We then hiked on to Ice Lake and continued on to the last lake on the trail, which was an additional climb but well worth it. We did not go to Fuller - next time! We were amongst the last people down around sunset on Sunday and smelled smoke briefly near the trailhead but didn’t know where it was coming from. At this point there are three options: return to the trailhead, continue on Ice Lakes Trail south to the basin and Fuller Lake, or cross over the stream and ascend the trail to Island Lake. 550 to Mineral Creek Rd.,turn left and follow it to the Mineral Creek Campground, where the Trailhead is located. We'll update this page if and when it reopens. Visitors often avoid seasonal mud and the occasional downed tree by creating trails around the obstructions causing vegetation to get trampled. Water: Potable water at the campground is limited to 5 gallon to non-campground users. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. The Ice Lakes trailhead is located about six miles west of Silverton. Don't ruin the silence with annoying drones just to take some photos and ruin it for everyone. upper lake is still beautiful, even as it's surroundings are brown and barren. Please protect our trails though. Once at the gorgeous Island Lake, Grant Peak looms overhead. Please review our our Best Practices to minimize your impact. pick up your trash. pick up your trash. I think they are all amazing, but the lack of crowds at Fuller lake compared to Ice lake pushed it to the top for me. From Ice Lakes Trailhead ; Pilot Knob – 13,768. The trailhead has lots of parking, and this is a very popular trail. The fire is located west from Silverton, CO, near Ice Lakes Trailhead, on the north side of the South Mineral Road. Plenty of water is available to filter due to the many lakes and streams. Bummer, this trail is closed. The stunning views and unique landscape on this trip make every bit of climbing worth the effort. The parking lot gets very crowded during busy times of year. Rock Pirates Backcountry Adventures; Mountain Trip; Colorado 145; Million Dollar Highway; Telluride Mountain Village Gondola; Telluride Offroad Adventures; Mind Blown at the Madeline; Telluride Outside; Telluride Outfitters; Ice Pirates Snowmobile Tours; Bear Creek Falls; Telluride Historical Museum; New Sheridan Hotel; San Juan Backcountry The head of the South Mineral Valley is the starting point for Ice Lake, one of the premier hikes in the San Juan Mountains. To avoid trail erosion, do not cut switchbacks. probably the toughest but most beautiful and rewarding hike i’ve ever done. Ice Lakes can also be accessed via the Phelps Creek Trailhead via the Leroy Creek Basin route or … This isn't an amusement park, it is wilderness. A great choice is crossing the outflow stream from Ice Lake - there are several places to cross and an obvious trail heading back out of the basin to the left of where you entered - follow this path up another 250' and .5 mile to a smaller basin and the beautiful Island Lake at 12,400'. Carissa Bargas, Sean Doyle, Audrey Martinez and their dogs leave the Ice Lakes trailhead for a backpack trip up to the lakes. The hike is beautiful. Very upsetting. Awesome views and trail. I didn’t have any, and there were some spots that were roouuughhhh without them. I, personally, wouldn’t take them to Island. On Monday afternoon around 1 PM, a new wildfire started in Colorado, this one located in San Juan County's South Mineral area by the Ice Lakes Trailhead. Phenomenal trail. Learn More. The Ice Lakes trailhead is located about six miles west of Silverton. The Ice Lake Basin Trail is NOT under a permit system. South Mineral Campground Loop via Ice Lakes Trail Adjacent to the Ice Lakes Trailhead you will also find the beautiful South Mineral Campground, which has 26 first-come first-served sites, and is open from mid-May through September. There are also some cool ruins there that are a bit of an eyesore, but its cool. Breathtaking views, please be prepared for a sudden change of weather at the top. The Ice Fire is burning in the South Mineral Recreation Area. One of my favorite hikes ever! Hikers in the area are being spotted by helicopter and evacuated by air. You’ll pass through aspen, conifers, and into two distinct basins above the … Digging a cat hole is very difficult in the alpine tundra and there’s very little privacy. Toilet paper is every where on the ground. Maude. Great hike overall. Departing from the South Mineral Campground, the Ice Lake Trail has two common destinations - lower and upper basins. But the sights throughout this challenging Ice Lake Basin hike, the experience of dominating the pathways and the million-dollar payoff panorama view of one of the bluest lakes in the United States truly makes this one of the best hikes San Juan National Forest and the entire state of Colorado. Follow the trail behind the sign through the sagebrush, flat at first, then contouring the side of a hill. When we got to the loop, we went right (counter clockwise) and had the trail and first lake all to ourselves. This is, by far, the BEST hike I’ve ever done. The Lower Basin has trees for protection and hanging food. Distance: 7.0 miles (round trip) to Ice Lake 8.4 miles (round trip) to Island Lake; Elevation: 9,840-ft. at Trailhead 12,270-ft. at Ice Lake 12,392-ft. at Island Lake; Elevation Gain: 2,430-ft. to Ice Lake 2,552-ft. to Island Lake First off the area is being evacuated today due to fire, so make other plans! Please visit the park website for more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sanjuan/recarea/?recid=42984&actid=50 If you’ve got time visit upper ice lakes is another mile and 400 feet higher than Lower Ice Lakes and enjoy a relatively easy walk up the shoulder of 9,060 foot Mt. Throughout your journey through the Ice Lake Basin, you’ll pass waterfalls, meandering creeks, and one of the most beautifully colored lakes you will ever see! Ice Lakes Trailhead guidepost via Ice Lake Trail ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ EASY 1.3 mi. To reach the trailhead from the intersection of Highway 550 and the turnoff to Silverton (Highway 110), drive 2 miles north on Highway 550 to County Road 7, located between mile markers 72 and 73. Upper trailhead (Judith Pool Trail) From the parking area at the gate, drive or walk 0.2 mile down Quincy Lakes Road to a parking area on the right near a grove of cottonwood trees and an old metal sign marked “Ancient Lakes Trail”. There is a trail that leads around the lake for the 360 deg view. From the trailhead, a hike of a little more than three miles, with an ascent of about 2,400 feet, leads to one of the most spectacular settings in Colorado. Not quite as vibrant. The over the past few months we have witnessed up to 200 cars in the lot and lined up along the road. Ice Lakes Trailhead is located in Silverton. The area will have been forever changed for sure. The upper basin is surrounded by awesome peaks, such as Vermillion Peak, Fuller Peak, Pilot Knob, and Golden Horn. Likely this fire due to the carelessness of a hiker or camper. last two miles are steep with thin air, hiking polls are helpful as many stated. As of Monday night, the fire is 320 acres. You will be exposed to storms and strong winds in the Upper Basin. Unfortunately this trail is grossly over used and abused. Ice Lakes basin, your final destination, is located just southeast of Mount Maude. This is a beautiful trail with awesome views all the way up. On recommendation, we went up to Island first and then to Ice Lake. The nicest lake is Ice Lake, the first lake you see in the upper basin. Immediately after the Ice Fire broke out, South Mineral Road (Forest Service Road 585), a popular area for camping, which leads to the Ice Lakes trailhead, was closed and evacuated. The road leading to the trailhead is pretty smooth. your voice travels on peaks. We didn’t have any hiking poles but after today we are definitely going to get some. The trail is a dusty uphill climb for most of the way. It is definitely worth starting early to avoid the crowd. Phone: 800-COLORADO You will see 5 lakes if you follow the trail all the way, and there are several more lakes if you explore around the basin. 3. The Ice Lake Basin and aquamarine Ice Lake at 12,300 feet is ringed by 13,000-foot peaks. Sign up for our eNews updates and be the first to know... SJMA was created in 1988 to assist the San Juan National Forest in providing education and interpretation of public lands in Southwest Colorado. We will be hiking this trail in the near future once again. There’s a rock wall that you need to scale/climb, and it’s obviously doable...but I’d make sure you have a pretty high fitness level and that you’re not wearing a big pack on your back. See Trail Information for trail statistics, driving instructions, etc. Great views of a waterfall, pine forests, alpine lakes, and lots of mountain peaks. The Ice Lake Basin and aquamarine Ice Lake at 12,300 feet is ringed by 13,000-foot peaks. my only complaint about this trail was the amount of off leash dogs that rushed up to mine and completely ignored their owners - i recognize that some parts of the trail are difficult to do with a dog that tugs on the lead, but please at least train a recall if you need to let them off, because not all dogs are friendly - i witnessed a fight break out between an off leash dog and a reactive leashed dog on this trail which was not fun to watch lol. Trash left by hikers. You break treeline right around where the loop starts. Camping in the Lower Ice Lake Basin is strongly encouraged for the following reasons: The alpine vegetation in the Upper Basin is fragile and easily damaged by tents. Directions: I’ll still give it a 5 star and hope someday I can come back for it. A permit system is now in place which you'll need to obtain from the Columbine Ranger District in order to hike this trail. It is closed temporarily due to fire-related hazards. Estimated Time: Most reasonably fit hikers will complete this hike in 4-5 hours of hiking time, but you’ll want to spend plenty of time hanging out at the lake too! The signed trail departs from the west end of the trailhead parking lot, located across from the South Mineral Campground (see driving directions below). I had no issues with the drive. For those who are uncomfortable with the cross-country navigation required later on this adventure, Carne Mountain makes a … The Ice Lakes Basin Trail is located near Silverton, Colorado, within the Columbine Ranger District of San Juan National Forest. It was beautiful. One of the toughest hikes I’ve done because of the elevation. Hiking down to the lake there are a couple sketchy places along the ridge but not too bad. this is kind of an in-between time, not quite green, not quite snow. Wondering how the situation is now. If you’re in the area and looking for an all around five-star hike, this is for you. Turn south (left) onto the Deep Creek – Ice Lakes Trail Cutoff. Once at the gorgeous Island Lake, Grant Peak looms overhead. Some of the trees were giant, and I hope that they survive. This is the direction from which we came. There is a restroom by the trailhead, but it is closed from October - April. Parking: The parking lot fills very quickly during the summer months. Simply stunning. lots of tourists littering/talking too loud at the top. This time I was approaching from the north, my only fear being lingering snow from an early September storm. for serious hikers I recommend early morning (like 6 or 7am) to avoid the crowds who lack hike etiquette. © 2018 - All Rights Reserved - San Juan Mountains Association | Web Design by Sweet P Web Development, Hiking Trails of Ouray County and Uncompahgre Wilderness, https://rootsrated.com/stories/backpacking-ice-lakes-basin-big-views-low-impact, https://www.theoutbound.com/colorado/backpacking/backpack-or-hike-the-ice-lakes-trail, Summer programs will get young, old into the outdoors. In general, the route traverses the west side of the ridgeline containing Ice Box Peak and Freezer Peak. It was challenging. It is burning in heavy, mixed conifer timber on National Forest System land. Ice Lake Basin is a remote location deep in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, but it is still fairly easy to get to. 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