Colorado · Hiking · Near Idaho Springs

Abyss Lake

Abyss LakePhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
16.9 mi
round trip
3,891 ft
climb
12,660 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Abyss Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 8 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Abyss Lake is a hard hike in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests, within the South Platte Ranger District. The route is an out-and-back of about 17 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 3,900 feet, from a low point of roughly 9,600 feet to a high of about 12,660 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced and open to horses. The most comfortable stretch for a visit is summer. Typical averages from the nearby Climax weather station, which sits about 1,300 feet lower, show July highs around 67°F and lows near 40°F, with no snow days. Winter is harsh, with highs in the upper 20s and snow on about half the days from December through February. The Burning Bear East Trailhead is the parking for this route, and the trip is open year-round. Burning Bear Campground sits just 0.1 mile away, and the Epaulet Mountain and Burning Bear hikes are both within a third of a mile. Geneva Park Campground is about 1.4 miles off.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Site 6

    Campground

    Campground · < 0.1 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsUser:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Hamill House Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 13 mi from Idaho Springs

    Historic house-museum in Georgetown, Colorado, United States

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)

More in Idaho Springs

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Abyss Lake

    No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      27° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    2. Feb

      29° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    3. Mar

      35° / 8°

      14 wet · 14 snow

    4. Apr

      40° / 15°

      13 wet · 13 snow

    5. May

      49° / 25°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    6. Jun

      61° / 34°

      8 wet · 2 snow

    7. Jul

      67° / 40°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      64° / 39°

      15 wet

    9. Sep

      58° / 32°

      11 wet · 2 snow

    10. Oct

      47° / 21°

      9 wet · 7 snow

    11. Nov

      35° / 11°

      12 wet · 12 snow

    12. Dec

      27° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Climax, CO, 27.7 mi away at 11,344 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Epaulet MountainPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Epaulet Mountain

Next door

Route to the summit of Epaulet Mountain (13,537 ft) from Burning Bear / Abyss Lake Trailhead.

Terminal Moraine Interp LoopPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Terminal Moraine Interp Loop

Next door

0.62-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 27 ft of elevation gain.

WhitesidePhoto: jaygannett, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Whiteside

~4 min drive

4.16-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 930 ft elevation gain.

Silver Dollar LakePhoto: kalestews, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Silver Dollar Lake

~11 min drive

4.16-mile out-and-back to Silver Dollar Lake in Colorado at 12,199 ft.

Mount EdwardsPhoto: QKC, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Mount Edwards

~14 min drive

Route to the summit of Mount Edwards (13,839 ft) from Argentine Pass Trailhead.

Geneva CreekPhoto: jaygannett, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Geneva Creek

~4 min drive

2.46-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 630 ft elevation gain.

Mount Blue SkyPhoto: regexman, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mount Blue Sky

~12 min drive

Standard route to Mount Blue Sky (14,264 ft) from Summit Lake.

Mount Blue Sky RidgePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mount Blue Sky Ridge

~12 min drive

4.34-mile out-and-back hike on Mount Blue Sky Ridge in Colorado, 1,096 ft gain, 14,170 ft max elevation.

HIKE

Mount Wilcox

~14 min drive

Route to the summit of Mount Wilcox (13,163 ft) from Argentine Pass Trailhead.

Sawtooth Ridge TraversePhoto: versute, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sawtooth Ridge Traverse

~9 min drive

1.40-mile trail in Colorado with 800 ft gain and 12,800 ft max elevation.