I never thought I would be the kind of person who would voluntarily wake up at 330am to go hike to a lake. Now, that’s my idea of a fun and relaxing Saturday morning!
This weekend I went with a couple friends to go hike to Lake of the Clouds in Westcliffe. With help from a substantial amount of coffee (Mocha Chameleon cold brew, stevia, and almond milk), we loaded up the car at 430am and drove the 2 hours from Colorado Springs to the Sangre de Cristo mountains. You drive through the town of Westcliffe and up to the mountains. You do have to drive on dirt roads, but they are really well maintained. I drive a Honda Civic and it did fine. After a while on the dirt roads you’ll reach a campground. You can either park here and walk the extremely short distance to the trail head or (if you have a higher clearance vehicle) drive the short stretch of super rocky road to the official trail head parking lot.
We started off our morning by getting lost. We went a half mile in the wrong direction before we ran out of trail. With a little a bit of Googling, we realized we had gone left instead of right. At the sign for Rainbow Trail turn RIGHT and follow it for a half mile until you see the sign for Swift Creek Trail. This is the trail you’ll follow all the way to the lakes. The trail runs along a creek which you eventually cross with the help of a crude log “bridge”. It’s an easy crossing to miss, however there is a fallen log that has arrows carved into it pointing in the correct direction. Once you cross the creek you’ll continue up toward the lakes with the creek to your left.
Alpine lakes are always gorgeous and Lake of the Clouds does not disappoint. Spread Eagle Peak
towers in the background and reflects in the lake. From the first lake its just a short walk to the second lake. It started to rain so we were unable to make it to the third lake.
Our hike ended up being 11 miles because of our start in the wrong direction and gained 2,814ft of elevation. It was probably one of my most favorite hikes. So beautiful. On the way back through town we stopped at a Mennonite Bakery called Sugar and Spice that was amazing (cash or check only so go prepared). It was the perfect snack after a long hike.
The pictures are stunning. Even though the clouds are gray and the light is flat the greens are so vivid and full of texture. It sounds like a hike I want to try. The reward of lakes at the top of a mountain is so cool!
I drive a Ford Focus but was contemplating renting an SUV. Do you think my car would get me to the camp ground ok? Also, did you see any previous sites for dispersed camping?
Your Focus should definitely get you to the campground! I drive a Civic and my car had no issues. The roads are dirt, but they’re not rough or rocky at all. From the camping area its really only about 100 yards or so to the trail head. I didn’t see any dispersed camping sites on the way to the trail (its only a few miles past the town), however there were lots of sites along the trail. If you turn left on the rainbow trail instead of right, less than a half mile up is a flat spot that clearly has been used for camping. It has sticks woven together to make two walls and a well established fire pit. Hope this helps!