Colorado Hikes: Crater Lakes via South Boulder Creek and Crater Lakes Trail (7.9 Mi, 1906 Ft Elev)

Recently I have moved to the Denver area from the Midwest. The whole reason for this was to get further into my passions of being outside and active. After I successfully got an Elk and Bear tag, I decided I needed to do some training and acclimation to the region.

On this morning, wake up being 4:30, I decided to follow up on one of my students' recommendations and hiked up to Crater Lake. Out of all of my hikes I have done so far in Colorado, this one has definitely cemented a place in my heart as one of the most beautiful sites for landscape photography and wildlife.

I arrived at the trailhead after about an hour drive from the Denver area. So, it is not too far from the city which is great. I was the first to the trailhead based on the parking lot and by the

nonexistence of tracks in the mud from the previous night's rain.

I wasn't too sure what to think when I got there, and I could barely see in front of me to my fog. That and the fact that I had not worn a sweater because hey I am trying to get a trail run in and I'll overheat right? As soon as I got into the trail a little bit, I wasn't sure if I would regret that decision. It was a pretty awesome site to see only about a half mile into the trail. It looked similar to my time in Seattle, WA from a few weeks prior. There was a river rushing a few feet off the trail and there was moss hanging from the tree branches all around me.

Luckily, only a little while into the hike about 2 miles the sun broke through the fog, or to be honest, I might have gotten above the elevation of the fog. There are a few trails to take but I ended up taking a trail through the meadow that was FULL of raspberries which was a great breakfast snack.

After the meadow is when the trail started to get a little more difficult. The elevation gain started to take place in shorter distances. It was definitely getting steeper. Not so difficult that I was getting very fatigued, but I took a few breaks.

After that difficult part for a mile or two the trail started to even out a bit. Thankfully! 'Cuz I was getting tired of seeing switchback after switchback. As I got up to the top it had only ended up being about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The trail branches off and there are quite a few that go towards the two lower elevation lakes. I got lost on the way back and had to do some bushwacking.

The hike, though, was most definitely worth it. The area was gorgeous, and I regretted not bringing my fishing pole when I could see all of the trout in the lakes just waiting for me to catch them. I took in the view for a few moments (looked for wildlife on the mountainside).

After a few moments I decided to take the trail further to the other two lakes that sat at a higher elevation. On the banks of an 11,000-foot-high alpine lake is where I ate my meal for the day. After a while I made the trek back down. Much easier on the muscles but WAY worse on the knees. All in all, the hike took 2:40:00 to complete and was not a very difficult trail. I ended up running the majority of the way up and down the trail. Definitely a recommended trail for anyone in the area visiting or living in the Denver region.