Ice Lake Trailhead

Had a great hike. We enjoy going to Colorado to hike. We don't have mountains in Kansas. So tend to spend a lot more time on the trail then most.

One of my favorite hikes in Colorado! Bring sunblock and plenty of water. Get to the trailhead early for a good parking spot as availability fills up quickly. This hike does feature a "loop" at the end, going from Ice Lake to Island Lake and then back down to the main trail.

Amazing hike. July and August parking can be tough. Monday - Wednesday are okay/best bet but if you show up after 7 AM regardless parking is near impossible. We arrived at 6:15 AM and there were a handful of spots. Lot remains full overnight because hikers camp off trail overnight. My wife and I live in Pagosa Springs and hike a lot and we found this hike to be hard but worth every step. The views are amazing the whole way and wild flowers right now are in full bloom. At the “Y” split we went right “counter clockwise”. This takes you to Island Lake. It is the shorter of the 2 options but steeper. From Island Lake we hiked over to Ice Lake. It is mostly down from this point and there are 2 sections that are narrow, steep, and slick - take your time. Basically by hitting Island Lake first and the steeps - we paid the price upfront. Ice Lake is gorgeous and the decent from there can be crowded as you head down and other hikers head up. We thought the Ice Lake portion of the trail, the final accent after you cross the last stream had way more loose rock than the Island Lake trail. We did see a lot of hikers that appeared unprepared. No water packs (you should have at a minimum of 2 liters/person), rain gear, good hiking shoes, food, and such. You really need to be prepared as we experienced sun, clouds, cold wind, rain, and thunder and lightning. We were on the hike/mountain for 5+ hours. It is amazing! One of CO’s best, if not the best, Alpine Hike in the state.

This trail is known as one of the top alpine lake hiking destinations in all of Colorado. The trail climbs through subalpine meadows, to alpine tundra. The trail passes through two basins, each with its own ecosystem. Lower Basin and Upper Basin.

I didn’t know how to rate it. I did not make it up this trail. I thought it would be a nice easy scenic hike. I was wrong. This is up hill for 4 miles. I was not use to the elevation. I made it to the y and had to turn around. Shortness of breath, muscles weak, started seeing spots. I did have grandparents passing me. I work out every week. I do skip cardio. And I’m from Texas. I will be prepared next time.

The loop was 8 miles! This is a hard hike! Went counter-clockwise and it indeed reaches 12,600 before dropping down to lake its a wild 2800 foot climb. Really epic, bit challenging between island and ice lake, otherwise a breeze just long. Most beautiful hike in colorado, so many colors. Everytime I come back to the san jaun it always seems to get better and better!!!

First week of August, we got to the trailhead at 9am and parking was full. We had to park on the side of the road and walk to the trailhead. We are moderate hikers and this trail took us 8 hours to complete. We stopped a lot for photo, snack, and rest. There were flowers along the trail. The island lake and ice lake are beautiful. Water is crystal blue. The view is amazing and very worth it. People along the trail advised us to get to the island lake first then to the ice lake and complete the loop counter clockwise. It was easier because the trail has a lot of loose gravels from ice lake back to the trailhead.

This trail was extremely hard it has very steep inclines. The perception of this trail depends on your hiking experience and what the person finds difficult. This hike though is not just a oh let's go hiking for the day. NO it is an experienced hiker type of trail. Once you leave the tree line the air is super thin. Make sure you take lots of water. If your a slow hiker it will take you longer than 5hrs to the top and back so keep in mind the time of day you want to hike this trail as well.