AUGUST 2006 & AUGUST 2008
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| POND ABOVE ISLAND LAKE |
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| POND NEAR FIRE LAKE |
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| ISLAND LAKE |
The hike to Island Lake is approximately nine miles round-trip from the Crystal Lake Trailhead, located just off the Mirror Lake Highway. There is a loop trail, beginning about one mile from the Trailhead, that allows you to pass by several lakes, while also keeping the scenery fresh. When I visited, my group had decided to camp at Duck Lake, so we took a left when the trail split. The first lake we came to was Weir Lake. It is right on the trail. Its nice, but as its a damned lake, it had a bit bathtub ring around it when we visited in late August. If you go past Weir just a short distance you can see Marjorie Lake. Pot Lake is just past Weir Lake and located right on the trail. It is a pleasant little lake which I have camped at before when I was a kid. About a half mile past Pot Lake is Duck Lake. We found a really nice camping spot in a meadow on the west side of the lake.
While at Duck Lake, it worth taking a short hike to Beaver Lake. To get there, just follow the small inlet of Duck Lake in the meadow to the west. You also need to check out Fire Lake, located on top of the ledge overlooking Duck Lake. While it looks very close on the map, a lot of effort is required to make it up to it. While at Fire, it is also worth hiking up its inlet to a beautiful little pond just above it. Another nice lake to visit from Duck Lake is Hidden Lake. This requires a much longer walk, but takes you to a very lightly-visited part of the forest. To get there, just follow the outlet of Duck for a bit until you see a trail breaking off to the right which will lead you there.
While at Duck Lake, it worth taking a short hike to Beaver Lake. To get there, just follow the small inlet of Duck Lake in the meadow to the west. You also need to check out Fire Lake, located on top of the ledge overlooking Duck Lake. While it looks very close on the map, a lot of effort is required to make it up to it. While at Fire, it is also worth hiking up its inlet to a beautiful little pond just above it. Another nice lake to visit from Duck Lake is Hidden Lake. This requires a much longer walk, but takes you to a very lightly-visited part of the forest. To get there, just follow the outlet of Duck for a bit until you see a trail breaking off to the right which will lead you there.
The trail to Island Lake is a very nice and well-maintained one. Island Lake is a very large, pretty lake with an island I took a log ride out to while I was there. From Island Lake it is not too far to Ramona Lake. There is no trail to Ramona Lake and it is a fairly steep walk, but it is worth visiting. My favorite body of water in this area is a picturesque pond located about a half-mile northwest of Island Lake. It is found along the Morehouse Trail between a meadow and a rocky mountain peak. One of my favorite things about the Uintas is the ease with which you can move from lake to lake, with or without trails. There are so many lakes located so close together here that you can pack a lot into one day.