Crater Lakes Hike (October 2010)

Sun November 14, 2010

This hike was to the same location as the last one in my last blog. The difference was, there was no snow, so we stayed on the trail and after the middle lakes we went up and did not visit the first one. We started on South Boulder Creek Trail and turned onto Crater Lakes Trail. There is a sign at the junction. The trail to Crater Lakes was a bit steeper than the South Boulder Creek Trail. The trail took us to the northern middle lake first. (On the snowshoeing trip we went to the southern one first.) Moffat Tunnel passes under this lake.

Crater Lake #2 North

The other is close, only separated by a small ridge (about 20 ft high).

Crater Lake #2 South

After taking a short break we went west and took the trail that curved along the west end of the northern lake. It turned west and started climbing up to the upper lakes. On the way up, there were great views of the two lakes we were just at.

View of the Two Middle Lakes from the Climb Up to the High Ones

The next lake is the smallest one.

The Third Lake

The trail continues around its northern shore to the last lake. The trail is rough, but there is not much of a climb.

The Highest Lake

We returned the way we came. The trail doesn't not go by the lowest lake. Occasionally we heard the exhaust fans from the railroad tunnel by the trailhead. Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 miles). Time: 3 1/2 hours.