Isabelle Glacier Out and Back

From the Long Lake trailhead, head out on Pawnee Pass Trail past Long Lake. The trail is generally mellow grade for the first couple of miles. There is a little bit of a climb as you reach Lake Isabelle, but it levels out as you travel along the shore. Head up past the shoreline and up the rocky alpine meadow. There is a small tarn below the final push to the glacier. It might be pretty strenuous getting up there, but hiking by what is left of this small glacier is a really cool experience. From here, you can head back the way you came. However, if you are ready for a bit more adventure, take Airplane Gully Route to reach the ridge and have some more views. This is the only reasonable passage to ascend to Niwot Ridge. The gully is a steep 500 feet of loose rock and scree. After picking your way up this gully, you are rewarded with the wreckage of a small plane--the debris is all over the place. Soon after, you finally arrive at the ridge crest of Niwot Ridge, and you get a good view of Arikaree Peak, nestled within the state property of the Boulder Watershed.