The Devil's thumb area definitely is one of my favorites in the Front Range and the trail starts from my favorite trailhead in the Front Range, Hessie Trailhead. It is located just beyond the old Hessie townsite.  To get there, go left about a half mile or so west of the town of Eldora (not the Ski-Area!) from county road 111 that leads to 4th of July Campground. For the  last mile or so, the road becomes very rough and I would not recommend trying to go all the way with a  low-lying sportscar). However, one can park (and has to anyway on a Weekend after 9 a.m or so) along the road and hike to the trailhead if the car does not have the necessary ground clearance.

    The trail starts at a bridge over a small stream and follows a rocky old road climbing up a steep hillside that is wooded  with aspen. After 1/2 mile or so one crosses Jasper Creek and reaches an intersection with Devil's Thumb trail (with access to Lost Lake, Woodland Lake and King Lake trails) going left and Devils Thumb bypass trail going right. Both will meet again 1.5 miles further along the way and it is personal preference which one to take. I have used both and think the bypass is prettier on the way up - one could use the other one on the way down. 

    The bypass trail immediately crosses Jasper Creek back to it's north side and soon one passes the sign that marks the passage into the Indian peaks wilderness. Here, the trail levels off into a series of beautiful meadows flanked to the north by the steep south side of Chittenden Mountain (10800 ft.). After 1.5 miles or so, the two trails rejoin and the slope steepens again for the next two miles. One passes pretty meadows mainly on the south side of the trail and there are nice views of the peaks and ridges to the west and south. After a total of about four miles one finally reaches Jasper Lake which is just to the north of the trail. Jasper lake is not very pretty mainly because of some construction debris and concrete pipes lying around.  From here, Devils Thumb Lake is about another one mile hike through beautiful, wooded  terrain slowly changing to tundra. There is another little pond to the right of the trail about  half way between Jasper and Devils Thumb Lakes, I don't believe it has a name :-(. Devils Thumb Lake is just at the treeline and lies in a very pretty spot just underneath Devil's Thumb, which is an impressive rock-spire (see photos) on the west side of a steep rock face that rises up to 12300' to the northwest of Devils Thumb Lake. The lake is a good spot to rest a bit and get ready for the ascent to Devils Thumb Pass which can bee seen winding up the steep slope to the southwest. The trail, however, offers rewarding views down into the Devils Thumb area and, once one reaches the High Lonesome Trail, great  views  into all directions. To the north, this trail follows the divide for a bit, then turns west and descends into Devils Thumb Park and finally ends at a trailhead on Aquaduct Road (FR128). To the south, it follows the divide trail until it reaches Rollins pass Road about 3 miles to the south. A variation to hiking back down the Devils Thumb Trail is taking King Lake trail, which meets High Lonesome about 1/2 mile before one reaches Rollins Pass Road and also starts from Hessie Trailhead. I have done this the other way around (sort of - stay tuned for my next trail description on the list) and it's great but Devils Thumb Trail is so pretty that it is worth descending the same way, get some shots (or views of unforgettable colors) in afternoon light, and maybe take the "old" Devils Thumb Trail back instead of the bypass. Also, plenty  of good time can be had and spent up there around Devils Thumb Pass. The divide east of Devils Thumb Pass forms a broad ridge but it has dramatic drop-offs to the east both down towards the jasper Creek Drainage and, almost vertical, down towards Bob and Betty Lakes, about 1.5 miles south. If you are not afraid of heights, there are nice rocks along this ridge inviting to rest and enjoy the great views.

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