Crystal Lakes — Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

What a beautiful day for a hike! This hike starts off with the more intense incline at the start… although it never really stops climbing. The trail is well trod with no notable maintenance issues. We went up to the upper lake and I’m so glad we did! That’s where you’ll find the meadows. The wild flows are starting to bloom - magenta paintbrush, pasque flowers, lupine, phlox (I think), and some others I don’t know. :) Mosquitoes were very present at the lake, but didn’t bother us otherwise.

Be certain to arrive early - we parked about 7:30 and there were 2 other cars. When we came out at 11:00ish, the parking on both sides of the highway was full.