Columbine Lake Trail

Combine Lake Trail is a 6.3-mile trail to a beautiful alpine lake in the San Juan National Forest. The trailhead is off Forest Service Road 820, and there is limited parking at the trailhead. Hikers can park along the road and walk to the trailhead. Hikers will immediately start the trail with a series of switchbacks that open up and end at the tree line. Once hikers finish with the switchbacks about 0.8 miles into the hike, the trail opens up and hikers are treated to spectacular views of the San Juan Mountains. The trail steeply ascends until hikers reach the saddle of the mountain at mile 1.8. Once hikers reach the saddle, the trail flattens out and the views are spectacular. For the next mile the trail remains relatively flat. Hikers will see a creek below, and the trail eventually meets the creek that starts at Columbine Lake. The last 0.25 miles of the trail mark the final ascent to the lake. Once hikers reach the lake, they can enjoy the stunning blue of the lake before returning by the same route.