Deer Lake

Deer Lake is a fishing lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness, part of the Blanco Ranger District of Colorado's White River National Forest. The Forest Service manages the land, and the Deer Lake Trail links it to the Island Lakes Trail #1842 and the Chinese Wall Trail #1803. The trail starts from Island Lakes Trail, branching north to follow a bench that overlooks the Island Lake and Derby Creek drainages. After about 2 miles, it becomes steep and narrow as it drops to Deer Lake. This section can be hazardous to pack strings. From the lake, the trail climbs about a mile to the Flat Tops plateau, where it joins the Chinese Wall Trail. The Deer Lake Trail is the closest neighbor, about 0.1 mile away. South Derby and Island Lakes are both within about a mile. For more fishing, Bailey Lakes lies about 5.4 miles away.