The Ten Essentials
Overview
| Wilderness One Way Length Beginning Elevation Peak Elevation Gain Loss/Net Gain Ratings USFS Regulations Trails Illustrated Quadrangle |
Rawah 6.9 miles (trailhead to West Branch Trail)– 5.0 miles to Blue Lake 9,482 11,040 at Blue Lake Pass 1,755/1,136/+619 Hikers – Moderate to Strenuous; Stock Prohibited 5/15 - 9/15 National Forest > Wilderness & Closure Area #112 Poudre River, Cameron Pass Chambers Lake, Clarks Peak |
Location
Poudre Canyon, 53.7 miles from Ted’s Place (at mm 69.5). The Blue Lake parking lot and trailhead will be on your right, west side of the road, opposite the Long Draw Road. Facilities are at the Long Draw Winter Trailhead and parking area on the east side of CO-14 just before reaching the Blue Lake trailhead.
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GPS Coordinates |
N40°34.798’ W105°51.336’ Map N40°37.080’ W105°54.358’ N40°38.155’ W105°55.058’ |
Note the 1/4 mile Closure Areas around Blue Lake and Hang Lake – No camping allowed. No stock allowed on this trail from May 15 to September 15.
Description
This is the most heavily used trail in the Rawah Wilderness, because of its proximity to a paved road and the short distance required to reach a subalpine lake. Because of this heavy use and extensive resource damage around Blue and Hang lakes, special regulations have been implemented. The 1/4-mile Blue Lake Closure Area surrounds Blue Lake and merges with a similar Closure Area around Hang Lake. Camping is prohibited within these closure areas and fires must be self-contained chemical stoves; building, maintaining, attending, or using any type of wood fire is prohibited. Saddle, pack, or draft animals of any type are prohibited on the entire trail from May 15 to September 15. They are allowed on the trail from September 16 to May 14, but they may never be corralled, tethered, hobbled, or picketed overnight within the Blue Lake or Hang Lake Closure areas.
The first 2 miles of the trail follows an old logging road and is in multi-use National Forest. Within the first 0.25 mile you will cross over Joe Wright Creek. About 1.5 miles from the trailhead there is a small rise to the east with a nice overlook that offers glimpses of Chambers Lake. You will enter the Rawah Wilderness shortly after crossing a footbridge over Fall Creek. After another 2 miles, you reach a meadow and a log bridge crossing the north branch of Fall Creek. If you are backpacking, look for a campsite here to avoid the heavy camping just outside the Blue Lake Closure Area. Hang Lake is located on a shelf 440 ft above Blue Lake to the southwest. You could also hike up to Blue Lake Pass and down to the junction with West Branch Trail to check out this stretch of trail. If you hike west-northwest of the pass, through some krummholz stands and boulder fields, you can get a breathtaking view of the West Branch Basin and its beautiful lakes. Also from the pass, Cameron Peak, towering above Blue Lake (check your map for its location) offers an outstanding vista of the Rawahs. Follow the stream down for 0.75 mile and you will intersect the Blue Lake Trail at the meadow. The map below shows some details of the trail, but is not meant for navigation.
