Blue Lakes Trail Colorado Hike Guide

October 16, 2023 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

The Blue Lakes trail is a stunning hike that takes you up to three different high alpine lakes in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The lower lake, the first that hikers encounter, is a bright turquoise making it one of the most unique in the state. If you continue on to the upper lakes you gain views of the rugged San Juan Mountains that surround the basin. Although the Blue Lakes trail is a very reasonable day hike, many choose to extend this trail into multiple days. I have been lucky enough to see these lakes from above a few times on Mt Sneffels but this hike is 100% worth it on its own.

Blue Lakes Trail Hike Guide

Blue Lakes Trail Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars) *Destination Hike*

Virtual Trail Guide: Blue Lakes Colorado

Distance: 7 Miles RT to Lower Lake, 9 Miles RT to Upper Lake, 12 Miles RT to Pass

Elevation Start: 9,370ft

High Point: Lower Lake: 10,980ft Upper Lake: 11,700ft, Pass: 12,990ft

Total Elevation Gain: 3,600ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hours (One Day) 2 Days (Backpacking)

Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?

Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?

Season: July – October (Expect Snow Outside of this Period)

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Blue Lakes Trail

Trailhead: Blue Lakes

Getting Here: This hike is located just outside of Ridgeway, Colorado. From town head West on CO-62 for about 4.5 miles and turn right onto CO Rd 7. Follow this for about 9 miles until you reach the trailhead. The road starts paved but quickly turns into dirt but should be accessible by most passenger cars. The last few miles tend to get washed out a bit but with slow travel, there should not be issues getting to the TH.

Parking: The parking lot can fit about 20 cars and on most weekends will be very busy. There is additional parking along the road, but always park responsibly and do not block the road from emergency vehicles accessing the trailhead.

Fee: None

Reservations: Although not required at the time we hiked or this was posted, reservations for this area will likely be implemented in 2024.

Summary

Dogs: Blue Lakes trail is a dog friendly but a very popular hike so expect other dogs along the way. This entire hike is in a Wilderness Area so please keep your dogs on a leash and as always, pick up after them.

Camping: Generally speaking, the only spot to camp along the Blue Lakes is at the Lower Lake where there is room for a ton of tents. When camping here, please follow all backcountry campaign rules. Read more about camping in Wilderness areas here.

Hike Xfactor(s): The initial climb on the Blue Lakes trail can catch hikers off guard as it climbs several hundred feet per mile before mellowing out a bit as you get past two miles or so. If you choose to continue on past the lower lake there is another big climb before the upper lakes as well.

Hike Tip(s): If you want to limit mileage and don’t want to hike all the way to the upper lakes, I would strongly encourage you to hike up past the lower lake for about a half mile or so to get some spectacular views of the first lake from above. Do not expect the final two Blue Lakes to be the same color as the lower one, they are not.

Best Views: There is no doubt about it, Blue Lakes Trail is one of the best in all of Colorado and a true gem of Southern Colorado. Time it with the leaves turning or with the summer wildflowers and you make it even more special but the views here are just stunning overall. We enjoyed the aerial views of the lower lake but I also loved the mountainous backdrop of the upper ones as well. If you have a good weather window and the legs to climb more, heading up to the pass is worth it.

Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike with several options to extend that I mention above. For those looking to hike even more it’s very easy to extend a Blue Lakes hike to 14er Mt Sneffels. The two options here would be the Class 3 Southwest Ridge recommended for experienced scramblers or the standard Southeast gully/couloir.