Parking
Finch Lake Trailhead is on Wild Basin Road, about 1.8 miles beyond the Wild Basin entrance station. A stock-loading area is nearby.
Overview
About Hutcheson Lakes Trail
Why go
- A long lake chain from forested Finch and Pear to three high Hutcheson lakes
- A remote alpine basin beneath Copeland Mountain, Ogalalla Peak, and Elk Tooth
Heads up
- A long, strenuous day from Finch Lake Trailhead
- Tread fades beyond Pear and route-finding becomes difficult
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Rocky Mountain map
Full mapElevation8,468–11,306 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Rocky Mountain alerts
- ClosureOld Fall River Road closed to vehiclesOld Fall River Road is closed to motor vehicles for the season.Official details
- ClosureSun Valley burn-area access remains closedThe area and trail west of Sun Valley Trail remain closed, including the route used for angler access to the Colorado River, because of impacts from the 2020 East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires;…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Your drive to Hutcheson Lakes Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Finch Lake Trailhead: The Long Walk to Pear Lake0:00 / 0:23
“Finch Lake Trailhead is coming up, for a long hike to Pear Lake below Mount Copeland. Plan on twelve point eight miles round trip and eight to nine hours, with about twenty-one hundred feet of climbing.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wild Basin: A Short Walk or Ouzel Falls
- Sandbeach Lake Trailhead and a Copeland Lake Picnic
- The Fire That Turned Toward Allenspark
- Longs Peak Trailhead: Lake or Summit
- 79 audio storiesacross Rocky Mountain’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 136 trails, 88 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Trail guide
Hiking Hutcheson Lakes Trail
Route and distanceFrom Finch Lake Trailhead, follow the maintained trail through Finch and Pear, then leave the…
From Finch Lake Trailhead, follow the maintained trail through Finch and Pear, then leave the maintained tread to reach the Hutcheson lakes. Turn around at Upper Hutcheson and return the same way. Plan about 17 miles round trip and roughly 11 hours.
TerrainForest approaches climb steadily before opening into a rocky alpine basin.
Forest approaches climb steadily before opening into a rocky alpine basin. Beyond Pear, faint informal tracks lead past Lower and Middle Hutcheson; the tread fades near Cony Creek, and route-finding continues over rock benches and grassy ramps through willows and krummholz to Upper Hutcheson. Expect rough rock-hopping and no continuous maintained trail.
Route limitCony Lake lies farther west beyond Upper Hutcheson.
Cony Lake lies farther west beyond Upper Hutcheson. Reaching it means a separate, unmarked cross-country extension; it is not included in this saved route or its 17-mile distance. This hike suits experienced visitors comfortable navigating where a clear trail disappears, especially when snow obscures the faint tread.
Access and rulesFinch Lake Trailhead is 1.8 miles beyond the Wild Basin entrance station.
Finch Lake Trailhead is 1.8 miles beyond the Wild Basin entrance station. Pets are prohibited on all trails in the park.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Rocky Mountain
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
