Extensive excerpts from the popular hiking book, Colorado's Incredible Backcountry Trails. Site includes detailed information on the Ice Lake Basin and other great hikes leading to Colorado's natural wonders. Also, loads of color photos.

I had been aiming for Ice Lakes Basin in Colorado for around a year and in the middle of August, I finally nailed it!This place, it’s absolutely unreal and surreal. The mountains are so majestic that they absolutely blow your mind and the endless greenery is a welcome sight coming from the desert. The shot below is why I wanted to see this place. I was in love.Ice Lakes Basin was my final stop on my Colorado road trip. I almost didn’t make it, but as I was so close, I figured I should knock it out.

Hills of glory 3d free europe free. Hills Of Glory 3D Free. ALL NEW: Celebrate the 70th anniversary of the WWII with the Free Europe update. Unlock the new plane P51 dropping landmines on the enemies and 2 exclusive missions in Paris. “It’s time to save Europe and make History. We’ll land in Italy, fight many battles to reach Germany and end this War. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Hills Of Glory 3D Free. Download this game from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Hills Of Glory 3D Free. Celebrate the 70th anniversary of the WWII with the Free Europe update. Download Hills of Glory 3D Free Europe and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. ‎ALL NEW: Celebrate the 70th anniversary of the WWII with the Free Europe update. Unlock the new plane P51 dropping landmines on the enemies and 2 exclusive missions in Paris. Hills of Glory 3D Free Europe is a Strategy Game for Android ALL NEW: Celebrate the 70th anniversary of the WWII with the Free Europe update. Unlock the new plane P51 dropping landmines on the enemies and 2 exclusive missions in Paris.

I originally wanted to backpack here, but I was quite sore from backpacking Blue Lakes and summiting Mt. Sneffels, so I figured a quick day hike was good. Key DetailsDistance: 8ish mile loopElevation Gain: 3,100 feetStarting Elevation: 9,800Highest Point: 12,600 (if you go to upper Ice Lakes), 12,400 otherwiseBeauty: Mind-blowing Getting thereThe trailhead is a mile or two north of the Silverton exit, where you’ll head west and onto a dirt road for probably 15 minutes.

The turn off will be for South Mineral campground and the parking lot is adjacent to it at the very end. The lot isn’t too big so it’ll fill up quickly – especially if you’re there on a weekend.Pro tip: If you want to camp, South Mineral Campground is a good spot but there’s also A LOT of dispersed camping opportunities as you drive in. There’s a river within eyesight so you’ll have plenty of water to drink.The Hike to Ice Lakes BasinThe hike itself is wonderful – hard, but wonderful.You do start off around 9,800 feet, so if you’re out of shape or coming from sea level, you’ll feel this for sure. But in terms of hiking conditions, it’s a breeze. The trail is well maintained (you cross a couple of small streams and maybe have to hop over a few downed logs, but that’s minute) and easy to follow.Now, the hike-hike, it’s pretty tough. Partially due to altitude and partially due to conquering a good amount of elevation in a short amount of time.

But the views at the end. O.M.G.You can split this hike into three parts.The first part is hiking amongst the trees to the lower basin, which is where you’ll find the split that takes you to Island Lake or Ice Lakes Basin proper. This is 1.7 miles from the TH and about a 1,600-foot elevation gain.From here, I went to Island Lake first. Most people go to Ice LakesI don’t know why.

Island Lake is phenomenal. But oh well.Anyways, go right to Island or keep going straight to ILB. If you go right, it’ll be sorta tricky for a bit.

I had my All Trails map out to ensure I was on the right way. (It’s hard to describe but there’s a false trail but if you look hard enough you’ll see it’s not the right one.) This was likely the most exhausting part of the hike. It’s pretty steep and the air is thinning at every step. Not the best recipe for functioning lungs.The third part is getting into the upper basin. For lower Ice Lakes, it’s 1.2 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain (another 0.5 miles takes you to the highest lake). If you go right to Island, it is 1.1 miles and 1,000 feet.

Basically, it’s the same. From there, there’s a connecting trail between the two lakes up top. If you go to Island Lake first, you’ll have a downhill to Ice Lake and vice versa.All Trails takes you to Ice Lake first and then to Island but do whatever you want at this point.I didn’t go to the furthest lake as storm clouds blew in.

But it looked nice from my drone.( Side note: Drone are legal here as of Sept. Just be careful and respectful of others. I flew mine away from people and got it up into the sky quickly to not disturb people with buzzing.) Things to be aware of.

Weather. You’ve heard it before. Mountains make weather. It was a beautiful morning with a chance of stuff happening around noon. And what do you know?

The clouds appeared and I assume rain fell on the lakes. (I out-hiked the weatherjust barely.).

Few Bugs. I went in mid-August and didn’t find bugs to be of any issue. My Pack.

I had an extra layer, water, some snacks, and a water filter. Nothing too fancy. This is a pretty short hike and outside of a breaking a bone, you can get down in less than 90 minutes if you really needed too. I did bring my camera, tripod, and drone, as mentioned previously.

Parking. As I said, it can fill up fast. I went on a weekday and it was pretty full by 11 am when I got down. 13er Summits. There’s a few 13ers surrounding the upper basin that you can do if you’d like. If you backpack here, I’d recommend seeing how high you can get.Other than that, enjoy the heck out of this place and then go get a cold beer and pizza at the brewery in Silverton.

My mouth was salivating when the pizza arrived.Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.You can follow along the journey on and or shoot me any questions and comments about places to go. And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to get notified when new posts come out!To view my entire photography collection,. Shopping cart hero 3 unblocked.

This 8-day exploration of Colorado includes breathtaking National Parks, regional culture, history, and - of course - fresh, local craft beer! American Experiences small group, multi-day tours provide you with authentic, in-depth experiences not found elsewhere. Your trip includes more than just the basics- a welcome reception, one or two unique specialty meals, three and four star quality boutique hotels, multiple guided tours with opportunities to choose your activity as well as free independent exploration, and transportation. Plus, our knowledgeable tour guide stays with you for the duration of the trip and can personalize your experiences to meet the needs of both you and the group.

Get to know like-minded people from all over the world who enjoy similar experiences and enrich your appreciation of America's special Rocky Mountain culture with American Experiences small group tours. It's not just a tour, it's an Experience!