Indian Peaks 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hints and Tips:

While planning our trip here are some things I learned. Your experience my differ under different circumstances, so take these for what they are worth.

  1. All overnight stays require a permit, and there was a small charge for it, I believe it was $5. The wilderness area is divided into travel zone and the Forest Service limits the number of permits available in those zone. A few of the most popular zones, like Crater Lake, have designated sites where you are supposed to stay. However, we found the designated sites at Crater Lake to be difficult at best to locate. Talking with a ranger we ran into, he told us they were planning on doing a better job of indicating the sites in the future.
  2. When I called the Boulder Ranger District to arrange for our permit they seemed quite surprised. I'm not sure whether it was just because I was arranging for a permit, or because it was May and our trip wasn't until August, or because I was from Michigan. In any case, they were very suprised with my inquiry.
  3. Dogs are allowed in the wilderness area and are supposed to be leashed at all times. We encoutered several dogs and their owners, but only one was on a leash. All of these encounters though were within a mile or so of the trailhead. So expect to see a few "best friends" on the trail.
  4. The parking lot at Long Lake trailhead was full when we arrived around 10:00 AM. So be prepared to get out to the more popular trailheads early if you want to park a vehicle.

Information Sources:

Here are the sources I used to plan our trip. While I was able to locate some information on the internet, the guidebook was an invaluable resource. However, the Forest Service website has got some really nice new additions and contains tons of information. It may be enough all on it's own.

Books:
  • Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness - A Guide To Trails and Lakes, John E. Heasley
Maps:
Web Sites: