Today we are going back country camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. We hike the Cascade Creek Trail to Mirror Lake and Crater Lake which both sit below Lone Eagle Peak. From the photos we have seen online, this is going to be an amazing place and we are so excited for the day!
We have about a 2.5 hour drive from where we are in Boulder to the Monarch Lake Trailhead where the trek begins. The hike is around 16 miles round trip with 2,244 feet of elevation gain. It starts with a pretty level path following along Monarch Lake before gradually climbing through the forrest. The trail meets up with Cascade Creek and the creek stays in sight for the majority of the hike.
The trail opens up in a beautiful valley with mountain views ahead. We approach the Cascade Waterfall which is comprised of 4 main falls. We climb up and around the falls and enjoy the sounds of the water rushing down beside us. We estimate we are a little over half way once we make it past the falls.
We continue on and reach the Crater Lake Trail split where we veer right to continue our way to Mirror Lake/ Crater Lake. We hike for another couple of miles and have one final set of steep switchbacks before we reach our final destination of Mirror Lake.
We enjoy a quick view of Lone Eagle Peak and then set out in search of a campsite for the night. With the permit we received, we are not allowed to camp in any of the designated spots around the lake. Our understanding is as long as we steer clear of these and stay 100 feet back from the lake, we can set up anywhere.
We find a beautiful, quiet spot through a small meadow of flowers. There is a small dirt patch in the trees that looks relatively flat so we claim the spot and start to set up.
After our camp is set, we head down to the lake to make some dinner. It is unfortunately raining again and quite cold, so we eat dinner quickly and head back to camp and seek shelter in our tent. We watch a movie we downloaded on Netflix and then try to get some sleep.
The next morning we wake around 6AM to more rain. Luckily it doesn't last long and we head down to the lake to make some coffee and breakfast. We watch as the clouds clear and the views of Lone Eagle Peak become even more beautiful. The sunlight makes its way onto the peak and it really is a beautiful site! Since we did not get much time to hang out and enjoy yesterday with the rain, we set up our hammock and take full advantage of this beautiful setting.
After a relaxing morning, we set out to explore. We continue up the west side of Mirror Lake to Crater Lake. We walk around the lake, taking in more incredible views of Lone Eagle Peak. Sadly, we are trying to get back on the trail by 10AM for the hike back, so we make our way back and get our camp broken down and packed up.
We go take in one final view of Mirror Lake and Lone Eagle Peak and then hit the trail. We book it the 8 or so miles back to the car. We make it in around 3.5 hours with the rain coming and going along the way. It really starts coming down as we make the final stretch from the parking lot to our car. We enjoy a quick snack and make our way back to Boulder! It was an amazing experience and everything we were hoping it would be!
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ABOUT US!
We are Jess and Myles and we are so glad you have found our channel, Waypoint of View!
We believe that physically putting yourself in a new place on the map is the best way expand your point of view. The eye opening experience of putting yourself out there is why we created Waypoint of View when we decided to walk away from our comfortable lives to chase a long held dream of extended world travel.
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