Summary

Duration: 2 days, 1 night

Distance: 15 miles round-trip

Elevation Gain: 2,500 feet or 762 meters

Level: Intermediate

Where to start: Monarch Lake Trailhead

Nowadays, social media plays a large role in inspiring people to head to beautiful destinations. We all want to experience that picturesque place Instagram shows us on our phones. For me, Lone Eagle Peak was just that. I was browsing through my feed one day, when the peak caught my attention. It was so pointy and perfectly reflected itself onto Mirror Lake. I knew I had to go there someday. So when Angus decided to book a last minute trip to Denver in May, I added Lone Eagle Peak to our itinerary. The weekend we decided to go, the weather forecast told us it was going to stormy and snowy. However, we sucked it up and went anyways. Not only has it been one of the first backpacking trips Angus and I have been on together (we’ve been on many camping trips, not backpacking ones), but it was also both of our first “winter” camping experiences! It was truly a trip to remember.

Things to consider for your trip to Mirror Lake, Crater Lake and Lone Eagle Peak

Do you need a permit? Yes, for $5. Permits are required if you plan on camping by Lone Eagle Peak between June 1st and September 15th. You do not need a permit before and after June 1 and September 15, and you do not need a permit if you are only doing a day trip. You can apply for permits beginning January 2nd. Fill in THIS form and either bring it to the Boulder or Granby Ranger District Office with $5 or mail it the offices with $5 (addresses on the form). In the “Backcountry Zone” section, circle “Crater Lake” and in the “Trailhead Exit and Entry” choose “200 Monarch Lake”.

How to get to the trailhead: From Denver, take I-70 West and exit into US-40 West. Turn right onto Highway 34. Continue onto Highway 34 and make a slight right onto Country Road 6, just as you hit Lake Granby. County Road 6 is a very well-maintained dirt road (2WD passenger cars can make it up). Continue on this road for 9.7 miles until you hit the Monarch Lake Trailhead. There is a parking fee you will have to pay when you arrive.

For directions click HERE.

Best time to go: Between June to beginning of September. If you’re going any earlier or any later, expect to have cooler weather. When we went in the middle of May, most of the trail was dry up to the last 2 miles. Then, we trekked through knee deep snow and camped in snow. My boots froze in the middle of the night because I was too stubborn to stuff it in my sleeping bag!

What to pack:

• The 10 Hiking Essentials 
• Hiking Boots or Trail Runners
• Sleeping Bag
• Sleeping Pad
• Bug Spray
• Bear Canister
• Stove
• Food

Our Experience

When we parked our cars at the Monarch Lake trailhead, we had brought everything we could possibly need for a snowy hike. Snowshoes, spikes, gaiters, you name it. We weren’t sure what to expect, as we had trouble finding trip reports for May. However, the trail was dry as bone, without a speck of snow. At the trailhead, there is a small ranger station, a log in sheet and bathrooms. It starts at 8,345 feet elevation in the Indian Peaks Wilderness just West of Granby Lake. Because of how dry the trail looked, we decided to forgo the snowshoes. Our friends, Matt and Alex came with us and kept their snowshoes with them. We followed the Cascade Creek trail around the north side of the lake for 1.5 miles and continued to follow the well-trodden trail left as it goes into the forest. At about 3.5 miles, the trail split with the Buchanan Pass Trail. We continued straight, following the Cascade Creek trail. At 4.5 miles, we hit Cascade Falls. It was a beautiful, large waterfall that I couldn’t help but suggest a lunch break there. So, we did exactly that.

After the falls, we headed into patches of snow, each patch getting larger with each few hundred feet. our decision to forgo the snowshoes may have been not as great of an idea as we would have thought! At 6.6 miles we reached the Pawnee Pass Trail split. However, by then the entire trail was filled knee-deep with snow by the time we reached it, so we didn’t even see the split! However, using our topo map, we took a right and crossed a narrow bridge to cross the creek. This bridge wasn’t much more than two logs connecting the shores.

The final mile of the trail was surrounded by snow. Luckily, Matt and Alex had their snowshoes, so we followed their steps to avoid postholing. However, this final segment of the trail turned into a steep, postholing mess. Not to mention, the weather had turned and we received a large helping of snow and hail! Once we reached Mirror Lake, we actually didn’t realize it was Mirror Lake. The clouds had covered Lone Eagle Peak and the surrounding area so that we had no idea where it was, and Mirror Lake was still completely covered in ice and snow. We passed it on our right, and continued on.

Crater Lake was only about a quarter mile from Mirror Lake. We set up camp on a flat spot in front of the frozen lake while it was snowing. After about an hour of heavy snow, the clouds cleared up to reveal Lone Eagle Peak at its finest! We had picked a prime camping spot, and were the only ones on the lake to boot! We spent the rest of the day hanging out, cooking dinner and enjoying the solitude the weather forecast had given us.

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