Olsen Lake

Olsen Lake is an easy, short hike of about 0.6 miles in the Holy Cross Wilderness, on the Holy Cross Ranger District of the White River National Forest in Colorado. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is a natural-surface out-and-back with a low point of about 11,150 feet and a high of about 11,277 feet, for a total elevation gain of about 128 feet. The trail is open year-round, and horses are allowed. Bikes are not. That makes it a good option for a pack horse trip, though it is also an easy walk on foot. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Climax weather station run to highs around 67°F in July and 64°F in August, with no snow days in July and only two in September. Winter is cold and snowy, with highs in the upper 20s and snow on about half the days of the month from November through April. West Grouse Creek lies about 0.6 miles away, and Grouse Mountain is about 1.2 miles off. Beaver Lake offers fishing about 3.6 miles away, and Halfmoon Campground is about 4.8 miles from the trail.