Ice Lake Basin

Ice Lake is the impossibly blue lake at the head of a basin above Silverton, the image that shows up on every list of Colorado's best hikes and the reason the South Mineral trailhead is overwhelmed every July weekend. The trail climbs 2,250 feet in 3.6 miles through two basins, with waterfalls in the lower one and a wall of 13,000-foot peaks around the upper one, and the color of the water is not a filter.

From the South Mineral Campground trailhead, the trail climbs immediately into steep switchbacks through spruce and the burn scar of the 2020 Ice Fire, gaining about 1,000 feet in the first mile. Waterfalls on Clear Creek come and go on the right. The grade eases as the trail enters Lower Ice Lake Basin at about 2.5 miles, a long meadow at 11,400 feet with a small lake, wildflowers through July, and the headwall ahead.

The last mile climbs the headwall on a rebuilt trail with tight switchbacks and a few rock steps to the lip of the upper basin, and Ice Lake appears at 12,250 feet, ringed by Vermilion Peak, Golden Horn, and Pilot Knob. A side trail climbs another 400 feet south to Island Lake, a different shade of blue with a rock island, and most people who have the legs go. Fuller Lake, farther up the basin, is quieter. Return the same way; the descent of the lower switchbacks is where knees complain.

From Silverton, drive 2 miles north on US 550 to the South Mineral Creek Road (Forest Road 585) on the left, then 4.4 miles of gravel to the South Mineral Campground and the trailhead. Passenger cars manage the road when dry. The lot holds about 40 cars, fills by 7 AM on July and August weekends, and overflows a half mile down the road; the Forest Service has restricted roadside parking and camping along the road to designated spots. No permit or fee for day hiking as of this writing; check the San Juan National Forest site for any reservation system before you go.

Dogs are allowed on leash; the basin is busy enough that off-leash dogs cause problems. The climb is long and steep for young kids, which is why the trail is not marked kid-friendly here; teenagers do fine. The trailhead is at 9,850 feet, so sleep in Silverton the night before. The Forest Service asks backpackers to camp only at the established sites in the lower basin, not at the upper lakes, where the meadows show the wear; the campground and the designated sites along the road are the car-camping alternatives. Silverton, 20 minutes away, has restaurants and lodging and no large grocery. The Silverton hikes page covers Highland Mary Lakes and the other basins.