The best hikes are the ones with a magnificent payoff. We spent almost two months in Colorado, bagging 14k peaks and hiking sub-Alpine trails in the Rocky Mountains near Breckenridge and Aspen. As we were headed to California for our through-hike of the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevadas, a friend suggested that we make a stop in the San Juan mountains further south. Wow! I thought we had seen and done the best that Colorado had to offer…and then we found the Ice Lakes trail in the San Juans. Bring your camera, ‘cause the intensity of colors on this loop trail will blow your mind!

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Upper Ice Lake

This is the true color of the upper Ice Lake in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The stunning turquoise blue comes from glacier dust particles suspended in the water, which distort light waves to most intensely reflect blue-green colors. Complement those beautiful sea hues with an accent of fuchsia Indian Paintflowers, deep maroon Kings Crown, and vibrant yellow Bahia Aster lining the banks. Simply stunning.

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We had to work for this view! We arrived at South Mineral Creek the night before our hike. There are several campgrounds along dirt road FDR #585 north of Silverton, Colorado, but they were all full in early July. No worries! We found a dispersed camping site in a thicket of bushes along South Mineral Creek, maybe a mile from the Ice Lakes Trailhead. After setting up our tent, we chilled our beer in the cool creek, kicked back and enjoyed a fiery sunset.

We walked to the trailhead across from South Mineral Creek campground in the morning (psst: there’s a port-o-john). We started in the timberline at 9,800 feet in elevation, but it quickly thinned out as we hiked through the blackened corpses of the 2020 Ice Fire burn area. It’s an aggressive two-mile climb to the first alpine meadow basin, chock full of colorful blooms, small creeks, and waterfalls. This is Lower Ice Lake — we had to keep going up the switchbacks another 1.75 miles to the top of the ridge above 12,000 feet. Yep, it was heart-pounding. Yep, it was worth it!

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Fuller Lake

After much ogling and photo taking at upper Ice Lake, we followed a trail to the left heading further upwards. We passed a small green lake and then ascended another switchback to Fuller Lake. We had lunch at the picnic table next to the ruins of an old mining shack and watched some clouds roll in.

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Island Lake

In the early afternoon, we returned to Upper Ice Lake and veered to the right this time. After another steady and steep climb along a high, narrow ridge overlooking the Lower Ice Lake basin, we found Island Lake. This photogenic little gem reflects the surrounding peaks in a bright green and blue pool.

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Island Lake on the Ice Lakes loop trail, San Juans, Colorado

From here, the loop trail descends as a switchback down the mountainside, meandering through wildflower meadows. It reconnects with the original trail on the opposite side of the Lower Ice Lake basin and back into the timberline. Round trip, the hike was about 10.5 miles.

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