Ice Lake Trail near Silverton: a waterfall, two basins and a headwall to a brilliant ice blue lake
The Ice Lake Trail runs 3.5 miles one way from South Mineral Road outside Silverton. It climbs through forest past a waterfall, crosses a lower basin full of wildflowers, and goes up a headwall to Ice Lake at 12,260 feet. What each stretch is like, why you should get to the trailhead early, and how to plan around the afternoon storms.
Three and a half miles, one way, from a dirt parking lot outside Silverton to a lake the San Juan Mountains Association describes as “a brilliant ice blue color.” You climb through forest past a waterfall, cross a wide lower basin full of wildflowers, and then go up a headwall to the upper basin, where Ice Lake sits “in a cirque under 13,767-foot US Grant Peak.”
The Forest Service lists Ice Lake Trail #505 at 3.5 miles one way, starting at 9,840 feet and ending at 12,260 feet. The San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) puts the elevation gain at 2,420 feet and rates the trail “most difficult.” We measured the mapped trail ourselves, from the trailhead to the Ice Lake shore, and got 3.43 miles. That's the distance in our video. Published figures for this hike don't all agree, and two of them disagree on the same Forest Service page, so we've gone with the numbers in its trail summary.
Getting there and parking
The trailhead parking area is on South Mineral Road (Forest Road 585), across from South Mineral Campground. The Forest Service's directions: from the Silverton turnoff, drive 2 miles north toward Ouray on Highway 550, turn left onto South Mineral Road between mile markers 72 and 73, and follow the gravel road for 4.4 miles.
Parking is the first problem. The Forest Service calls this “a wildly popular trail, so do not expect solitude,” and says that in summer, finding parking “can be very difficult.” SJMA says the lot “fills very quickly during the summer months” and counts 100 to 600 visitors a day in July and August. Both name July 4th through Labor Day weekend as the peak. In mid-July the Hardrock 100 race course crosses the trail too, and SJMA says it can be extra busy around race time. Get to the trailhead early.
The forest and the waterfall
The first half of the trail is below timberline, switchbacking through aspen and conifer. On SJMA's description of this stretch, you pass an old mine on your left and Clear Creek waterfall on your right.
This lower section is also where the Ice Fire burned. SJMA dates the fire to mid-October 2020 and says it “ripped through the bottom portion of the Ice Lake Trail, as well as areas east of the trail.” The Forest Service says it left behind “tree snags and loose material that could pose hazards during rain or wind events.” The aerial imagery in our video was taken in September 2019, before the fire, so it shows the forest as it was then.
The lower basin
Lower Ice Lake is at 11,510 feet, 2 miles from the trailhead, by SJMA's figures. The trail flattens out here, and the Forest Service puts Lower Ice Lake “slightly below timberline, at the base of a towering ridgeline.” In the Forest Service's words, “typically the basin is covered by wildflowers in late July and August.” SJMA adds that the lower basin has sub-alpine species and the upper basin has alpine ones.
You could stop here and have a good day, and it's the place to look at the sky before the hardest part. If you're backpacking, the Forest Service and SJMA both point you to the lower basin for camping, and SJMA gives one reason: the alpine vegetation in the upper basin “is fragile and easily damaged by tents.”
The headwall
Leaving the lower basin, the trail crosses a creek that SJMA says “usually leaves the hiker with wet feet during high waters.” From there the trail, as the Forest Service puts it, “switchbacks up a cliff and then levels out when it reaches the basin.” We ran the elevation data along the route, and this climb is the steepest part of the hike. SJMA flags “a rocky section with a steep drop off that could be challenging for some.” If you're afraid of heights or unsteady on your feet, it says the climb just before the upper basin “may require extra caution and the use of your hands.”
Ice Lake and Island Lake
Then the trail levels out and there's Ice Lake. SJMA calls the color “a brilliant ice blue,” and yes, it really is that blue. US Grant Peak, Pilot Knob, Golden Horn and Fuller Peak are among the peaks SJMA lists around the upper basin.
If you have time and energy left, SJMA lists two side trips. Island Lake, to the northeast, adds about 1.12 miles round trip and 130 feet of climbing, and “has a unique island.” Fuller Lake, to the south, is the largest and highest lake in the basin. Both are on what SJMA calls “non-system trails that are not maintained by the San Juan National Forest,” and it says the Island Lake path has “a couple sketchy spots.”
When to go
SJMA says the upper basin is “normally snow-free from late June to mid September.” That window overlaps the summer monsoon, which SJMA says “generally begins in early July and lasts until late August or early September.” In those weeks, “afternoon thunderstorms are almost a daily occurrence in the mountains.” Above timberline, the Forest Service warns, “storms can move into these areas very rapidly.” Start early, pack rain gear even if the sky over Silverton is blue, and plan to be on your way down before the afternoon.
What to bring
Bring warm clothes and rain gear, even on a clear morning, plus food and water. The Forest Service says water is available in Ice Lake and nearby creeks but recommends purification, so carry a filter or treatment. SJMA notes there are no trash containers or potable water at the trailhead, so fill your bottles before you drive out and plan to pack out everything you carry in.
