Eaglesmere Lakes

Fall colors at their best this week. We camped at Eaglesmere Lakes. Didn't see any mammals at this altitude, including humans. It was beautiful and peaceful. Be prepared for night time temps in the 30s now. No facilities at the parking area or lakes.

We did the 10-12 mile loop from Eaglesmere Trailhead to Tipperary Lake (halfway) to Surprise Trailhead. Easily doable in 1 day, but we made it a relaxing two. Drove up Friday and slept in the car and started at 8:00am. From Eaglesmere to Tipperary it took a little less than 4 hours at a moderate pace with lots of stops. Beautiful day at Tipperary and nice campsites around. From Tipperary to Surprise it only took about 2.5 hours. Very easy downhill. Not a lot of parking at Eaglesmere but plenty at Surprise and Cataract nearby. Look forward to a day hike here in the fall when the aspens change color.

Quiet trail that's easy to follow.

Overall, a good trail, especially because it is pretty quiet and there's not too much activity. Gorgeous Aspen groves and large Evergreens are hard to beat. Only downsides are: It is a bit overgrown, so you can often be scraped by different bushes/plants. Lots of fallen logs to climb over. I'd definitely wear light hiking pants. Also, there are LOTS of bugs on this trail, which is rare for Colorado. Definitely spray down with insect repellant- I got eaten alive by mosquitos!

I took this trail from the west to east coming off a loop. Mostly downhill in this direction. From the trailhead you can expect a uphill climb, but mostly not too steep. Some of the best wildflowers I have seen thus far, and a great view of the waterfall.

Beautiful scenery and wildflowers. Trail condition was a little sketchy. Lots of fallen trees. Watch out for the moose!! Luckily he wasn't interested in us or our dogs!!

Awesome views. We hiked the trail June 7th of this year. The trail was 100% covered in snow for the last hour of the hike. The lakes were still frozen but the place was awesome. There was at least 10 feet of snow all around the lake. The views were worth it tho. Will go back this summer.

The views at the lake make it all worth it. Trail is narrow at times but it's not a big deal. During our hike in October we encountered snow and a little mud. We practically had the entire place to ourselves. I would definitely go back during peak colors - I bet it is beautiful with all the Aspen groves.

Beautiful trail, need stabilizers/snowshoes to get back to the lakes right now (June 5). Wildflowers and birds own the first half of the trail. The second half is pine forest and has a lot of snow and bramble but I can't wait to come back in the fall so its easier to get to the lakes without carrying equipment for 3 miles to use for just 1 mile. A lot of 'widow makers' (loose branches that can fall at any moment) and I was attacked by fire ants at one point in the beginning of the trail, so be careful!

Hiked this trail in the fall of 2015. Great view of a large cluster of aspen, great for leaf peeping. The trail was mostly covered, but did have some full exposure. I would say the hike for this trail was easy.