Crystal Lakes Trail

Crystal Lakes Trail is a 15.4-mile out-and-back from Lawn Lake Trailhead to Little Crystal Lake and Crystal Lake, in the upper basin below Mount Fairchild. The route climbs about 3,200 feet, from roughly 8,540 feet to 11,525 feet. Allow about 9 to 11 hours with stops. This is a hard, high-altitude day; do it for the full climb and the two lakes, not as a quick stop. The mapped route follows the same trail back to the parking area.

The walk starts on the Lower Lawn Lake Trail, climbing steadily but gradually through subalpine forest beside the Roaring River. Lawn Lake is 6.2 miles from the trailhead, at 10,990 feet, after about 2,450 feet of gain. The path follows the north shore, then climbs toward The Saddle. About a mile beyond the lake, take the branch south into the upper hanging valley. The route reaches Little Crystal Lake first, then Crystal Lake at the foot of Mount Fairchild. The Saddle and the Mummy Range continue beyond this hike; they are a separate extension, not part of the stored route.

Lawn Lake once sat behind a man-made dam. When the dam failed in 1982, a deadly flood rushed down the Roaring River and into Estes Park, reshaping the valley and forming the Alluvial Fan and Fan Lake. The dam was removed, the trail rebuilt, and Lawn Lake returned to its original level. Passing the shoreline gives the long approach a story that is easy to miss if you treat it only as a stepping stone to the upper lakes.

Past Lawn Lake, the climb moves from subalpine forest into alpine terrain. The upper lakes sit below The Saddle, and Crystal Lake lies at the foot of Mount Fairchild. Summer can bring wildflowers around the water. At Crystal Lake, include some of the rocky near shore with the lake and surrounding slopes; that foreground shows the basin's scale better than a tight shot across open water.

The long approach makes this a commitment before the final branch adds its climb. The trailhead is already around 8,540 feet, and the destination is above 11,500 feet. If the early miles feel harder than their gradual grade suggests, the altitude and remaining distance matter more than the scenery you have not reached yet. A shorter trip to Lawn Lake is a separate, substantial out-and-back, about 12.4 miles total; it does not include either Crystal Lake.

From US 34 near Horseshoe Park, turn onto Endovalley Road; the Lawn Lake Trailhead parking is on the right. The National Park Service lists a privy and stream water that needs treatment at the designated backcountry campsites by Lawn Lake, not at the Crystal Lakes destination. Pets are prohibited on all Rocky Mountain National Park trails.