Alta Lakes

Beautiful campground and a popular spot so get there early, the sites were full by 5:00. I arrived about 1:30 and got the last site on the Lake. The trail to Alto Lake is rutted but easy, and if leaving early in the morning watch out for the deer.

Alta Lakes offered some pretty scenery and a fairly short drive to the top. There used to be a lot more sites than there are now, but almost all of them are closed for revegetation, so make sure to only camp in the allowable areas. The bummer part of this trail and the reason it gets 4/5 from me is that the designated spots are packed so close together and almost all the spots were taken by the time we got there at 5 PM on a Wednesday. We ended up taking a camping spot covered in puddles, which is probably why no one else had taken it. It wasn't a big deal for us with the roof top tent luckily. I'd recommend to get here early if you plan on camping, otherwise it is a nice scenic drive up to the lakes. You can watch our experience at Alta Lakes during the second half of the video posted below.

Pretty easy trail we visited a couple weeks ago. Camped a week right behind the sign telling you to go left for the lakes or right to Gold King Basin. The camp spots on the main lake are jam packed so ours felt great, 2 minute walk to the lake and no noise. Gold King Basin is a great spot, just very little shade. Hiking all over the place, much of it not marked on maps. Hike right up to Telluride in less than 1 hour. The road is very bumpy but my friend's high clearance VW Vanagon made it with no issues. A couple deep holes near the old mine site, but not a big deal. I saw a Honda Accord make it up.

2018 Subaru Crosstrek 1.5" Lift 235/75R15 Toyo AT2 Beautiful drive to a gorgeous little lake. I felt like I was in On Golden Pond when I got there. I was pleasantly surprised to see that trail was a little rougher than I was expecting. It added to the off road experience, but wasn't anything a stock SUV couldn't handle. We did this drive in the late afternoon so the trail it self was not busy, we saw one other vehicle. We got to the lake just in time to enjoy the sun set and it was well worth it.

2010 Stock 4Runner SR5 Really easy trail with nice views. Any car could do this drive. Very heavy traffic for a Thursday afternoon.

Beautiful place but very busy. Currently very limited dispersed sites other than the developed campground next to the 1st lake which are all on top of each other. . Most sites/spurs on the way up to lake were blocked as no camping for wildlife regeneration. The road to 2nd and 3rd as described in final waypoint had a closed gate marked private property. Gold king basin has 2-3 dispersed sites. Great place to visit/walk around but tough to camp if looking to be more dispersed.

SUPER busy (granted, it was July 4th) - this trail is too accessible, so there were a lot of people who had no idea what they were doing. Lots of people who don't know how to use the trails, didn't know how to pass, and were causing problems for trail traffic flow. The lakes are beautiful though, and if you go on a week day or non-holiday weekend, I'm sure it's probably less crazy.

Ran this trail on an on again off again rainy Saturday afternoon. According to the locals, there has been an increase in large truck traffic, and people have even reported running into cement trucks on the trail... sounds like the locals are expanding and building more and more houses in the area. The day we ran this, there were 2 big 26' Uhauls half way up, as well as a dozen 15 passenger vans. Looked like someone was having a wedding reception at one of the ranches half way up, and shuttling all the guests up in big white vans. Trail to Lakes is pretty easy, and I would guess the 2-2 rating only comes in if you are trying to work your way around the lakes clock wise. Access to some of the camping and access to parking to hike the rest is certainly a 1-2 rating. Water crossing was no deeper than a puddle you might find on the streets. Once up there, the lakes and views are breath taking! Only gave 4 stars because the trail is actually quite busy... If you are in the area, I would also recommend checking out the old Trout Lake Trestle rail crossing, only a few miles down the road from the trail head to Alta Lakes.

We explore Alta Lakes which is located south of Telluride, CO in the Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests

Ride up is fun. I did have to help a couple college kids that attempted it in a Ford Focus. Definitely changed their bumper for the worse. Beautiful views and great campsites. The toughest driving is once you get into the campsite. It’s incredibly peaceful and serene. In mid August and middle of the week there was plenty of open campsites.

Alta Lakes is an easy trail up from the paved road between Telluride and Ophir. We were on our way to Ophir Pass and wanted to explore the lakes and take a break for lunch. It was Labor Day weekend, so there were a good amount of people up there, but it was silent and several places available to park and relax. We were up there with two 4WD's, 4 people, and 3 dogs and really enjoyed it for the hour or so we were there. We had plans to get over Ophir Pass and over to our next overnight camp so we didn't stay for long. Next time we are over that way, we'll plan on spending more time up there mid-week. - I give it 4 STARS because it had a few too many people for my liking, but outside of that it is a breathtaking location with a massive vista from any angle. Instagram: @overland_pajero

An absolute must-do if you're in the Telluride area. The trail has some loose small rocks on the first 1/3, but there were FWD vehicles that were coming down from the campgrounds at the lakes as I was driving up. The worst road conditions are actually in the campground "parking areas" in terms of rocks, ruts and camber. The views at the lakes are otherworldly. Clear waters, lots of wildlife (saw 2 baby beavers swimming by) a massive moraine field on the mountains behind. It encompasses all you expect in high altitude Colorado and it's easy to get to and from. You can be exploring at the lake and in 45 minutes be having a beer in downtown Telluride.