White River National Forest · Colorado

Deer Lake Trail

3.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1802 · trail class 2 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.9297, -107.1749 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

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

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.