White River National Forest · Colorado

Chinese Wall

18 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1803 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Trailhead Chinese Wall #1803 Drive there

Chinese Wall #1803 the Forest Service's write-up

Chinese Wall Trail #1803 begins near the summit of Ripple Creek Pass. After 1 mile, the trail enters the Flat Tops Wilderness . It then continues 2 miles to Picket Pin Park where it meets the Picket Pin-Lily Pond Trail #1811 . The trail skirts the park for .5 mile, then climbs 1 mile to the ridge that divides the White River and Williams Fork drainages.

The West Lost Lake Trail #1103 drops into the Lost Lakes from the top of the ridge. From here it climbs another 2 miles to the top of the Lost Lakes Peaks (11,800'). The trail continues across rolling tundra, where it is marked by wooden posts and rock cairns. After 4.5 miles, it meets the Devil's Causeway Trail, #1803.3 . The Causeway, 1 mile to the north, is a narrow strip of land connecting two major portions of the Flat Tops. It is flanked by 60' to 80' cliffs with steep talus slopes dropping 600' to 800' into the drainage below. The rough and rocky three-foot-wide crest can be crossed on foot, but it is impassable for horses. The trail then heads south 7 miles across an alpine meadow and ends at the Island Lakes Trail #1842 .

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Restrictions <ul><li style="font-size: 1em;"><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3825863">Flat Tops Wilderness regulations</a>&nbsp;apply</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">Domestic&nbsp;sheep may be grazing in the area.</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">This trail is used for multiple activities, including hiking and horsebackriding.&nbsp; Please respect other users.</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">The Devil&#39;s Causeway section is impassable&nbsp;to livestock.</li></ul>

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Deer Lake #1802 the Forest Service's write-up

The Deer Lake Trail connects Island Lakes Trail #1842 to Chinese Wall Trail #1803 . From Island Lakes Trail, Deer Lake Trail branches north and follows a bench that overlooks the Island Lake and Derby Creek drainages. After 2 miles, the trail becomes steep and narrow as it drops to down to Deer Lake; this section can be hazardous to pack strings. From Deer Lake, the trail climbs 1 mile to the Flat Tops plateau where it joins the Chinese Wall Trail.

Restrictions <ul><li style="font-size: 1em;"><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3825863">Flat Tops Wilderness regulations</a>&nbsp;apply</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">This trail is used for multiple activities, including hiking and horsebackriding.&nbsp; Please respect other users.</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">This trail is not recommended for pack strings.&nbsp;</li></ul>

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Devils Causeway #1803.3 the Forest Service's write-up

The Devil's Causeway Trail is a spur off the Chinese Wall Trail . The trail follows a narrow strip of land that connects two major sections of the Flat Tops. Both sides of the trail are 60'-80' cliffs with steep talus slopes dropping another 600'-800' into the drainage below. The rough, 3' wide crest can be crossed on foot, but it is impassable for horses.

Restrictions <p style="font-size: 1em;"><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3825863">Flat Tops Wilderness regulations</a>&nbsp;apply</p>

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Lost Lakes #1812 the Forest Service's write-up

The Lost Lakes Trail begins at Skinny Fish / McGinnis Trail #1813 and ends at Chinese Wall Trail #1803 . Access to the trail begins 1 mile up Skinny Fish Trail, between Skinny Fish and Lost Lakes. The trail climbs through stands of spruce burned in the 2002 Big Fish Fire, across the shoulder of Lost Lakes Peak. The Trappers Lake Amphitheatre is visible to the south, the White River Valley to the west, and Lost Lakes Peak to the north. The trail ends at Chinese Wall Trail #1803, on the divide between the Williams Fork and White River drainages.

Restrictions <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3825863">Wilderness regulations apply</a>&nbsp;in designated Wilderness areas.&nbsp;

This hike on fs.usda.gov

All 729 trails in White River National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

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.