Chicago Lakes

Idaho Springs, Colorado

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Details

Distance

10 miles

Elevation Gain

2400 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Derek Johnson

Incredible views with a short drive from Denver!

The trail brings a variety of terrain which is great and keeps you interested throughout the entire hike. Despite the stunning views, you will have to work for them. Just as you exit the trail through the forest, you'll approach a dirt road that you'll ascend up to Idaho Springs Reservoir which is just passed 1.5 miles in. The hike is a total of 10 miles round trip, and the elevation gain really gets you once you start to surpass the lower lake which sits at 11,545 feet. Feel free to take a break and look back into the valley that you had just trekked through, it sure is rewarding. The upper lake sits at 11,733 feet and provides breathtaking views.

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Features

Fitness

Chillin

Camping

Fishing

Photography

Running

Backpacking

Hiking

Forest

Lake

Scenic

Wildflowers

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Leave No Trace

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Nearby

Lower and Upper Chicago Lake

From the parking lot, stay to the right of Echo Lake and you will run into the Chicago Lakes Trailhead. Follow the switchbacks down and across Chicago Creek. After crossing the creek, follow the sign indicating that the trail follows the dirt road and hang a left; from here, you'll reach the Idaho Springs Reservoir is a little over 1.5 miles. Continue past the reservoir and past the cabins to r...

Hike to Idaho Springs Reservoir

This is a great hiking area an hour outside of Denver, Colorado. It's still easily accessible in the winter and most of the time it can be hiked without snowshoes. Starting at the Echo Lake parking lot, hike around the right side of the lake until you reach a fork in the trail. Follow the path on your right until it leads you down into the valley and across the creek. Shortly after the crossing...

Explore Echo Lake Park

Located at the base of Mt. Evans Road, Echo Lake sits next to Squaw Pass Road, providing a great jumping-off point for numerous adventures. The park serves as a trailhead for hiking or snowshoeing into the Mount Evans Wilderness, offers picnic areas, and includes a nearby campground with 17 sites. The area has dark night skies for photographing the Milky Way, and when the lake is frozen inter...

Hike the Resthouse/Lincoln Lake Trail

While the Mt. Evans Wilderness never has a shortage of visitors, thanks to its proximity to Denver, it is possible to find a more private hike if you know where to look. Lincoln Lake Trail, accessible from Echo Lake year-round, is not as glamorous as its sister trail, Chicago Lakes, but is a wonderfully private and scenic trail favored by backpackers, horseback riders, snowshoers, and skiers.De...

Photograph Ancient Bristlecone Pines on Mt. Goliath

On the way to the summit of Mt. Evans sits a small 160 acre preserve of some of the world's oldest living trees. The Mount Goliath Natural Area protects a rare site of Bristlecone Pines that make excellent photographic subjects.Immediately after parking you're surrounded by a miniature forest full of gnarly twisted shapes. While there are many interesting trees close to the small visitor center...

Hike to Hell's Hole

The name is uninviting, but Hell’s Hole is a scenic, shallow basin in the Mount Evans Wilderness near Idaho Springs. Starting elevation is about 9500 feet. Right after the trailhead, you pass through a few camping sites in the Chicago Creek Picnic Area. About five minutes into the hike is the permit station. Permits are free, but registration is required for Mount Evans Wilderness. You’ll hike ...