PhotoHiker: Hoosier Pass & Continental Divide

Hoosier Pass is the perfect trail for people who would like to escape from the heat in the city by hiking above the tree line but have hard time to keep the breath while climbing for a good elevation gain. The hike is easy and less than 4 miles round trip from the trailhead to Crystal Lake with about 700 elevation gain. But what you get is the spectacular view of three 14er: Mt Bross, Mt Lincoln and Quandary in addition to the stunning lake view.

To get there, Google maps will lead you to I-70 west towards Frisco/Breckenridge. Exit on 203 then follow CO-9 south to travel for about 10 miles. The parking lot is on the left with a big sign. We were afraid of the possible traffic jam and the blast on I-70 so we took an alternative – US285, which also connects to CO-9. The travel time is about the same for these two routes on the map and the view along US285 is fabulous.

There is a big map on the parking lot but no restroom. The trail starts from elevation 11,539 feet (I am using the number from the sign but I have seen 11,541 on many other resources – must be something more accurate).

This is what I found on summitcountyexplorer.com

Hoosier Pass rises to an elevation of 11,541 feet. It's a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, situated on the continental divide at the northern tip of Mosquito Range in a space between Mount Democrat in the west and Hoosier Ridge in the east.

It didn’t take us long to get to Crystal Lake although there were a few barriers along the trail. We continued to hike up to the hill for a great overlook of the lake then got to the bottom of North Star Mountain to check out one of the mining ruins. The additional hike took us to above 12,000 feet and to pass the 2-mile mark.

On the way back, instead of following the way we came, a couple in the group who are very familiar with the area took us to the other trail that runs over the ridge. After passing the Crystal Lake trail, we made a right to get on this steep trail. It is an uphill trail all the way to the ridge. This was the only challenge we had for the entire hike but it was a great exercise and gave us a chance for an even better view. The route we did was probably between 5-6 miles round trip and took us about three and a half hours. Even though it is considered as an easy hike, wearing a pair of comfy waterproof hiking boots and proper socks are highly recommended.

After the hike, we went to South Park Saloon for a late lunch. The food was OK. There was a kick ass BBQ competition held in Alma, which made this tiny town pretty crowded.

Now let the pictures tell the story!