Colorado · Hiking · Near Leadville

Grouse Lake

Grouse LakePhoto: jrm353, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
7.9 mi
round trip
3,252 ft
climb
10,691 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Grouse Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for White River National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · White River National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Grouse Lake is a hard hike in Colorado's White River National Forest, within the Holy Cross Ranger District. The trail is an out-and-back that climbs from a low point of 8,156 feet to a high of 10,691 feet, with a total elevation gain of 3,252 feet over a route of about 7.9 miles. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced and open to horses. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Climax weather station, which sits about 650 feet higher than the high point, show July highs around 67°F with lows near 40°F and no snow days. Winter is harsh, with highs in the mid-20s and snow on about 15 days a month from December through February. The Grouse Creek Trailhead is the parking for this route, and the trail is open year-round. The closest neighbors are the Full Nelson and Hay Meadow mountain biking trails, each about half a mile away. Climbers can find the Cemetery Block area about 2.9 miles off, and Halfmoon Campground is about 5.3 miles away.

Around this trail

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

    Tigiwon Community House

    Campground

    Campground · 4.0 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Thai Kitchen

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 1 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Craig Talbert, CC BY 3.0 (commons)

More in Leadville

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Grouse 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, 20 mi away at 11,344 ft. The station sits about 700 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Hay MeadowPhoto: jrm353, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hay Meadow

~2 min drive

5.70-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 1,362 ft gain.

Cougar RidgePhoto: jrm353, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cougar Ridge

~3 min drive

10.56-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 2,154 ft elevation gain.

Davos TrailPhoto: roland, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Davos Trail

~5 min drive

Davos Trail is a 1.98-mile trail in Colorado with 400 feet of elevation gain.

HIKE

Mount of the Holy Cross

~9 min drive

10.14-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's White River National Forest with 3,902 ft elevation gain.

Whiskey CreekPhoto: wka, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Whiskey Creek

~3 min drive

5.57-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado managed by White River National Forest.

Notch MountainPhoto: kalestews, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Notch Mountain

~10 min drive

3.08-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 2,361 ft gain/loss and 12,993 ft max elevation.

Trail near Iron MountainPhoto: supercraigtalbert, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Trail near Iron Mountain

~8 min drive

1.66-mile out-and-back trail near Iron Mountain, Colorado with 276 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Full Nelson

~2 min drive

3.91-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 191 ft of elevation gain.

Meadow MountainPhoto: wka, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Meadow Mountain

~3 min drive

10.82-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 423 ft gain and 9,792 ft max elevation.

HIKE

Grouse Mountain

~8 min drive

6.00-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado at 11,828 ft elevation.