Powderhorn Lakes Trail, Colorado

• Mountain meadows
• Wildlife viewing 
• Alpine lakes
• Trout fishing 

                Have I forgotten anything?  Oh yes—solitude.  

            Powderhorn Lakes Trail, near Lake City Colorado, combines the above ingredients into a delectable day hike.

We begin our trek on a cerulean Colorado morning.  The first section of trail climbs through a mature spruce/fir forest.  It’s a steady uphill and our calves are burning.  We stop several times to rest; breathing deeply we’re rewarded with the penetrating scent of evergreen—nature’s air freshener.

The trail breaks into an open meadow where golden grasses reach for the horizon.  This is a fine place to stop for pictures and Tim and I indulge our photographic passions.

"The Hills are Alive..."  Views from this expansive meadow
tempt you to open your arms and sing!

              We re-enter the forest and continue an undulating climb through the trees and past sparkling beaver ponds.  Finally the trail skirts Lower Powderhorn Lake where we stop along the south shore and drop our packs.  We set up base camp here at 11,600 feet.  Tim inflates his float tube and strings his fly line while I gather twigs for a small blaze.  The presence of fire rings alerts us to several campsites along the lakeshore—both Lower and Upper Powderhorn Lakes provide excellent backpack camping opportunities.

Beaver pond along the Powderhorn Lakes Trail.
(As of June, 2020 these beaver ponds were dry.)

Tim fishes while I relax by the fire and read; I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning in the mountains.  Tim hooks a few brook trout and we break for lunch.  This afternoon we hike another half mile to Upper Powderhorn Lake, nestled into a semi-circular soaring rock face.  The sparkling water entices Tim to try his luck with the fly rod, but the fish aren't biting at Upper Powderhorn today.  It’s possible the trout were killed during exposure to harsh winter conditions at this shallow high-elevation lake. 

Welcoming fire at our "base camp" near Lower Powderhorn Lake.
                  Note:  This photo was taken during a hike to Powderhorn Lakes several years ago.  Fire danger in the backcountry is extreme in 2012;  please do not build and ignite any campfires in the wilderness this summer.

Tim fishes Lower Powderhorn Lake from his float tube.

Returning to Lower Powderhorn, Tim has better luck catching small “brookies” in the beaver ponds.

We gather our belongings and leave this tranquil wilderness, our backcountry appetites sated for now.  We’ll return again someday to savor the many delights served along The Powderhorn Lakes Trail.

Looking down on Upper Powderhorn Lake.

                                                           ****

Satisfy your taste for solitude this year.  Visit this site to plan a wilderness adventure to Powderhorn Lakes:  http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/gfo/recreation_information/hike-info/hike-trails/powderhorn.html

Update on Powderhorn Lakes Trail:  I revisited this trail on June 24, 2020.  The once lush spruce/fir forest above 11,000 feet now consists of mostly dead trees, the result of beetle-kill due to increasingly warm winters and longer summers.  
Some of what's written above is no longer true—you can no longer fill your lungs with the fresh scent of evergreen, and the trees in the above photos are no longer green, but ghostly brown.  Also, be apprised of dead-fall at some spots along the trail.  

Good campsites can still be found alongside this gem of an alpine lake, but the dead and dying trees make for a diminished world.

This is what climate change looks like: the shoreline of
Lower Powderhorn Lake in June of 2020.