Colorado · Hiking · Near Idaho Springs

Resthouse Meadows

Resthouse MeadowsPhoto: regexman, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
11.8 mi
round trip
890 ft
climb
11,429 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun, Sep
best months

Is Resthouse Meadows 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.

Resthouse Meadows is an out-and-back hike of about 11.8 miles in the Clear Creek Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, within Echo Lake Park. The route rises from a low point of about 10,434 feet to a high of about 11,429 feet, with an elevation gain of 890 feet one way. The trail is rated hard, and the land is managed jointly. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses, so riders can take it as well as hikers. The most comfortable stretch for a visit runs from June through September, when typical averages from the nearby Cabin Creek weather station reach highs in the mid-60s to low 70s and lows in the 40s. That station sits roughly 1,400 feet below the high point, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. The trail opens from June 1 to September 30, and the Captain Mountain Trailhead is the parking for the route. Captain Mountain and the Resthouse Meadows Trail both lie within a mile, and Echo Lake Campground is about 0.6 miles away. Climbers can find the Amphitheater Area about 1.3 miles off.

Around this trail

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

    Echo Lake Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 0.6 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsUser:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Hamill House Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 7.0 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 · Jun, Sep

    Best time to visit Resthouse Meadows

    Best months: June and September. 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

      32° / 12°

      8 wet

    2. Feb

      31° / 11°

      8 wet

    3. Mar

      38° / 17°

      9 wet

    4. Apr

      43° / 23°

      10 wet

    5. May

      53° / 31°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      64° / 40°

      9 wet

    7. Jul

      69° / 46°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      67° / 44°

      14 wet

    9. Sep

      61° / 38°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      50° / 29°

      7 wet

    11. Nov

      39° / 19°

      7 wet

    12. Dec

      32° / 12°

      8 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cabin Creek, CO, 6.6 mi away at 10,020 ft. The station sits about 1,400 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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