Gibraltar Lakes Colorado Trail Guide
The Gibraltar Lakes trail is one of the most scenic alpine lake hikes in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness. Located near the Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead, this challenging day hike takes visitors through forests, meadows, and alpine terrain before reaching the stunning turquoise waters of Gibraltar Lakes and the nearby Saint Vrain Glacier. Despite being one of the best hikes in Indian Peaks Wilderness, Gibraltar Lakes remains far less crowded than popular trails near Brainard Lake, making it an excellent option for hikers, trail runners, and backpackers looking for a quieter Colorado mountain adventure. This Gibraltar Lakes trail guide covers everything you need to know including directions, parking, permits, route information, difficulty, and tips for a successful hike or trail run.
Gibraltar Lakes Virtual Trail Guide
Gibraltar Lakes Quick Facts
Gibraltar Lakes Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 17.5 Miles Total
Elevation Start: 8,750ft
High Point: 11,200ft
Total Elevation Gain: 2,600ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 4-6 Hour Run, 6-8 Hour Hike
Difficulty: Difficult – What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 – Minor Scrambling near the lakes What does this mean?
Season: June – October: Expect snow and road closures outside of these months.
Crowds: Low
Directions to Gibraltar Lake
Trailhead: Middle Saint Vrain
Getting Here: From the Peak to Peak Highway in between Estes Park and Nederland, Navigate to a hairpin turn where County Road 92 starts. You will drive by a trailhead at first, do not stop here. Continue through Peaceful Valley and Camp Dick campgrounds for about 1.5 miles until you reach the Middle Saint Vrain Trailhead. If you have a higher clearance vehicle, you could continue on past this trailhead but this guide will be based on parking here.
Parking: Parking for Gibraltar Lakes shares a lot with several other hikes so it can get popular. The lot can fit 25-30 vehicles and while there is no restroom at the TH, there are several in the nearby campgrounds.
Permits/Fee: Although this hike does not require a reservation or permit like several others in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, it does have a $5 fee that must be paid in cash at the TH.
Summary
Dogs: This trail is dog friendly but please keep your dog on a leash as this is in a Wilderness Area and of course, pick up after them. Also, expect to see moose in the area.
Camping: The two obvious options to camp would be at the two near the trailhead: Camp Dick and Peaceful Valley both require booking beforehand. To camp along the trail, a permit and reservation are both required from June 1st – September 15th. For more information or to reserve your permit today, visit this link.
Water: Water is plentiful along this route – you should never need to carry more than a liter.
Other Hikes in Area: Gibraltar Lakes and Saint Vrain Glacier is an out and back trail but I do recommend exploring the other lakes in the nearby vicinity (you will likely see them from the trail). If you want an even longer day, you could head up to Buchanan Pass which essentially opens up infinite options for longer trail runs, hikes or backpacking trips. This trail junction is a few miles from the lakes.
Hike Tip(s): Bugs & Water Crossings
The Indian Peaks, especially the Eastern side, are known for the plentiful amounts of water located within these landscapes. Even in the middle of August, bugs were awful on this trail. I couldn’t imagine how bad they would be in July or on a day that was windless. Protect your face, arms and legs by bringing a bug net and bugspray.
Even later in the season, you will be dealing with lots of water and water crossings on this trail. Expect to get your feet wet a few times and be sure to bring a map or route to follow as the trail can be hard to follow near these water crossings.
Trail X Factors: Seclusion
The Indian Peaks Wilderness area is one of the best places to visit on the Front Range of Colorado. Due to this, many of its extremely popular and well known trails can be a zoo. In some cases even requiring a reservation just to hike them. Not Gibraltar Lakes. Although a fee is required, a reservation is not, which makes this one of my favorites in all of IPW.
Best Views: The first few miles of this trail can be a little monotonous. However, once the trail starts to open up the views are fantastic. This is a great spot to view wildflowers or Fall Foliage in addition to soaking in the breathtaking views. At the lake itself, be sure to scramble around a little to find the best vantage point and I highly recommend checking out another brightly colored lake that will catch your eye just off the trail.
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Hoka Mafate 5
- La Sportiva Cyklon
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- Running Vest
- Running Vest Larger
- Backpack (Winter)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Sunglasses
- Running Hat – Save 15% Using “DMRCMickey15”
- Base Layers
- T Shirt
- Mid Layer
- Rain Jacket / Shell
- Pants
- Shorts
- Socks
- Food & Water
- Optional: Water Filter
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro Max 2 , Drone, Insta360
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
