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The Rawah Lakes Area consists of 2 dozen high alpine lakes; most of these lakes are below timberline but several are above that zone. This area is abundant in wildlife. On a 1993 backpack trip, a mother moose and her calf, a bull elk, multiple deer, a flock of ptarmigan in summer camouflage, and a black-footed ferret were spotted. Larger than average fish are found in some of these lakes, ranging in length from 12 -16 inches. Take your camera and fishing pole. It should also be mentioned that there are small zones of old-growth trees along the various trails, some trees are 40-50 inches in diameter, large by Colorado standards. How to get there: Take I-25 north to Ft. Collins, exit on COM. Follow COM and US 287 around the north side of Ft. Collins. You will pass Laporte, in a few more miles US 287 and COM will separate. Take COM west towards Cameron Pass. In about 45 miles Chambers Lake will appear on the north side of the highway. CR103 turns north and travels along the east side of Chambers Lake. In about six miles you will pass Tunnel Campground on the west side of the road. Travel another mile, the West Branch Trailhead parking lot will appear on your left. Park in the trailhead parking lot, be sure to read the posted wilderness rules, and complete the sign-in sheet. The trail: Discussion in this write-up describes a loop trip to the Rawah Lakes Area. The outbound trail is the Camp Lake Trail; this trail provides less elevation gain. A number of different trail options are available for exploring the Rawah Lakes area. The return trip takes the Rawah Trail over Grassy Pass, down a lot of switchbacks, finally returning to the original trailhead. Rawah Lakes to Camp Lake - The trail starts south from the parking lot on CR103 for a short distance until it reaches the North Fork of the Laramie River. The West Branch Trail (FS960) turns west and follows the north side of the river on a service road pass a water diversion canal. For the first mile, the trail is flat and there is no elevation gain until it reaches the foothills. The second mile has some elevation gain with several switchbacks. At 2.4 miles the Camp Lake Trail (FS968) branches off to the right and heads north towards Camp Lake. Take FS968 north from the West Branch Trail and head uphill for about 1 mile until it levels out. Several good streams can provide drinking water on the way up this incline. You will soon find yourself following a water diversion ditch for an additional 3 miles, no useable water is available on this portion of the trail. At 6 miles a shortcut trail goes off to the left, while the main trail continues along the water diversion ditch. Taking the shortcut is recommended. This one-mile shortcut trail has backcountry campsites (designated as campsite 1) and drinking ater is available. The shortcut goes up and over a ridge, then returns to the Camp Lake Trail (FS968). Camp Lake is another mile; the last .25 mile of the trail near Camp Lake has a lot of bogs and thick willows which you must make your way through. There are a number of good campsites (designated as campsite 2) just south of Camp Lake in the forest, water is available on the south side of this lake. The trail to the south goes to Upper Camp Lake. This lake is one of the largest lakes in the area and is located in a large wide valley. Upper Camp Lake is .75 miles south of Camp Lake just at Timberline with only a few small windblown trees near the lake. This lake and valley are more scenic than the lower lake. The 12-16" fish mentioned earlier can be found in Upper Camp Lake. Campsites at Upper Camp Lake are located on the east side of the lake (designated as campsite 3). The distance from West Branch Trailhead to Camp Lake is 8 miles. Spending several days at the lakes - From this point you easily can hike to any of the lakes in the area. There are number of campsites and good water within a reasonable walking distance. The good backcountry campsites discovered on the 1993 trip are noted on the provided map. Some of the favorite lakes are: Upper Camp Lake, Big Rainbow Lake, Rawah Lake No. 2, and Rawah Lake No. 3. Return from Rawah Lakes on the West Branch Trail - Rawah Lake No. 3 is the last tree-protected lake where you can camp before returning on the Rawah and West Branch Trails. Take the Rawah Trail (FS961) from Rawah Lake No. 3 over Grassy Pass. Stop for a while to enjoy the view. The Rawah Trail on the return trek is steep in certain areas and there are several sets of switchbacks. There are several places where one can camp on the way down and there are many places to obtain good drinking water. One interesting side trip, if you have an extra day, is to visit Twin Crater Lakes. The trail to Twin Crater Lakes (FS962) is 1.5 miles southeast of Grassy Pass off the Rawah Trail. Campsites are available on the north side of the northernmost lake. Continue along the Rawah Trail until it ends at the West Branch Trail intersection. Take the West Branch Trail east (left) for another 3 miles to the West Branch Trailhead. The return distance from Rawah Lake No. 3 to the West Branch Trailhead is 8 miles.
Created on: 2024-09-08 12:39:51