn, I wandered off to the left where a short distance takes you to a small, alas boringly green, tarn further up the shelf. This is pleasant though because you get better views of the eroded spires that frame the lakes. You can continue another half mile to Fuller Lake but after 4 plus miles I was not in the mood to wander all over planet. I wanted another fix of Ice Lake.

Ice Lake...ahhhhh

To the right of the Lake is another trail that heads up and around the cliff face to Island Lake that apparently has a small round outcropping smack in the middle of it. We did not go there either but several other hikers did. Apparently it is worth the extra effort.

Small but scenic Upper Ice Lake

Spud Lake

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,438 ft - 9,824 ft
Elevation Gain: 380 ft
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs: Off leash
Date Hiked: 26 August, 2013

Quiet Spud Lake

Spud Lake is a small scenic lake between Durango and Silverton Colorado. It is mentioned in the 100 Classic Hikes book as a great place to bring a family. Just note that the family needs to have a high-clearance 4x4 because West Lime Creek Road, which connects Highway 550 to Spud Lake has deteriorated badly. The road is not a technical 4x4, but it is a very rocky one. A sedan would bottom out quickly.

These cliffs appear on West Lime Creek Road just before the Trailhead. That meadow is part of Scout "Lake"

The Lilly Pads on what is left of Scout "Lake"

The two wooden posts marking the trail. You can't see these from the road.

Finding the trailhead to Spud Lake is also tricky. We were coming from the south while looking at a map that flipped north and south and so was expecting the trailhead to be on the right instead of the left. Let me set the record straight. When driving north on West Lime Creek Rd (Forest Road 591), the first clue is Scout Lake on the right-hand side of the road. Be advised...maps makes Scout Lake look much larger than it is. It is really more of a Lilly Pad covered pond quickly turning into a meadow. Just past this milestone (at roughly 3 miles) the road turns to the right and heads up hill. There was an ATV parked at this curve, which gave us a clue. We parked and looked around. There was a social trail heading west and a larger jeep road heading north. 20 yards up the jeep road were two vertical wooden posts sticking out of the road to block traffic. This was the marker in the book that indicated the trail. Still, it was not until we met a backpacker on the way down did we feel comfortable that we had found the right spot. There is no signage at all in the area and it feels pretty remote.

Heading up through Aspens

The trail is not devoid of vistas.

The trail to Spud Lake is not difficult and winds pleasantly through Aspen, interesting rock formations, and past numerous Beaver ponds. I confess I was tired on this trip, however. We had hiked West Lime Creek earlier in the day and I was hot and thirsty by the time we reached the lake. Given the isolation and easy access to the water, I decided to go for a swim. This turned out to be the highlight of the day. Unlike many mountain tarns, Spud Lake is not ice-cold and makes for a thoroughly refreshing dip.

One of the many Beaver ponds that exist on cascading shelves.

This sandy "beach" provides gradual access to the water and may be why the 100 Classic Hikes author thought the lake was ideal for small children. I don't have kids, but I am not sure that is a sufficient draw.

These interesting peaks border the eastern end of the lake.

The lake itself is surround by high cliffs and Fir trees. There are plenty of places to fish and lounge and after the first five minutes had the place to ourselves. If you are in the area, and can get to the trailhead, it would be a nice way to spend an afternoon.