Independence Pass, Hiking to Lost Man’s Lake Via Lost Man Trail in the Fall

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When driving over Independence Pass a number of times to Aspen, I would always see a parking lot and trail sign that sparked my interest. I finally decided to look up the trail on AllTrails and to hike it in late September for the fall colors. What an awesome experience, the trail was incredible, especially in the afternoon/evening with all of the orange, yellow, and red colors. In this post I’ll be going over the best time to hike this trail in the fall, what to know about Independence Pass, trail details, and detailed photography. Alright lets do this!

Where exactly is the Lost Man Lake Trail

If you are driving on I-70 you’ll get off at the Leadville exit and start driving towards Twin Lakes. As you pass through the small town of Twin Lakes, you’ll be on Independence Pass, driving towards Aspen.

The parking lot trailhead will be 3 miles west of the Independence Pass Overlook closer to Aspen, so not far as you start driving downhill on the pass. You’ll drive around a sharp corner and the trailhead will be on your right. The dirt lot is fairly large and since this isn’t too popular of a trail you should be ok with finding a spot. Below I’ve got distances and times from nearby areas and major cities.

Breckenridge: 80 miles/two hours

Aspen: 18 miles/35 minutes

Denver: 141 miles/2 hours and 40 minutes

Vail: 84 miles/ two hours

What to expect

With the trail being over 11,000 feet. You can expect there to be anywhere from snow, to rain, to sunshine. With that being said I would recommend being prepared for the weather and to pack enough water to last you the hike (at least a liter).

What are the trail details and what is the trail like

At 5.6 miles with 1,600 feet of elevation gain, this trail is not a walk in the park, but the views and peacefulness of it all make it worth it! Once you’ve parked and thrown on your hiking boots, you start hiking through a golden field and somewhat of a Valley with open mountain views all around (see photos later in the post when the lighting was better). This is where most of your elevation gain will be at over 1,000 feet the first 2.5 miles of the trail.

The mountain peak to your right as you hike up is Geissler Mountain.

Once you’ve hiked through most of the valley area, you’ll approach the first smaller alpine lake. This is a good spot to take a break, grab some water and just relax before making the ascent to the Lost Man Lake over the ridge. As you start making your way to the lake, turn around and take in the views!

You’ll come across mountain streams on your hike up too.

Once you’ve hiked up to the ridge overlooking Lost Man Lake, you’ll actually need to hike down to it, if you want to get up close (about a ¼ of a mile). This is where you’ll have to do a little bit of rock scrambling to get to the lake and the trail won’t be entirely well marked. Use your downloaded AllTrails App for help! Although it was fairly warm on the hike, down by the lake in the fall was actually cold and windy. I didn’t stay long as I was loosing daylight, but I was still able to enjoy some tranquility and take in the surrounding beauty, while enjoying a snack.

The hike back was honestly my favorite part of the day as the sun was starting to set, the colors really started to pop on the trail!

enjoy the last part of the hike before heading back to the car and make sure to take Independence Pass slow as you make your way home.

Best time to hike it

For fall, the best time would be the 3rd or 4th week in September for the best colors. By October you might not be able to trek it because Independence Pass closes once the snow starts to fall for safety reasons.

What should we pack

Colorado weather can throw anything at you, so it’s important to be prepared. I always have a rain jacket on me along with a packable lightweight down jacket. Other items you’ll need on this trail are a good pair of hiking pants (Fjallraven makes excellent ones), sunscreen, and of course a solid pair of hiking boots.

Looking for other fall hikes, check out American Lake in Aspen, this hike has lots of fall foliage and makes for a great day hike!