Blue Lakes Trail

Mount Sneffels is one of the Colorado’s most stunning 14ers, rising like a jagged portrait of the Alps above Ouray in southwest Colorado. Most people visit it via Yankee Boy Basin, a busy and mine-cluttered Jeeping area on its east side. This trail offers a more pristine experience, the only trail that pierces the rugged heart of the Mount Sneffels Wilderness, on the peak’s west side. It also provides access to Blue Lakes, three deep, dark blue lakes, each more gorgeous than the last. Best of all, it’s only 3.3 miles to the lowest lake, with a trailhead reachable by any vehicle on a dirt road, so even beginner hikers with low-clearance sedans can experience what wilderness really means.

When I was searching for an overnight backpack trip near Ouray and I came across Blue Lakes, a quick Google search revealed that Backpacker magazine included Blue Lakes on a list of the best campsites in America, I decided I had to check it out. The lake met the billing, with plenty of campsites, but all were set far back from the lake, with the view blocked by trees. Oh well. We set up camp in the trees and later hiked around the lake. There, in a clearing on the lake’s south side, slightly above the lake, we found the campsite the magazine had in mind, offering unobstructed views of the blue waters and towering peak. Moving the tent without taking it down was a comedy of errors, but once we were ensconced in our paradise for two nights, it was well worth it.

Pro Tips

Recommended season(s): Mid-summer to early fall.

–R. Scott Rappold