Rawah Lakes (18.5 miles)

Rawah Lake Number 1 in early evening. We had the lake all to ourselves.

This loop is a great choice for its variety in campsites, multiple day options (many possibilities exist in the 2-4 day range), and abundance of wildlife.

Cameron Peak - Colorado’s largest recorded wildfire at the time - started in Cameron Pass just a few miles away but this loop was untouched.

Bug season is the name of the game in the Rawah wilderness. On a trip during bug season, I had one of my least enjoyable trips of all time; the bug pressure was incredibly intense. I’ve also been there a few weeks later in the season after the bugs were gone and had an absolutely wonderful quick overnighter.

Be ready for bugs

This route has amazing amounts of water access along it. As a result, it can be quite buggy at various times. I’ve gone in late July and the bugs were the worst of any trip I’ve ever been on. Be prepared with bug spray and a head net.

By the numbers

Distance: 18.5 miles

Elevation gain: 3.250 feet

Time from Fort Collins: 75 minutes

Difficulty:

Beauty/Epicness:

What makes it special?

Perhaps my favorite trip in Northern Colorado (when it isn’t bug season), this loop provides so many options for camping and exploring. The lakes are beautiful and the views above treeline are as special as anywhere in Colorado. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow.

I’ve done it as a 3 night trip with a larger group at a casual paceand knocked it out as a quick overnighter. While I preferred the one night route as it dropped us into some lakes to camp at spots that we had all to ourselves, I haven’t found a combination that wasn’t super fun.

Manmade?

Of particular geographical interest is a multi-mile stretch around mile 12.5 (when going clockwise, which is my preferred direction). It is a ridged set of dirt running along a trough feature. It’s naturally-occuring but is so flat and consistent it almost feels as though it were built by earth-moving equipment.

Campsites and permits

Campsites abound along this route. I marked the most common ones on the map but with the frequent water and plentiful flat areas, you could establish something frequently along the trail.

No permits are needed for this route. The area is within Rawah Wilderness, though, which has some restrictions, including how many people can be camping together in a group. Read up more here.

Route map