The Beautiful San Juans: Ice Lake Basin
The San Juans may be the most beautiful mountain range in Colorado. They span Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, and the main towns were once mining hubs. The San Juans are just over 5 hours from Breckenridge, so more than a day trip. We stayed right outside of Durango and visited Mesa Verde National Park, and the following day hiked the Ice Lake Basin before heading home.
Our trip to Mesa Verde was somewhat brief. We had Dusty with us so we did more of a driving tour with brief stops. But then he either ate or got stung by a bee, so our visit was cut short as I was too busy worrying about him. We then explored downtown Durango and got to enjoy a ramen dinner- something that Breckenridge surprisingly doesnt’ have. Ramen after skiing? Pleassseeee!
We departed our campsite at Haviland Lake Campground early in the morning to make the hour drive to the trailhead. Being a weekend, and the summer, we were worried about the parking lot filling up quickly but when we arrived around 6:30AM there was plenty of parking available. I had bought the Osprey Poco LT backpack to carry Dusty in. We tested the backpack out at home and he seemed to enjoy it, but after just a few hundred feet past the trailhead, he decided to jump out and splatted on the ground. He then hiked about 3.5 miles and 2,700 ft elevation gain all the way to Island Lake!
On All Trails I had read that hiking the loop clockwise is easier, but we ended up hiking it counterclockwise. I personally don’t think that counterclockwise was any harder than clockwise would have been, but I suppose I can’t say. No matter which direction you hike up, the views are beautiful. The trail is straightforward and well trodden- it is one of the most popular hikes in the area. The hike begins through a section of forest that was burnt in 2020, and is home to a waterfall called Clear Creek Falls. After that, it’s beautiful meadows until you reach Island Lake- named as such due to a rock island in the middle of the bright turquoise water. As you make your way over to Ice Lake, there’s an incredible view of Ice Lake, the runout stream, and the looming mountains. There is a section of silt which will slow you down a touch, but then it’s smooth sailing from there.
At both lakes there’s plenty of space to hang out and relax. We even saw a man who had been camping by the lake. It looked super close to the water, but I guess the law in Colorado is that you need to be 200 feet from a water source or trail. At the end of the day, that’s not that much distance.
On the hike down we tried putting Dusty in the carrier again, but he once again, jumped out and hiked over half the way back down to the trailhead. He was a happy pup, but a muddy pup by the end of the hike.
If I lived closer to this hike, I would do it often! It wasn’t too hard and it’s sooo incredibly beautiful.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Summer is thunderstorm season. Start early as there is zero cover from lightning and stormy weather once you break treeline, and the majority of the hike is above treeline!
There are porta-pottys at the trailhead
The trailhead is down a dirt road, but no 4x4 neeeded
You can camp up at the lakes, but follow the dispersed camping rules, but there is a campground at the trailhead and dispersed camping along the road leading to the trailhead
GEAR
Osprey POCO LT Baby Carrier | Osprey, REI, Backcountry
ON Climate Shirt | ON, Backcountry
LuluLemon Align Leggings | Lululemon
Sunglasses | Ray Ban, Sunglass Hut
Trail map via All Trails
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