0.7 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1157.1 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse
The Lake Katherine Trail is easy to follow, through few sections are fairly steep and difficult for horses. This very popular designated trailhead provides access to trails into Mount Zirkel Wilderness. There are no developed facilities and campsites are scarce along the trail and particularly at Lake Katherine. Timberline is at approximately 10,500 feet elevation.
Restrictions Review <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbr/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5133586">wilderness regulations</a> before recreating in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness.
The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.
