Leave No Trace
Overview
| Wilderness One Way Length Beginning Elevation Peak Elevation Gain/Loss/Net Gain Ratings USFS Regulations Trails Illustrated Quadrangle |
Rawah 2.5 miles (for all segments of this trail) 10,560 10,974 548/134/+414 Hikers – Easy; Stock Riders – Moderate Wilderness #112 Poudre River, Cameron Pass Rawah Lakes |
Location
The Big Rainbow & Sandbar Lakes Trail can be accessed via either the Rawah (North) Trail or the Camp Lake Trail (which is reached via the West Branch Trail). Drive up the Poudre Canyon. Drive 51.6 miles from Ted’s Place, turn right on the Laramie River Road (CR-103) at mm 71.5, and drive either 7.8 miles to the West Branch trailhead or 12.7 miles to the Rawah (North) trailhead.
| GPS Coordinates Jct. Camp Lake Trail Jct. Upper Sandbar Lake Upper end of Big Rainbow Lake Jct. Lower Sandbar Lake Jct. Rawah Trail |
N40°41.923’ W105°56.395’ N40°41.775’ W105°56.567’ N40°41.508’ W105°56.500’ N40°41.832’ W105°57.137’ N40°41.163’ W105°57.032’ |
Description
One end of this short trail begins near the upper end of the Camp Lake Trail. The other end begins along the Rawah Trail almost due east of the lower end of Rawah Lake #3. If you begin your hike at the junction of the Big Rainbow & Sandbar Lakes and the Camp Lake trails, you will climb above and to the southwest of the swampy area at the junction. After 0.3 mile, the trail splits. The right fork continues sourthwest, passing between Upper and Lower Sandbar lakes and eventually meets the Rawah (North) Trail northeast of Rawah Lake #3. The left fork takes you south-southeast to the upper end of Big Rainbow Lake and then swings around to the southwest and drops down slightly and proceeds along the eastern edge of Upper Sandbar Lake to the north-northwest, eventually passing to the southwest of a small unnamed lake. Just beyond this lake the trail splits into three branches. The left (southwest) branch climbs for about 0.7 mile until it meets the Rawah Trail on the side of a ridge to the northeast of Rawah Lake #3. The branch that continues straight (to the north-northeast) skirts the western side of Lower Sandbar Lake before it dead ends. The branch that goes to the right (northeast) returns to the Camp Lake Trail. Moose often visit both Upper and Lower Sandbar lakes and the small unnamed lake between them to feed on the abundant water vegetation.
