Linkins Lake Trail

Linkins Lake is the highest short hike on this site: a 0.7-mile climb from a trailhead at 11,500 feet, just below the summit of Independence Pass, to a lake above treeline at about 12,000 feet, in tundra that is thick with wildflowers in July. It is a 45-minute outing on the way over the pass, and it is the easiest place near Aspen to stand in alpine country.

From the Lost Man trailhead, the trail heads north with the Lost Man trail for a few hundred yards, then the Linkins Lake spur leaves left and climbs at once. The trail switchbacks up a tundra slope with the headwaters of the Roaring Fork below and the peaks of the pass around, gaining 500 feet in under a mile.

The lake sits in a bowl of tundra and rock at about 12,000 feet, with Geissler Mountain above and the willows at the outlet full of birds. A path circles it. Return the same way for 1.4 miles, or continue on the Lost Man trail from the junction for a longer day to Independence Lake and Lost Man Pass.

From Aspen, drive east on Highway 82 about 18.5 miles to the upper Lost Man trailhead, on the left (north) side of the road at the last switchback below the summit of Independence Pass. The lot is a gravel pullout with room for a dozen cars and no toilet. No fee or permit. Highway 82 over the pass is closed from early November until late May.

Dogs must be on a leash; the trail is inside the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness, and the Forest Service also asks people not to camp at the lake because the tundra is fragile. The trail is short enough for any kid who walks, but the trailhead is at 11,500 feet and visitors who drove up from Aspen that morning feel the first switchback. Stay on the trail across the tundra; the plants take decades to recover. No water at the trailhead; the lake needs a filter. The Grottos, 9 miles down the pass, is the other short stop, and the Aspen hikes page lists the rest.