Low Elevation Hikes Near Lake City

[tdliles]

You might look at the CDT/CT at Spring Creek Pass South of Lake City on 149. You can go east or west. I really like the east side up to Snow Mesa. You'll get 1300-1400 of vertical on the good trail up to the mesa, then you can see forever! Go as far as you want (an out and back).

[Le Marmot]

The Silver Creek and Grizzly Gulch trails are nice/scenic hikes that will take you into the basins that access RC/Sunshine (Silver Creek) and Handies (Grizzly Gulch). The trail heads are literally across the road from each other...awesome campsites there as well with Snowshoe Hares romping around. Not sure what campsite availability will be though with the holiday weekend...camping is free also.

Edit: Throw taking the American Basin approach to Handies to Sloan Lake in there also. Hope this helps.

[Chicago Transplant]

You could climb the unofficial/official "Things to do in Lake City when your car is in the repair shop" Mountain (speaking from experience on that one) - Station Eleven. Its 10,726' and the trailhead is accessed right from town. 5 miles and 2000' RT. Some bushwhacking involved to get to the summit, but the summit was grassy enough to provide some nice views down to town, Lake San Cristobal and of course the peaks beyond.

You want the Waterdog Lake trail on the NE end of town near the water treatment plant, the trailhead is signed, and its on the Trails Illustrated #141 map. The trail starts up some driveway, but its the trail - just before going into the people's actual property the trail hooks a right into the trees. From a saddle around 10,200 you can hook a right and bushwhack to the peak, at some point we picked up an old road that brought us pretty much to the summit, not sure where it comes from though, probably the ranches below to the east. I don't think it ever actually intercepts the trail, so you will have to bushwhack a little bit.

[San Juan Ron]

Cataract Gulch to Cataract Lake -- a very nice hike with waterfalls, lakes, moose, all the way to the Continental Divide. SJ Ron

[lakecityrat]

Thompson/Larson Lakes or Crystal Lake/Crystal Peak. Both start above the IOOF cemetery. Uncrowded hikes, great views and good fishing. Thompson takes only about an hour to reach.

[TravelingMatt]

You might look at the CDT/CT at Spring Creek Pass South of Lake City on 149. You can go east or west. I really like the east side up to Snow Mesa. You'll get 1300-1400 of vertical on the good trail up to the mesa, then you can see forever! Go as far as you want (an out and back).

This. Even the most convenient 13er on the east side, Baldy no es Cinco, is an easy hike up grass.