Thomas Lakes and Mt. Sopris

Halfway to the summit of Mt. Sopris, south of Carbondale, Colorado, are Thomas Lakes.  Two large lakes and several smaller ponds sit on a shelf on the north slope of the mountain.  Other than the one time I made an unsuccessful attempt at climbing to the summit, I usually hike to and around Thomas Lakes every year. 

The trailhead can be reached from Prince Creek Road or West Sopris Creek Road.  The trail is about four miles each way, with a vertical gain of 1,600 feet.

American Lake near Aspen

Not far from the popular Cathedral Lake hike in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area south of Aspen is American Lake.  Surrounded by steep cliffs that rise nearly two thousand feet above the lake, this hike is well worth the effort.  The trail climbs about 1,700 feet over three and a half miles, and has very good footing most of the way.  Once at the lake, it's not difficult to walk its circumference, and something I recommend, since there's nowhere else to go except back down.

The trailhead is a couple of miles shy of the ghost town of Ashcroft, on the south side of the Castle Creek valley.

The Savage-Carter Lakes loop in the Holy Cross Wilderness Area

Ever since we discovered that one can descend from Carter Lake via the "non-inventoried" trail, our annual trips to Savage Lake always include Carter Lake.  Another common thread is the deterioration of the weather on those days we choose to do this hike, and thus I've not been very satisfied with the photos I get of the upper Savage Lake or Carter Lake.  Still, the hike is always a pleasure, and this past weekend was no different. 

Because of light rain, I left my camera in the pack at Savage Lakes, but did pull it out when we crossed the stream leading out of Carter Lake, and got these shots of Elephant Heads and a fisherman plying the waters (with great success).

The trailhead for this hike is in the Frying Pan river valley.  Just east of Thomasville, past the road to Eagle, there's a dirt road on the left that leads to several USFS campgrounds and the trailheads of this hike and Josephine Lake.