Junco Lake Loop

Begin at the Junco Lake Trailhead, in the Arapaho National Forest. Hike on the Columbine Trail before arriving at the High Lonesome Trail about 0.25 miles from the Junco Lake Trailhead.High Lonesome will take you through forest and some small rolling hills; a great warm-up before the first big hill!After 5-6 miles, you'll take a left to continue on High Lonesome (which is also the CDT) for a very steep climb over the next 2 to 3 miles.Upon reaching Devil's Thumb, take the ridge on your right and look out for cairns. The trail should be obvious. You'll take this until reaching Devil's Thumb Trail #902, which will take you to the east side of the Continental Divide. Once on the east side, you'll head on a steep downhill past several alpine lakes.Continue on Devil's Thumb Trail until reaching Diamond Lake Trail on your left. Diamond Lake will climb until eventually flattening out at Diamond Lake. After you get to the lake, you'll head downhill, crossing several streams, until reaching the Arapaho Pass Trail on your left.Arapahoe Pass is a steady but not-too-steep climb. At the top, you'll switch over to Caribou Pass Trail and have awesome views of the valley and alpine lakes below.You'll continue on Caribou Pass Trail, all downhill, until you reach a junction with the Columbine Trail, and head back to the parking lot.

There is some cool mining equipment about halfway up the Arapaho Pass Trail!