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The Indian Peaks Wilderness was originally set aside by Congress in 1978, then enlarged in 1980. The wilderness now encompasses an area greater than 76,000 acres along the Front Range immediately south of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was named for the peaks in the area, many of which were given the names of various tribes of Native Americans — who were customers of an area trading post operated in the late 1800's by two brothers surnamed St. Vrain. The St. Vrain name was also given to several creeks in the local area. Pack trails were used to traverse Pawnee Pass. A train once crossed the Continental Divide at Corona (Rollins) Pass to the south. The entire wilderness is dotted with lakes, remnant glaciers, forests, and a smattering of breathtaking 12,000' and 13,000’ peaks. It is an incredible area for hiking and sight-seeing, and it is one of the most heavily used wilderness areas in the whole nation.
Although well-known and frequented by area residents, its popularity with out of state visitors seems to suffer due to its proximity to RMNP. I think the locals are just fine with that ... and so was I. Trail descriptions by Camille Bacher and the Dannens in their RMNP hiking guide piqued my interest; so much so, that I had planned this particular hike for a year and a half. Now, I was finally going to get to do it! I expected to see a lot more people than I did. I encountered only one person on the east side of the Divide, and only two people in my first 7 hours on the trail. Late in the day, the traffic picked up considerably on the west side.
I stayed the previous night at the MacGregor Mountain Lodge in Estes Park. Michael Hodges, one of the owners, had graciously agreed to give me transportation to the trailhead. We set off at 5 a.m. for the trailhead ...
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All photos copyright Matt Welch, 2004
Map courtesy of National Geographic Topo!
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When To Go
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Mid-July to September, when the trail is usually snow and ice free
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Trailhead
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Long Lake trailhead, Brainard Lake Recreation area (10,520')
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Directions
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Head up Boulder Canyon from Boulder to Nederland, then turn north and drive on CO 72 just over 11.5 miles and look for the Brainard Lake sign. Go west about 4 miles.
[ MapQuest ]
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Hike Length
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14 miles, one way
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Elevation
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2,050 foot gain,
4,200 foot drop
[ Profile ]
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Trip Rating
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Scenery:
Solitude:
Difficulty:
[ about ]
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Topo Map
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( disclaimer )
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