Hiking the Ice Lakes Trail - Silverton, Colorado - San Juan National Forest

Hiking the Ice Lakes Trail - Silverton, Colorado - San Juan National Forest

We love the Ice Lakes trail. So it's no surprise that we hiked it (again) on a recent trip to Colorado. Ice Lakes trail is about 8~9 miles miles with around 2,500 ft of elevation gain. It depends because there are a bunch of lakes you can hike to. The elevation gain/loss and distance all vary depending on the route you take. On this trip, we hiked up to Ice Lake and then up to Island Lake. The trail can be backpacked, and you can camp at the lakes themselves. Personally, I would probably camp in the tree line at Lower Ice Lake Basin, but it's up to you. No permits are required, but the trail is busy. Get there early. There is also car camping allowed off the road to the trailhead and, if you have 4WD, you can continue past the trailhead down the 585 for a truly spectacular campsite in a beautiful valley.

The trail is tough. It's relatively long with aggressive elevation gain. But it's worth it. The scenery is stunning the entire trip, so you're usually too distracted to notice how hard it is.

I can't recommend this trail enough.

Shot on Gopro 8

Music licensed from www.epidemicsound.com
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