Crystal Lake Trail

Accidentally went too far up Spruce Creek Road and missed the turn off to Crystal Creek Road. Cut back over on the Wheeler trail, which proved to be a gentler incline overall (for anyone looking for a less steep ascent). Made it about a half mile from lower crystal lake, at which point snow shoes were probably necessary (post-holing at least a couple of feet), and then promptly turned around when a bull moose entered the trail. The snow was too deep for bushwhacking around him, but views of the mountain ranges were pretty on the way back down. I know it’s tempting to allow your dogs off leash, but be careful out there with wildlife!

Great hike. I would recommend wearing snow shoes past the lake. Snow was somewhat compacted but some spots not so much and the snow was past my knees at some points

Hiked up today with surprise blue skies. We took the steeper road off to the right toward cabin. It's a good climb at that elevation, esp for us folks from sea level Seattle but well worth it !! Beautiful peaks right in front of you!! Pretty lake. Fantastic. Snow at the top and probably near the end of the season for this hike! Thanks beautiful Colorado ❤️

We combined Crystal Lakes with Mohawk Lakes for a nice overnight hike; staying the night near Lower Crystal. Although "busy" for the holiday weekend Lower Crystal was still very serene. Great sunrise/sunset. We didn't make it to Crystal Peak as planned, but the trail looked like a good challenge.

My 11 year old son and I did this trail in combination with Burro Trail and Warriors Mark trail from Warriors Mark neighborhood in Breckenridge. Long, but a lot of fun. didn't make it to the second Lake as it started snowing and sleeting.

Came up for an overnight trip. Hiked from the trail head to the first lake which is beautiful and perfect camping spot by itself. The journey to the upper lake is a very tough but rewarding 2 extra miles of uphill rocks. Poles are very helpful here. Once at the top the views are staggering. We had the whole upper lake to ourselves for the evening. Plenty of flat areas but very rocky. I wouldn't recommend camping out up here without some serious ground pads. All and all the hike was difficult but very rewarding. The views from the top are incredible. Would have given it 5 stars if I could have found a suitable place to camp without a ton of rocks. Lots of fun though!

Tough climb but absolutely worth the effort!

Great trips. Drove up twice over the 4th week in my slightly lifted FJ Cruiser without any difficulty. Can only off-Road to the lower lake and up into the lose rocks to the south now. The hiking trail all the way up to the top is clear enough to make it on foot, but the off-road access is blocked. It doesn't look like a truck has been past the lower lake in years. This is a great hiking and off-road trail. Good to share the road.

Great trail still some snow at the upper lake but you can still get up there. Also the hike up to crystal peak was great and so were the views. Only saw one other group at the lower lake. Would bring hiking poles and waterproof boots there are so street crossings where you could get wet. Overall great hike and a hidden gem.

We live close about a mile away..Had not yet gone all the way up to Crystal Lake..Still Lots of snow on way up near the end..We made it up in 2 hours and down in one with just a bottle of water and a couple sandwiches...no spikes, just regular hiking boots and I have my 8 year old with me...Ended up home just now with soaking wet feet..you lose the path on way up where all the snow is and we decided to just walk though the river on the way back as a short cut..we were already soaked...not a hike this time of the year for the squirmish...

Beautiful, and way less busy than Mohawk lakes. The steep 4x4 road turned me off a bit at the beginning but it was well worth pushing through that

Very fun hike, lots of wildlife and wildflowers, and pretty challenging in parts. Having microspikes made our lives easier towards the higher elevations, but not a necessity. We found a really nice campsite near the falls about 3/4 the way up and set up shop. It was very peaceful up there, and would definitely recommend it to backpackers of all skill levels.

Difficult trail but beautiful view at the top, even saw some mountain goats!!

Nice hike! It took the group I was in about three hours to ascend, and about an hour to descend. There was still a lot of snow at the higher elevations. Some of it was packed, and much of it was deceptively soft so you would walk a few steps on packed snow, then sink sometimes very deep into slush. That will take your energy very quickly. The sun was out and I only needed a light jacket at the beginning and for a half an hour at the top where the temp dropped quickly (to me) when wind rushed down from the close peaks.

The lake was still mostly frozen, and no hiker the group encountered was going to bother with the upper lake since it would be even more frozen. I rated it as 4 stars because of the lake still being frozen. Just my preference.
Instagram; sirenamusic for photos.

Don't miss the turn up to the peak. If u make it to the upper lake you've gone too far.

Very pretty hike. Did it solo. Took 2hr 45 up and 1hr down.

It was uphill the entire hike in and the last half mile is pretty much straight up the side of a mountain but it was totally worth it. We stopped at the falls which is right before you have to go up the mountain and they were gorgeous. The lake at the end of the trail is so worth the trek. The views are amazing!

Very nice alpine hike. At the beginning passes through a pretty spruce forest, so no beetle killed trees around. Hiked this from Francies Cabin October 1st and you quickly move into alpine meadows. If not going all the way to the upper lake then just go a few switchbacks above the first lake for outstanding views, including a classic and very impressive rock glacier.

Really quite stunning once you get above the tree line. Second lake is VERY high and the trail flirts with 13,000ft. Among the best non-summit hikes I've ever done- it's a 4x4 road much of the way that might turn off some but, the reward 1st and 2nd lakes are soooooooooo worth it

Very steep first mile or so but don't be put off because after that it's a steadier climb to superb views across the valley and lovely lake settings. Very quiet even on a beautiful Fall Saturday - we saw just 10 people and 2 vehicles on the whole route.

Good trail, fairly steep the whole way but pretty short. Great lake once you get up there. A lot less crowded than Mohawk Lakes out of same trailhead.

8/3/16- Scenery and the lake are beautiful. The trail itself is difficult and narrow for a moderate 4x4 trail. There were several other vehicles and hikers even on a Monday and Tuesday but some open camping areas at the top and along the road leading up to the lake.

I drive a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 3" lift and 32" tires and this trail definitely maxed that out in some parts.

Fishing was okay, nothing over 9".

Such a blast! I took up my Jeep Wrangler and could not have had a better experience. 4WD is definitely needed. I did not have any issues with clearance with my vehicle but be weary of it. Have fun!

Hard but the most incredible views I've ever seen. Take mosquito repellant for when you get up to the lake

Great scenic trail, very steep but worth it, bring your dog!

Great hike!

Lovely! great alternative to Mohawk Lakes!

beautiful, but very muddy and snowy still

Awesome trail, I literally saw NO ONE else on this trail today besides at the extremely crowded parking lot. I sun bathed (European style) and ate lunch at the top for an hour. It was extremely quiet for a hike on a June Saturday, besides the marmots and birds shouting their alarms at me with the random crashing of rocks falling off the cliffs. Bring stabilizers/snowshoes, I post-holed over half the way up the trail, my legs are bloody and feet were soaked but the view and serenity at the top were totally worth it.

Fun heading up. Real rocky going up. No issue whatsoever for my 4Runner. There were several Subaru Outbacks quite a ways up. Stock 4x4 and AWD vehicles with decent ground clearance shouldn't have any problem.

Hiked up the road 1st time.The next time I drove. Lots of scenery.