White River National Forest · Colorado

Crystal Lake

2.3 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 44 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead Crystal Lakes Road TH #44 Drive there

Crystal Lakes Road TH #44 the Forest Service's write-up

This area has beautiful alpine scenery with views of the Tenmile Range. A 4WD road leads to Lower Crystal Lake and then a hiking trail continues for approximately 2 miles to Upper Crystal Lake. The road will take you through numerous alpine meadows which are fed by the tributaries of Crystal Creek. The road rises onto a shelf with Lower Crystal Lake nestled against the mountain walls. A cabin at the lake offers some shelter from the wind. Directly west of the cabin is Peak 10 at the Breckenridge Ski Area.

This area is part of the 53,804-acre Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, designated by Presidential Proclamation on Oct 12, 2022 to protect its important prehistoric, historic, natural and recreational values.

Restrictions <ul><li>Hiking trail to Upper Crystal Lake is closed to motor vehicles</li></ul>

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in White River National Forest

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.