Stout Lakes Trail is a 8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Howard, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from June until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
birding
hiking
nature trips
walking
lake
views
wild flowers
Directions from Salida: Kerr Gulch Access: Traveling east on Highway 50 from Salida turn right on Kerr Gulch Road, BLM 6110. The turn is approximately 4 miles northwest of Coaldale. Drive about 4 miles to BLM Road 6117. Follow Road 6117 1 mile to the trailhead. At the trailhead (north edge of the meadow) follow the old logging road about .75 miles to the Rainbow Trail. Hike north on the Rainbow Trail .25 miles to Stout Creek Lake Trailhead. Follow Stout Creek Lakes Trail climbing steeply in some places 3 miles to the lake.This access is recommended for high clearance vehicles and dry weather only.
Three stars only because the trail is brutal. I did this trail to prepare for 14er climbs and it did just that. It had me asking why I like to torment myself?! However, the views at the top are superb. Getting to the TH was no problem. It's a VERY rocky trail making footing difficult at times. And as stated, part of the forest has a lot of downed trees to scramble around, over, or under. Stout Creek was flowing nicely and there were still patches of snow in shaded areas.
very strenuous, uphill hike.
I did not make it to the lakes due to the abundance of snow about 11,000'.
There were many downed trees to navigate as well.
Stout creek was raging!
Following the trail you don't see much of the creek but you can hear it!
Pack light and wear sturdy boots.
Trail was in better shape than I thought it would be. Couple areas where trees are down on the path. Other than that it was a fun time. Might take some time to get up to it, but if you pack light you can jog most of the way down.
OK... I do not have much experience with backpacking and was uncertain whether I could do this with my 13 year old son when we were invited for an overnight. I am so greatful that they (other experienced backpacker) asked and we accepted. The trial was hard, but very rewarding when we reached the top. We were able to get there in about 3 hours and made it back down in about 2 hours the next day after hiking to the upper lakes. The campsite at the top were great. Word of caution: weather is unpredictable... Weather called for sun and clear skies and we got about 3 hours of heavy rain and 50 mph winds. Plan, dress, pack appropriately. Highly recommended.
We hiked to the lake in 4 hours. The trail disappears in a couple of spots about half way up due to the numerous trees that blew down over the winter. We had to bush whack our way around the biggest blow down to the north and west then re-intersect the trail. Once we accomplished this the trail was reasonably unobstructed the remainder of the way with the occasional blockage from a downed tree. On the descent we stayed on the trail rather than retrace our ascent path around the blow down which turned out to be a mistake. This way led us into the heart of the blow down and made the rediscovery of the trail much harder and longer. We made the descent back to the Kerr Gulch Trail head in 3.5 hours. It turned out to be a very arduous but rewarding hike with great views, grouse and turkey sightings, and an afternoon escape from the 100 deg. heat.
This trail is beautiful. It is worth it in every way. However, it is not for the faint of heart. This trail really beat me up.
We hiked to the lake in 4 hours. The trail disappears in a couple of spots about half way up due to the numerous trees that blew down over the winter. We had to bush whack our way around the biggest blow down to the north and west then re-intersect the trail. Once we accomplished this the trail was reasonably unobstructed the remainder of the way with the occasional blockage from a downed tree. On the descent we stayed on the trail rather than retrace our ascent path around the blow down which turned out to be a mistake. This way led us into the heart of the blow down and made the rediscovery of the trail much harder and longer. We made the descent back to the Kerr Gulch Trail head in 3.5 hours.
It turned out to be a very arduous but rewarding hike with great views, grouse and turkey sightings, and an afternoon escape from the 100 deg. heat.
I was able to manage over two miles on the trail (one way) until I completely lost its path due to fallen trees and overgrowth. I did find a few places where people had started to make secondary and tertiary paths around troubled spots, but after nearly a quarter mile of hunting and scrambling around, I gave up and went back down. I do know that extreme winds in the area have caused many more fallen trees in the last few months.
As far as the "Strenuous" rating for this trail, I agree. It is severe uphill grade with little mitigation. I have heard good things about the lakes at the end of this trail so I wanted to check them out. My 3-star rating is only because I couldn't continue on the trail. There were a couple of decent views on the way up (the part I was able to complete), and at 1.5 miles you cross the creek which is nice. It took me exactly two hours to go 4.2 miles up and down this trail. I will give this trail another try at another time. If you're feeling adventurous, by all means, do it!