Lost Canyon

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4.6/5 (23 reviews)
Buena Vista, Colorado (Chaffee County)
Last Updated: 12/05/2023
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Trail Information

Highlights

Situated in the San Isabel National Forest, halfway between Leadville and Buena Vista, Lost Canyon is a fantastic day drive for any 4wd vehicle. Home to some great primitive camping, this off-road trail delivers some of the best overall views you can find in the area. You can observe multiple, 14,000+ foot peaks on this drive and also gaze down on several of the largest bodies of water in the area including Clear Creek Reservoir, Twin Lakes, Mt Elbert Forebay, and even Turquoise Lake. During the fall, this trail provides spectacular aspen viewing because of the plethora of Aspen all along the trail. If scenery really isn't your thing, try your luck at gold panning and hope to strike it rich in the popular Cache Creek.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

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Trail Reviews

4.6/5 (23)
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Official Crew
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141850
Impassable
Visited: 12/01/2023

Snow has made the trail impassable to most vehicles.
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15600
Partially Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/03/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

For quite a while, I wondered why this trail was rated moderate because I genuinely believe a Honda Civic could do this all the way up to the little "S" turn between Waypoints 8 & 9. Once I hit that turn, it became a little rougher and I then understood the rating haha. It was still an incredibly easy trail that didn't require much other than some ground clearance but I bet something like a Crosstrek could even make it up the majority of this trail. I got stopped around Waypoint 10 due to some fairly deep snow but I'd be surprised if it's still around in a couple of weeks. Near the top, the views looking down onto Twin Lakes were great.
Partially Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 05/20/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Did this trail on Saturday, snow patches in areas but easy to get through. A little after waypoint 5 is where the snow becomes too deep to keep going. Pretty trail with different campsites along the trail
Trail Review: Lost Canyon - Cole Hayton
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Official Crew
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40300
Partially Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 05/15/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Open for about 6 miles to 10,600’ in elevation. Deep snow in the dark timber holding deep snow at that point.
Trail Review: Lost Canyon - Marcus Trusty
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500
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/30/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Nice drive through the aspens until we got to Waypoint 5 and there is a Road Closed sign and an old military vehicle parked in the middle of the trail. You can get around it and it looked like people had been proceeding past it but we turned around there. Decided we didn't want to get shot by whoever owns the militia compound at Waypoint 5. Update: After reviewing the MVUM we decided to go back up and past Waypoint 5. Definitely stay right at Waypoint 7 as there is a chain across the road to the left. There is no dangerous washout on the road to the right. Looks like it has been repaired. Stunning views at the top. Don't let the grouch at Waypoint 5 scare you.
Trail Review: Lost Canyon - Jason
Trail Review: Lost Canyon - Jason
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