Rating: Moderate
Elevation: 10,560 ft to 12,750 ft
Length: 3.7 miles from trailhead to lake
Timeframe: Could be a half-day hike for the physically fit; otherwise full day

Cooper Lake lies in a scenic and quiet glacial valley. The trail to Cooper Lake is an old two-track road that no longer allows vehicle use. This trail is seldom hiked, which makes it the perfect place for a true backcountry experience. It does cross over some private land where an old mine exists. The hike itself begins over 10,000 feet, so it's not a trail that someone struggling with altitude should take. It is, however, a beautiful scenic hike that offers the traveler a seldom-seen view of the San Juan Mountains.

Rating: Moderate
Elevation: 8,480 ft to 12,000 ft
Length: 6.8 miles from trailhead to lake
Timeframe: Full-day

The road to the Devil's Lake trailhead is about seven miles north of Lake City. The trail itself weaves on and off an old road that no longer allows vehicles. It can be a confusing hike because of that, so your guide's experience will keep you on track. The vistas from the trail often encompass the Lake Fork valley. You'll climb mesas and forge valleys and creeks and finally end up at Devil's Lake atop Cannibal Plateau. It's a gorgeous hike, albeit somewhat challenging.

Rating: Easy to Moderate
Elevation: About 8,000 ft to 9,000 ft
Length: 5 miles
Timeframe: Full-day, but can be turned into half-day

Skunk creek trail is so rarely hiked that we can almost guarantee a person-less trip even in the height of summer. The trail itself begins about 15 miles north of town on a hard-to-see jeep road that continues as the main part of the trail for many miles. The road is steep in the beginning, but then moderates. The trail weaves through many groves of trees, including magnificent old-growth junipers. You'll pass by many other forks of the trail, but the main one takes you past old cabins and ponds and finally terminates at Skunk Creek. 

Rating: Easy to moderate
Elevation: About 11,200 ft to 11,820 ft
Length: 4.5 miles, but can be longer if taking other Powderhorn trails
Timeframe: Full-day, but can be turned into half-day

Powderhorn Lakes are two beautiful mountain lakes tucked into an area that is rarely used because of its distance from Lake City. The Powderhorn trailhead is about 24.5 miles North of Lake City off of County Rd 58. Two routes are available, one high and one low, but both trails run together for 1.5 miles and go through a mature and dense spruce/fir forest. The trail breaks at a large meadow with beautiful flowers and often, elk. You then enter the woods, passing drainages and ponds, and then climb steeply for a bit, emerging in a meadow with beaver ponds. Another half mile brings you to lower Powderhorn Lake where you then climb above timberline along a broad ridge that is part of the Calf Creek Plateau. Once above it, the view is astounding and you can see the northern San Juans, including Uncompahgre Peak all the way north to the West Elk range near Aspen. The trail eventually ascends to the point where you can also see both Powderhorn Lakes and you can take a number of access points to each lake's shoreline.

Rating: Moderate to Difficult
Elevation: About 8,600 ft to 11,100 ft
Length: 3.8 miles
Timeframe: Full-day

The trail for Waterdog Lake is in Lake City in the Ball Flats area next to the water treatment plant. From there, you hike up a road that eventually turns into a trail at the top of a hill. From there you climb steadily through an open fir forest but with great views of Lake City. You then climb again and reach Horse Park, a private and scenic meadow. You then turn northeast and continue along a moderate jeep road through aspen, eventually reaching beautiful Water Dog Lake.

Rating: Difficult
Elevation: 9,185 ft to 12.480 ft
Length: 7.5 miles
Timeframe: Full-day

The Williams Creek trail challenges most hikers. The trail begins about 4 miles past Lake San Cristobal. On trail, you walk up through an open meadow, then through ponderosa pine stands. You pass over a few creeks, including Williams Creek and its east fork. You then continue to climb a sidehill for several miles. Once the trail begins to level off, you enter a mountain meadow and then over a large rock talus slope and, finally, to Grassy Mountain Saddle. You can then go ver the ridge and onto the Alpine Gulch trail side, if desired.

Rating: Easy to Moderate
Elevation: 9,940 ft to 11,640 ft
Length: 4 miles from trailhead to park
Timeframe: Half-Day

Rambouillet (locally pronounced "ram-boo-lay") Park sits jut below the Continental Divide. The trail begins off of Highway 149 just past the Lake San Cristobal overlook. Initially, the trail can be seen as a right fork off of other trails that the snowmobilers use in the winter. After a mostly gentle 1.3 miles, you come across Sawmill Park, a beautiful and large open meadow. At the far end of the park, the trail takes up again into the woods and gets steeper and continues to climb (about 1,000 ft) until you reach Rambouillet Park, which is another popular snowmobiling park in the winter. It's a vast and beautiful open area with great views of the Divide. It also enables access to various yurts in the area.