The Blue Lakes trail near Telluride, Colorado leads to three beautiful alpine lakes in the Mount Sneffels wilderness. With stunning shades of blue water and colorful summertime wildflowers, it’s no wonder that this hike is popular for day hikers and backpackers alike.
Blue Lakes Trail Guide
Mileage: 8 miles roundtrip for the hike to Lower, Middle, and Upper Blue Lakes. (The climb to Mount Sneffels is not included in these trail details.)
Type: Out and Back
Elevation Gain: ~2,500 feet
Peak Elevation: ~11,000 feet
Blue Lakes Trail starts out fairly steep and then flattens out to a more gradual uphill climb through a shaded wooded area. The first lake, Lower Blue Lake, is about 3.3 miles from the trailhead. There are many campsites for backpackers right near Lower Blue Lake.
The hike from the Lower Blue Lake to Middle and Upper Blue Lakes begins with a steep section, but the climb offers a great view of the Lower Blue Lake from above and, once you reach the Middle Blue Lake, the Upper Blue Lake is very close by. Middle Blue Lake is about 3/4 of a mile from Lower Blue Lake. Hiking to all three lakes is worth the push!
Coming in from lower elevation, this hike can be a doozy. The peak elevation for the hike to the Upper Blue Lake is over 11,000 feet so take breaks as needed. As a rule of thumb, start your hike early and plan to be off the peak and below the treeline before noon due to afternoon thunderstorms that frequently roll in during the summer months.
Remember, pack it in, pack it out. This area gets more foot traffic year after year. Keep this place beautiful.
A Wedding With A View
During our Blue Lakes hike, we crossed paths with a family from New Jersey that was getting accustomed to the altitude and doing a “test run” of the hike. We asked them what they meant by “test run” and it turns out they were trying to get a gauge on their hiking pace because the next day they were going to attend a wedding at Lower Blue Lake! Grandma may not be able to make it up there, but when it comes to views, Blue Lake is not too shabby of a wedding venue!
At the pace Team Jersey was hiking, it was going to take them 4-5 hours to reach Lower Blue Lake, and the wedding ceremony start time was…wait for it…8AM. Let that soak in…these people came to Colorado all the way from New Jersey during a pandemic (this was 2020 during COVID-19) to HIKE UP A MOUNTAIN AT ALTITUDE AT 3AM in order to make it to the wedding…now these are some true pals! The bride and groom had just gotten engaged on the 8 mile hike to Ice Lakes near Silverton, Colorado the previous day, and this family was there for that too. Everyone needs friends like this in their life!
Getting Here
The road to Blue Lakes Trailhead is rocky but doable for a 2WD sedan. There are free range cattle in the area. They sometimes like to be stubborn about sharing the road.
Pro tip: Go to the bathroom before getting to the trailhead. There’s an outhouse at the trailhead, but it was pretty gnarly.
Camping near Blue Lakes Trailhead
There are pull-offs alongside the road leading to Blue Lakes Trailhead that have spaces for camping. Look for the rock fire rings. In addition, there are larger areas for dispersed camping about a half mile from the trailhead. We found a spot in this larger area.
There are no camping amenities available at the campsites, and, although there’s an outhouse at the trailhead, I found the privacy of a tree to be a better alternative. If utilizing the great outdoors when nature calls, please stay away from water (over 200 feet), bring a trowel and dig a hole for solid waste (over 6 inches deep), and pack out your toilet paper. Nearly every tree behind our campsite had a wad of toilet paper at its base. Leave no trace, ya’ll.
What to Pack for Day Hiking Blue Lakes Trail
- Day Pack
- Hydration bladder filled with water
- Sun protection – Sunscreen, SPF lip balm, hat and sunglasses
- Food
- Clothing needs vary depending on the weather. For any weather, opt for quick-dry clothing materials and avoid cotton. Cotton retains water which can make you feel colder in cold weather and make you feel sweatier and cause chaffing in the heat.
- First aid
- Hiking Boots or Trail Shoes
- Trail maps – We recommend printing or taking screenshots of trail maps in case there is no cell service during your hike. When we began hiking from Lower Blue Lake to Middle Blue Lake, we missed the established trail and ended up scrambling up a much more precarious social trail. Use your map to get started on this section of trail. The remainder of the trail is more obvious.
- Trekking Poles
For more hiking inspiration and guides like this, check out our Colorado travel page.