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Destination: Lost Lake Campground (9,600 feet), Gunnison National Forest, Colorado : Colorado Locator Map
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I may have found the Holy Grail of Colorado tent camping. It was dumb luck really. I didn't expect to have the "once in a lifetime" experience that I enjoyed. I drove into the West Elk Mountains the day after Memorial Day and encountered the best that Colorado has to offer in a period of less than twenty four hours. Stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, surreal solitude, outstanding trails, ideal camping — all offering a chance to connect with the Colorado wilderness in a way that will be etched in my memory forever.
As I drove the last couple of miles to Lost Lake Campground around dinner time, I was praying desperately that there would be an open camp site ... that maybe one of the Memorial Weekend campers would have vacated a spot for my tent. Still shell-shocked by the scenery along the stretch of County Road 12 from Crested Butte to Kebler Pass, I was amazed to find the campground completely empty. Not only was it empty, but the Lost Lake Campground happens to be surrounded, as I discovered, by some of the most awesome scenery in the state. I actually got an adrenaline rush while simply selecting my tent site from the campground's eleven campsites — all situated near the picturesque Lost Lake Slough under the shadow of the dramatic Beckwith Mountains. Site #4 offered the best views of the lake and peaks, but was somewhat close to the road. It didn't matter. I was eerily alone. That is, if you don't count the numerous sightings of wildlife. I saw more than twenty deer. I saw a beaver. There was endless background music from the many birds. And, I saw a bear. It was the kind of crowd that you hope to see in Colorado.
The Lost Lake Campground is located in Gunnison National Forest, and is situated between the West Elk and Ragged Wilderness areas — which offer more than 300 miles of hiking trails. (Not that you would need any activities to keep yourself occupied in this area. In fact, I would have been quite happy staring endlessly at the stunning scenery from the comfort of my camp chair.) Most of the campsites are located directly on, or near, Lost Lake Slough. Lost Lake proper, a smaller body of water, is located less than a mile away on the flanks of the Beckwith Peaks. A campsite costs $10 per night, which includes a fire grate, picnic table and vault toilets. NO WATER is available at the campground. Pack it in, or filter at the lake. Lost Lake Slough offers good fishing, according to the guide books. I saw several trout cruising the shore and breaking water in the evening hours. Sites are adequately spaced, with the sites at the end of the loop offering the best in privacy (albeit less of a view). There are two trailheads located directly in the campground — one offering access to the Beckwith Pass Trail and the other, the Three Lakes Trail. The latter is a very eay 2.1 mile loop that takes hikers past Lost Lake, Dollar Lake and a waterfall — and offers some amazing views of the Raggeds Wilderness.
I enjoyed it all during a very brief, but memorable visit to the area — an adventure that I will never forget.
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Resources: Colorado Campgrounds: 100 Best, The Best in Tent Camping: Colorado, Gunnison National Forest
All photos copyright Jesse Speer
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