The Spirit of the Rockies Trail Journal

BEYOND LOST - A TRIP ALONG THE NORTH FORK

Hike dates: June 22-24, 2007

Trailhead: Dunraven / North Fork, elevation 7,900 feet;
Highest elevation on the hike: 11,400 feet

Route: Followed the main trail along the North Fork from the Dunraven
Trailhead toward Lost Lake, using the NPS "Halfway" campsite for two
nights. Hiked from the site to Lost Lake via the main trail, then continued off-trail to three additional lakes: Husted, Louise and Dunraven. Also went briefly off-trail on the return hike to Lost Falls.

Total trip distance: About 23 miles.

Weather/trail conditions: Mostly cloudy with some rain showers on the first day, sunny and warm all of the second day, clear on the third morning for the hike out. Trail mostly dry with some muddy sections all the way to Lost Lake; some lingering snowfields around Lost Lake and around Lake Dunraven.

I had never walked even a foot of the North Fork Trail, so as I pulled in to the Dunraven Trailhead parking area, I did so with great anticipation. I planned to visit four lakes that included Lost Lake and three others beyond Lost, all of which were about 10-11 miles from where I was standing. So, I threw on the loaded backpack and started down the trail...

Dunraven Trailhead

North Fork Trail, Dunraven Trailhead

...and 'down' was the operative word. The trail quickly dropped to the banks of the North Fork of the Big Thompson River, losing nearly 300 feet of elevation. I knew this would be an unpleasant stretch of trail on my return trip, but took advantage of the easier downhill walking in this direction. The first mile of the trail followed the North Fork closely, showcasing an array of streamside wildflowers, and a scenic beaver pond where I watched several newborn ducklings dabbling for morsels in the calm pool.

The trail soon skirted past a local summer camp retreat, where it was odd to see a basketball hoop suddenly appear through the trees in the wilderness. The potent smell of horses in the stable and the throng of resident flies briefly joined me along the hike. After passing through the camp and the private land, the trail returned to the wilderness for good.

North Fork Trail

Deserted Village

RMNP boundary

Trail near Halfway campsite

The trail passed through varied terrain for the next few miles, including a long stretch of pretty, open meadows near Deserted Village. Although the village ruins offered little in the way of scenery, the meadows and sparse forest in this area were welcome companions. The trail returned to the forest and soon began its first relatively steep section as it climbed toward the RMNP boundary. At nearly 4.5 miles from the trailhead, the boundary came in to view along the trail. It was somewhat disheartening that I had hiked this far, basically the same distance from the Fern Lake Trailhead to Odessa Lake, just to get to the park itself.

From this point, I continued up a moderate grade before it relented past the Kettle Tarn area, returning to a nearly level walk. I soon arrived at the Halfway backcountry site, along the North Fork and near a small flowery meadow. It had rained intermittently for hours, but after I had set up camp and rested briefly, a rainbow appeared in the storm's wake. It was a wonderful visual reminder of the magic and beauty of the wilderness.

Arrival at Halfway site

Home sweet home at Halfway

Rainbow near Halfway site

Rainbow in wake of afternoon storms

North Fork of the Big Thompson River

Golden Banner

After an evening of socializing with my camp neighbors, including an introduction to 'camp salsa' and a chilling fireside RMNP ghost story, I retired to my tent for the evening. Unfortunately, I tossed and turned most of the night, as the damp, cold air attacked my body and I could not seem to warm up. I did not get much sleep, only able to grab rest in 5 or 10 minute intervals. Finally, at 4:00AM, I left the tent and stepped in to the cold, dark morning to continue my journey west.

I pushed myself to make it to Lost Meadow for the sunrise, and the alpenglow on the still distant "No Name Peaks" on the east end of Rowe Mountain welcomed me. I took some photos in the still chilly air, keeping moving to stay warm. I was now close to my first goal, Lost Lake, and headed that way with excitement, knowing most of the long miles were now behind me.

Sunrise at Lost Meadow

Lost Meadow

My introduction to Lost Lake was fantastic - talk about a good first impression! A perfect reflection in the cool morning waters was waiting for me, and kept me busy trying to capture the moment with my camera. I stayed at the lake for nearly 30 minutes, enjoying the grandeur, before refocusing on the three off-trail lakes that still waited beyond.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake, looking west

'No Name Peaks' from Lost Lake

Lost Lake

Outlet of Lost Lake

Lost Lake reflection

After fighting through some soggy areas and ascending some large snowfields around Lost Lake, I emerged onto a gorgeous tundra ridge west of the lake. The sun-baked grasses and flowers were showcasing an incredible number of alpine sunflowers, whose giant flowers dwarfed their tiny alpine wildflower neighbors. With the surrounding peaks coming in to greater view, highlighted with early summer snowfields, this was a spectacular setting.

Alpine sunflowers

'No Name Peaks' from near Lake Husted

I made my way to Lake Husted, at just below 11,100 feet, to be met with more visual stimulation. The lake has no outlet or inlet stream, so only the sound of the rippling waves was evident here. The jagged high points to the west towered on the horizon. At about 10.5 miles from the trailhead, this is truly a remote lake, so I felt some disappointment that more people would never get to see this alpine jewel.

Lake Husted

Looking west at Lake Husted

Lake Husted

The wildflower displays continued as I descended slightly toward Lake Louise, about a half-mile west of Husted. The lake is tucked in between rock, trees and brush, characteristic of a lake right at timberline. This was another great location, with Icefield Pass and its snowfield to the west.

Approaching Lake Louise

Wildflowers on the way to Lake Louise

Lake Louise

Lake Louise and Icefield Pass

To get to the last of my lake goals beyond Lost, it was time to ascend to Lake Dunraven. I could tell by surveying the route from near Lake Louise that there would be some tricky spots, but felt I had scoped out a good route nonetheless. I made my way over rock slabs, occasionally steep tundra gardens, and snowfields. At one point, I was funneled in to a brush-choked gully with a steep streambed to the left and steep rock to the right, and had no choice but to plow through. With stunted trees and bushes that still grew over 6 feet tall, I basically had to swim my way to the other side, but managed to do so without incurring any bad cuts or ripping my clothes or pack. It was a success! From there, I dodged any similar traps, picking my way across the tundra to the outlet of Lake Dunraven.

Brush-choked gully near Lake Dunraven

Outlet stream, Lake Dunraven

The places that require the most time and effort to reach are often the most gorgeous. Lake Dunraven was no exception. Granted, Chasm Lake is a more scenic lake despite being a much shorter hike, but something about having to hike over 11 miles to get to the grassy shores and towering skyline of Lake Dunraven made it all the more beautiful. I sat down for lunch and tried to absorb the scene, feeling quite privileged to be at this place in this moment in time.

Lake Dunraven

Shore of Lake Dunraven, looking southwest

View above Lake Dunraven

I descended via a slightly different route, still aiming for the outlet of Lake Louise for my return trip. When I returned to a lovely pool below Lake Dunraven, I could not resist the urge to dive in, both to refresh myself and get something of a much-needed bath. The frigid water was fantastic! I dried off quickly in the sun, then returned to the flowered ridge near Louise and Husted.

A natural swimming pool near Lake Dunraven

More wildflowers near Louise and Husted

Sky pilot wildflowers

Sunflowers and Lake Louise

Ridge south of Lake Husted

Returning toward Lost Lake

The relentless sunshine continued, as it was clear I was experiencing one of those rare summer days in the Rockies when the normal afternoon clouds simply never appear. Returning past Lost Lake and on to Lost Meadow, I was grateful to have a trail again, but was definitely starting to slow down from the lack of sleep the previous night, and the warm summer air. I set my sights on one final new goal, Lost Falls, just over a mile away.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake Trail

Lost Meadow

I fought some downed logs and some nasty terrain to make my way along the North Fork to see all of Lost Falls, which is off the main trail. After snapping a few shots of the very bright falls in the very bright sun, I returned directly to the trail by a much better route that did not require climbing through thick brush or commando crawling under a giant log.

Lost Falls

Lost Falls on the North Fork

From here, it was about 2 miles back to my campsite for the evening at Halfway. Unlike the previous night, I slept very well, tucking myself in at the very early hour of 4:30PM. I did wake up briefly to watch a tranquil sunset from the site, then returned to the tent to sleep for the remainder of the evening. At first light the next morning, I packed up and returned to the trailhead.

Lost Lake Trail

Sunset near Halfway

It took me a several decades to finally bite the bullet and tackle this hike, but my journey beyond Lost was a great adventure. It may be a long time, if ever, that I return to this trail, but even if I never see these lakes again, I will have the fond memories of this great trip forever.

Click here for the Hiking Center

Click here to return to the Trail Journal menu page

All users must accept the terms of use of this site. All information on this page conforms to terms of use.
All photographs and images are property of Mike Amfahr (unless otherwise noted) and are protected by copyright laws.