Colorado · Hiking · Near Idaho Springs

Chicago Lakes

Chicago LakesPhoto: cleong, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
8.0 mi
round trip
3,086 ft
climb
12,870 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Chicago Lakes open right now?

Road closed

CO 5/Mount Blue Sky Road: road closure is listed as closed by CDOT 511.

As of · Source: CDOT 511. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Chicago Lakes is an 8-mile out-and-back hike in the Clear Creek Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, with a total elevation gain of 3,086 feet. The route rises from a low point of about 10,314 feet to a high of roughly 12,870 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail has a natural surface. The climb is hard, and the trail is open from June 1 to September 30, with the Captain Mountain Trailhead as the parking point. Horses are allowed on the trail. Several climbing areas sit right next to the route. The Bierstadt Area and French Kiss Area are both about 0.4 miles away, and the Alpine Garden Loop, a mountain biking route, is 0.8 miles off. Echo Lake Campground, about 1.7 miles away, offers a place to stay.

Around this trail

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

    Echo Lake Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 1.7 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsUser:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Hamill House Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 6.3 mi from Idaho Springs

    Historic house-museum in Georgetown, Colorado, United States

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

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Chicago Lakes TrailPhoto: The original uploader was MattWright at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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