Scenic Drive: Flat Tops Scenic Byway to Trappers Lake

Hikes in the area: Skinny Fish Lakes, Trapper's Lake, Devil's Causeway


A zoomed view from Dunckley Pass looking deep into the valley
The Flat Tops Scenic Byway will make you GASP in the fall. It is by far the most scenic drive in Colorado I have driven thus far. While other roads let you glimpse Aspens, this road lets you wallow up to your neck in Aspens. After a couple of hours driving, you will run out of explicatives and just start grunting, moaning, and hyperventilating. And that is just the start. This was an all day drive. My destination was Trappers Lake. I had so many photos it was hard to decide on which ones to post. Unfortunately, I was shooting with the sun high in the sky, which is not the best.

This is the route I took...

• From Yampa go north on County Road 17, which becomes County Road 19.
• Turn left onto County Road/State Highway 132, which becomes County Road 8
• From County Road 8 turn south onto County Road 8a/Trappers Lake Road/Colorado Hwy 155

All of these roads are clearly marked on the Colorado Gazetteer but may not be listed on a typical AAA map.

A broader view of Dunckley Pass showing the peaks in the distance

Ho hum, more pretty Aspens

The day started out cloudy and stormy

We are not even to the pass yet and the color is everywhere

I liked hillsides where you can see the white trunks of the trees

Looking west from a vista point. This road leads to Meeker. I would cross it going towards Trappers Lake

At twilight we came across this herd of Sheep being watched over by several sheep dogs. The Meeker area is a large Sheep raising area.

Scenic Drive: County Road 18 to Pleasant Valley

The Yampa river winds through Pleasant Valley in the fall.

Pleasant Valley is a local name for a small meadow where the Yampa River and Sarvis Creek intersect. John Fielder photographed the area, which is why we took the detour to the spot on our way to the Flat Tops Wilderness.

Note the post piles of Blacktail Mountain. Hexagonal post piles are rare because lava must cool evenly for them to form.

To get to Pleasant Valley, drive around Stagecoach Reservoir on County Rd 14. On the north side, County Rd 18 splits off to the right. Don't go into the park, but stay to the left as the road winds further around the lake.

At the bottom of the road is Pleasant Valley

The road will come to a steep hill near Blacktail Mountain, a volcanic remnant, and then head steeply down through willows. Near the bottom of the road you can pull over and admire the view. At the bottom of the valley is the trailhead for Sarvis Creek.

The back side of Blacktail Mountain

Scenic Drive: Highway 134

Distance: 27 Miles
Highest Point: Gore Pass at 9,527 ft

Rolling hills and Aspen stands dominate Highway 134

Highway 134 is a short, paved, 27-mile, east-west route that starts 6 miles north of Kremmling. Its western terminus is near Topanas on highway 131. On this trip, I did not drive all the way to Topanas, however but turned north onto County Rd 16 going towards Stagecoach Reservoir. I also took a side trip onto CO Hwy 117 because it was filled with Aspens. Hwy 117, a dirt road, dips down into ranching country, becomes County Rd 16, and then regains Hwy 134. Note, this side trip crosses a large stream. Low clearance vehicles are not advised.

Looking down into Forest Service Blacktail Creek Campground. The camp sites are nestled in juvenile Aspens

Another stand of Aspens

My destination...The Flat Tops Wilderness... seen through a stand of Aspens

The highest point on Highway 134 is Gore Pass at 9,527 ft. Much of the topography is Sagebrush shrub lands mixed with Aspens on the hillsides.

CO Hwy 117 detour

This stand of Aspens was visible from Hwy 134. I could not help but drive up to it and walk along the dirt road for a while. The air was a balmy 70°. Fall had come to the Rockies.

Past the Aspen grove, Hwy 117 dips down into a valley. This ranch came into view. We passed the rancher, a hardy woman, fixing her barb wire fence.

Past the ranch house was this old cabin. You can see the Sagebrush covering the empty hillsides.

A close up of the Sagebrush with an Aspen-covered hillside in the distance.

Masontown

Distance: 2 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,133 ft - 9,590 ft
Elevation Gain: 457 ft
Dogs: On leash for the first half

The uninspiring remains of Masontown

There is not much left of the ghost town of Masontown on the slopes of Peak 1 near Frisco to make it a worthy destination. Most people in fact, pass it on the way to Mt. Royal, a precipitous overlook higher up the mountain. Masontown was destroyed in an avalanche in 1926. After seeing some of the avalanche chutes around here, I can understand why there is not much left.

It is 200ft from the parking lot to the bike path.

Take a left here. Don't worry you won't be walking all the way to Breckenridge.

The bike path

Still, if you want a short hike that will get your heart pumping this is it. While the first 0.42 miles are flat, the last 0.54 miles gains 457 ft. Sprint this short stretch a few times and you'll be ready bigger and better things.

The trailhead. The sign says Mt. Royal. There is a small interpretive sign talking about Masontown.

Between the town of Frisco and Peak 1, there is a huge pile of boulders that have tumbled down from the mountain. This trail looks down upon these rocks.

An early trail segment

Frisco and Lake Dillon in the distance

I did this trail on a lazy Sunday in September and it was pleasant indeed. The undergrowth was turning scarlet and yellow and berries of various varieties were glistening "on the vine".

A rare, level trail segment

Mountain Juniper

This is one of the social trails that head off to the left.

Fall comes to the undergrowth

We have been having unseasonable warmth this year, so the air was not exactly crisp, but the shaded trail provided a little coolness that hinted at the coming chill.

Another trail segment

The only really obvious sign of Masontown is a small pile of rusted metal just as you enter the area.

To the left as you arrive are two trails. The lower trail heads down the slope and eventually peters out. The upper trail continues to Mt. Royal. There are no signs indicating this.

More evidence of the town. This piece if metal was down the lower trail.

Tenderfoot is a much better doggie outing than this route. On the first half (the bike path) dogs must be leashed. I am not sure I could survive a half mile with my dog on a leash.

The ghosts of the miners wiped out in the avalanche still linger....

Berries on the trail

Another hint of fall

Native Lake Hike

Distance: 8.4 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,800 ft (trailhead), 11,879 ft (on the plateau), 11,293 ft (at the lake)
Elevation Gain: 1,665 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: On Leash (Wilderness)
Tags: #coloradooutdoors, #travel, #mountainlake, #leadville, #hiking

The approach to Native Lake. We ate lunch on that large boulder that surveys the scene.

Native Lake in the Mount Massive Wilderness near Leadville, CO is a wonderful trail filled with variety. The initial part of the trail switchbacks 2 miles through a Spruce/Fir forest. It is damp, mysterious, and filled with pizza-sized mushrooms, many of them edible. At 2.18 miles, you break out onto a wide tundra plateau. Here the edifice that is Mt. Massive (14,443 ft) dominates the western skyline. I did this hike in the fall when the tundra grasses were golden. I can imagine them being verdant in the spring. The views of Leadville from this plateau are expansive. The western skyline is filled with 14,000 ft peaks. Across the plateau, the trail descends 500 ft to a valley. It is there that Native Lake rests.

The start of the route

Several early switchbacks are narrow and precipitous

Looking west at Hagerman Road

The lake itself is slowly receding and is being replaced by meadow grasses. The hike down to the lake was somewhat laborious too. If I were to do this hike again, I would stop part way down where you can see the lake from the ridge. That view is quite nice.

Looking down the drainage. You can see the trail far below.

Crossing a pleasant open area

The first view of the tundra

You get to the trailhead by driving west along Turquoise Lake to Hagerman Tunnel Road. This dirt road is narrow in places but is passable by a passenger car. Hagerman Pass road traces a long and narrow U. At the apex of the U is a wide area that contains 2 trailheads. Native lake is the first trailhead. It is situated slightly back from the road. The second parking area spans the road and is for ATVers heading up to the pass, and hardy hikers attempting the steep but scenic Windsor Lake. Farther up the road is the trail for Hagerman Tunnel.

Mount Massive comes into view

Looking east off the plateau towards Leadville and the Mosquito Range.

Several small ponds dotted the tundra

This trail was a treat because of its flora. There is something about hiking in a Spruce/Fir forest in the fall. This forest ecosystem is more shaded than the Lodgepole forest that dominates much of the state. As such, it was cooler, damp, and definitely fall like. At the request of my hiking partner, I started taking pictures of all the mushrooms. I have never seen so many mushrooms in Colorado before. King Boleta and Scaly Urchins were particularly common. I discovered after the fact, that King Boleta is highly prized by wild mushroom connoisseurs. That is probably why I have not seen it before. They have been quickly snatched up by fanatical fungi followers.

Heading down the other side

The first view of the lake

Looking west on the route down to the lake

The first 2 miles of the trail switchbacks up a single drainage as the trail climbs higher. It was obvious that some people chose to walk parallel to the creek and head straight up the hillside. The Forest Service has put dead fall all along this narrow social trail as a deterrent. Please stay on the trail even though it is much longer. The views of Hagerman Tunnel and pass are worth the extra effort.

A trail segment down in the valley

The lake comes into view

Admiring the grasses on the lake floor

I would recommend Native Lake to anyone. It is unpopulated and filled with changing views. If you are camping at Turquoise Lake, then you have no excuse what-so-ever!