Friday, July 29, 2016

Beckwith Pass/Three Lakes Loop Hike

Gunnison KOA
Gunnison, CO
July 23, 2016


 Joe and I headed out with Ronnie and Carol to Lost Lake Campground where the trailhead for Three Lakes Loop was located.  Lost Lake CG is located on Kebler Pass Road which is a left turn this side of Crested Butte.  It's a drive through a historic neighborhood of hodge podge homes...some really nice, some really cute, and some really run down.   



























Other than a quick stop at the Visitor Center, we have not made any stops in Crested Butte.  It is always busy and congested. 



We traveled about 17 miles on Kebler Pass...a gorgeous drive through aspen forests, evergreens, and slopes of wildflowers before we made the left hand turn to Lost Lake CG.

Our hike started at the lower parking lot.  


We did a counter clockwise loop that began on the Beckwith Pass Trail which climbs up to a junction with Three Lakes Trail. 



I enjoyed the beauty and fragrance of the abundant wild roses.




























 Lake 1 of 3 was Lost Lake Slough along Middle Creek.  It is much prettier and bigger than Lost Lake. 
































At the first juncture we turned left and took the side trip to the 2nd of 3 lakes... Dollar Lake.















 The smells, sights, sounds and feel of the forest...makes my heart happy !
























Showy Fleabane grow in large clumps from sagebrush hills to subalpine meadows.





















 The last section of the loop was easy as we passed The Falls and headed down toward Lost Lake...lake 3 of 3.


















Of course no hike here is complete without a creek crossing.  Here Middle Creek flows into Lost Lake. 



  

 All in all, this was a great 4.5 mile loop with lots to see, lots of shade, and lots of fun.

As we headed home on Kebler Pass, I noticed what looked like coneflowers in large bunches along the road that had already bloomed. This brought back memories of the sticks and bricks and my gardens.  Joe pulled over and I quickly got a picture.  To my surprise as I was looking in Wild About Wildflowers  I found what I had photographed.  





This is a Rayless Coneflower and what you see is what you get.  It never had petals.  These purply-brown cones of disc flowers bloom late in the summer. The guide even stated that they are abundant on the west side of Kebler Pass. 
 Our time is winding down here in Gunnison.  Today was packing up day and we hit the road early in the morning heading south to Tucson.  I still have a few more posts to do from Gunnison so will finish up when we are settled in.  

So, until next time happy trails !
Street art in Crested Butte

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful destination! Altho we have family in CO we have yet to use Crested Butte as a route to visit. We lose ... Great options for our next trip, thanks for the recommendations!

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    1. You would love the hiking and exploring here Jeff....it's beautiful! And the weather is perfect!

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  2. You guys have been on a roll lately with some really gorgeous trails, I am envious!

    I hope you don't get to Tucson before it cools down!

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    1. The hiking here is awesomeLisa...as easy or as hard, as short or as long as you want, but one thing they all have in common is the gorgeous scenery. July in Gunnison was a great choice for us!

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  3. Love the pictures. You sure are covering lots of ground with those hikes in gorgeous areas.

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  4. Thanks for planning so many interesting hikes so I can hike vicariously through you:) Boy do I miss the west and the drier air. This was a beautiful hike. I must say that the first two lakes were much prettier than the Lost Lake as you mentioned. The Rayless Cornflower is very neat!

    Safe travels back to Lazydays. Sure hope it isn't too hot:)

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    1. It's amazing how little things like the Rayless Coneflower can surprise you, isn't it Pam? The mountains have certainly been an awesome choice for us...I love those hikes with the elevation gains, Joe not as much, but he was certainly a good sport!
      The Tan Clan has had a good time in Gunnison as well. They all enjoyed the weather and cool grassy spot we had.

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  5. So many awesome sites and amazing photos, another fun hike.

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  6. Gorgeous area shots. I've been tracking the weather and like the 75/50 temps I'm seeing. Hopefully the crowds will have died down by the time we get there next month.

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    1. It's beautiful here! And the weather could not be better. You will love it!

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  7. Beautiful scenery & I'll bet the cooler temps are a welcome relief. Much of the country is in sweltering heat.

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    1. It's at the top,of the list for summer visits Gayle!

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  8. Your Rayless Coneflower is a great find just like the Weasel I encountered on the trail. These are little pleasures in our life that do make us smile.
    Going back to Tucson already? I thought you were heading east.

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    1. Hi MonaLiza....I sure am enjoying your hikes from Glacier...lots of great e!

      We will be heading back east just as soon as Joe gets all his check-ups completed and a clean bill of health.

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