Devils Causeway Hike

Distance: 6.0 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,298 ft - 11,608 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,721 ft
Dogs: Voice and Sight Control (Flat Tops Wilderness)
Date Hiked: 21 Sept 2010
Tags: #hiking, #coloradooutdoors, #FlatTops, #gearguide
Other Trails in the area: Trapper's Lake, Skinny Fish Lakes, Flat Tops Scenic Drive
Topo Map: Flat Tops

The Devils Causeway

Devil's Causeway is one of the most notorious hikes in Colorado. This hike, which ascends the Chinese Wall in the Flat Tops Wilderness, contains a narrow 3-foot wide, 25-yard long segment of broken rock with 1,500 ft drops on either side. This segment, which gives the trail its name, is demonic indeed. Anyone with the slightest bit of acrophobia will cower, cringe, and otherwise drool on themselves with anxiety. The pictures of this chunk of rock do nothing to convey the emotional impact of the drop off so don't be fooled. This is a PTSD inducing experience. Save time and bring along a psychiatrist.

Trailhead with bathrooms

Hiking along the lake

If you ARE wickedly afraid of heights, don't skip this trail. The Causeway is down the ridgeline and there are several lovely spots to lounge on less scary spots to admire the views. To the south is Flat Top Mountain and to the north is the Lost Lake region. I could have stayed up there all day watching the raptors fly in the distance.

Sunlight glinting off the lake

Wispy clouds and suspended raptor

The trailhead for Devil's Causeway is at the far end of Stillwater Reservoir west of Yampa. The road dead ends into a large parking area near the dam. The trail follows the shoreline of the reservoir for 0.8 miles and minimal elevation gain before cutting inland to another trailhead. Take the right fork for the East Fork Trail. This is the trail to the Causeway.

Trail junction with the East Fork Trail

The Chinese Wall comes into view

After the fork, the trail wanders through a Lodgepole/Fir forest and at 1.08 miles comes to the Wilderness Boundary and the first good view of the Chinese Wall. At 1.63 miles the trail breaks out of the trees and traverses a long slope covered in talus. To the left is Little Causeway Lake and in front is a bare basin with an obvious saddle. The route looks more intimidating than it is. It does not take very long to get to the base of the saddle. Be sure to turn around every once in a while to admire the view behind you.

Heading into the trees

The first view of the saddle

From the base of the saddle, there are a series of lazy switchbacks. We met two hikers coming down who had just returned from the Causeway. One indicated that he had gotten about 1/3 of the way across but turned around because of the shifting winds. The other gentlemen indicated that he had been up to the Causeway at least 6 times and each time he had only been able to get within 50 yards of it. This served to freak me out and I started getting the ebbie jebbies on the uppermost switchback that narrowed unnervingly. Fortunately, the saddle is a broad plateau and not a narrow ridge. While the wind was blowing like Zeus, I at least could catch my psychological breath.

The trail heads across the talus field to the right.

Little Causeway Lake from the talus slope

The ascent up to the top of the Chinese Wall looks more intimidating than it is. While there is a drop off on either side, the trail travels up the middle with limited views on either side. The biggest challenge is that the route is very steep and very loose. At one point I could not stand up at all and was leaning into the slope with my feet sliding backwards in the dust. There was nothing for my hands to grab onto except a few loose rocks and more dust. Be sure to take a break half way up to admire the view.

Heading across flats toward the saddle

My destination from the area below the saddle

At the top of the ridge is an area filled with willows and rocks. To the right was a nice flat area where I dumped by pack. No way was I taking it to the Causeway. The wind had died down a bit which was nice. I started walking towards the Causeway, camera in hand. It is a short 2 minute walk. As soon as it came into view, I started cackling nervously and I confess a few unprintable explicatives passed my lips.

Getting closer to the saddle

Looking down on the switchbacks

As trail became more and more narrow and I continued on much to my personal amazement. I was on the cusp of the rocky portion of the Causeway when all of a sudden the vertigo hit as my peripheral vision picked up the drop offs on both sides. I landed with an ignominious thud in the dirt. I quickly wedged by butt into a small rock circle to give my mind the illusion of stability. Nuclear War or perhaps a slobbering carnivore might have gotten me moving again, but not much else. I turned around and my hiking partner had collapsed about 30 yards behind me. I coaxed her forward to my position. I have heard Devils Causeway described this way...walking, walking, walking, HIT THE DECK. I found this to be startlingly true.

On the saddle. Note the wind-filled jacket.

Looking up at the final pitch

From my vantage point I could look, after much Lamaze breathing, straight down the right side of the wall. Lost Lake valley loomed in the distance, and the wall curved photogenically around to the right. While I snapped pictures of the view, the dogs poked around on the rocks, increasing my vertigo with each bounding leap.

The view to the east from half way up the final pitch

On top of the Chinese Wall. The Devil's Causeway is just ahead. Would you go any further?

Finally, after sitting there for 10 minutes or so my mind said enough and I lumbered upwards and flung myself back down the trail. Reaction to this story has been mixed. Some of my friends have shuddered at the mere thought, others have laughed knowing that they crawled on their bellies across. Devil's Causeway is a highly personal experience.

The dogs frolic on the Devil's Causeway. This picture makes it seem a broad plateau. It feels much more narrow.

The view of the Chinese Wall from my butt-planted position.

Fall colors on the left side of the Wall

Since the views of Flat Tops is so spectacular, I found my pack and moved to a large plateau where I could lounge, eat, and reflect. As I said in my intro, if you don't like heights, ascending to the wall for lunch is still a viable option.

Lost Lake and the north side of the ridge

Flat Top Mountain from my lunch spot

This hike is featured in Colorado's Hundred Classic Hikes. I have yet to hike a trail in this book that was not spectacular. Buy from Amazon and I will receive a small commission.

Trappers Lake

The amphitheater is the most recognized feature around Trappers Lake

Trappers Lake is at the heart of the Flat Tops Wilderness. Once a gem of phenomenal beauty, it is now scared by the skeletal remains of the 2002 Big Fish Fire. When I chose this destination, I had no idea of this fire. Most guidebooks of the area were written before this date and don't include it in their descriptions.

Crossing the outlet

Looking southeast from across the outlet

The lake, which is a true wilderness lake, must be walked into although the walks are as short as 1/4 mile. I took pictures at two common areas. The first is from the Outlet Trail on the north side of the lake. As you drive in, the road forks just past the local lodge. The left fork dead ends at a berm. The outlet trail climbs up this berm and then circumnavigates the lake. There are many pretty spots within a half mile for those not interested in walking far. The second spot was past the campgrounds on the right fork. We followed the road to the Wall Lake Trailhead, turned left and parked in the large parking area. There is a short trail out to an overlook.

A close up of the same formation

Trapper's Lake is also known as the beginning of the Wilderness movement. In 1920, the Forest Service hired Arthur Carhart to survey the area for potential development. Carhart was so moved by the beauty of the area that the lake was protected from all development. This concept was quite new at the time and served as the seed for the establishment of the Wilderness Act.

From the southern overlook

A close up of the willows in the fading light

There is a lodge near the lake that has cabins and a small restaurant. The lake is 1.5 miles by 0.5 miles wide and is 180 ft deep. There are numerous trails in and around the area. We hiked Skinny Fish Lake, which is a few miles before the lake.

Skinny Fish Lake Hike

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,269 ft - 10,269 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,000 ft (net), 1,432 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Voice and Sight Control (Flat Tops Wilderness)

The right-hand side of Skinny Fish Lake. There was one tent on the far end but not another soul around.

Skinny Fish Lake is a short (but not nearly as short as the Forest Service advertises) trip to a scenic lake surrounded by the infamous Chinese Wall, a unique geologic formation in the Flat Tops Wilderness. We chose this trail because we thought it was really short (advertised distance is 3 miles round trip) and we just wanted to stretch our legs after driving the Flat Tops Scenic Byway.

Looking south from the parking area

Looking up the drainage from the parking area

The trailhead for this hike is located on Trappers Lake Road in the Flat Tops Wilderness. It is clearly marked on the map and the parking area is quite obvious.

The initial pitch. The sky is still blue, but storm clouds are brewing to our left.

The lower portion of the trail winds through Aspens. The forest was damp and earthy, just what I want in the fall.

The trail begins by heading up a steep hill filled with Aspens. On this rainy fall day, they were in full color. At 0.9 miles is the junction with the Lost Lake Trail. Lost Lake is on the other side of the wall and this trail goes around it reach the lake. After crossing a small stream (nice bridge), the trail enters a broad, grassy meadow. Here the eastern portion of the wall comes quickly into view. Its stair-stepped features are both interesting and intimidating. This is one large hunk of rock. At 2.11 miles is the intersection between the Skinny Fish and McGinnis Lakes.

Even the undergrowth was putting on a show

Looking back down the drainage. The sky is getting more threatening

Since our time was short, we chose to head towards Skinny Fish Lake since we guessed that it would not be totally in the trees. This turned out to be a good choice. The lake is surrounded on 2 sides by the Chinese Wall. It is broad and welcoming. I can not report what McGinnis Lake looks like, but if you go all the way to Skinny Fish, you might as well pop over to McGinnis.

Our first glimpse of the effects of the Big Fish Fire

A scenic creek. It is raining by now.

A good portion of the trail traverses the 2002 Big Fish Fire area. This lighting sparked fire burned over 17K acres of prime wilderness. The skeletal remains of Aspen and Lodgepole stand as a stark reminder to the transience of Nature. Nothing is permanent.

Fall willows and dead trees make a startling contrast

The Chinese Wall comes into view. This picture does nothing to capture the scale. The wall dominates the valley and seems to loom over everything.

This trail held another surprise for me. In the Flat Tops Wilderness, dogs do not have to be on leash if they are under voice control. I guess it is only the crowded Front Range Wilderness Areas where the leash law is mandatory.

Looking back towards the trailhead from the middle of the meadow.

Looking straight across Skinny Fish Lake to the Chinese Wall beyond. Blue skies return. Such is Colorado and why we always carry rain gear.

On this trip, this was the only hike we did in the Trappers Lake area. There may be others that are more scenic, but for us, this trail hit the spot. It got our legs moving and we got close to the Chinese Wall, which was another objective. Little did we know that the following day we would climb to the top of the wall on our harrowing trip to the Devil's Causeway.