Blue Lake, CO

Blue Lake via Mitchell Lake TH in Ward, CO

August, 23, 2020

To get to Blue lake, you will need to go to Brainard Lake Rec. Area and hike from the Mitchell Lake Trail Head. There were forest fires close by, so the lake had a lot of smoke, and the sky was hazy. The trail was relatively easy to moderate, and there were many small lakes along the way.

Fun Facts

Cost: $12 per vehicle or free with a state park pass (dogs on leash are welcome)
Elevation: 10,525 - 11,355 feet 
View: Mt Audubon, Mitchell Lake, Brainard Lake, Pawnee Peak
Don’t Miss: Lake Isabelle and Long Lake
Note: The line to get in the gate does take time but it goes fast.
Fun Fact: The lake wasn’t that as blue as you would expect

Blue lake is located in Indian Peaks Wilderness close to Brainard Lake. There is a gate to get into the park that had a 20-minute wait to enter the park; it did go relatively fast.

Mitchell Lake is the first lake on the trail that you see. It is a mile and a half to reach this location and then another mile and a half to reach Blue Lake. In all, it was a little over six miles.

I love when trails have many different obstacles like bridges, rocky paths, and river crossings, and this trail had it all… even mud.

Miss Monroe sitting in front of Mt Toll and Blue Lake.

Fireweed - Whitish Gentian - Redpod Stonecrop

After our hike, on our drive out, we saw two bull moose deep into the bushes heading out (that was the first moose I had seen, EVER!). Blue lake was a fun hike that wasn’t too strenuous and had many great stops along the way. You can’t go wrong with any hikes in Indian Peaks Wilderness.