This post is part of a series on awesome places we’ve found along the way. We hope they’ll lead you to (awesome) crazy brave adventures of your own. We discovered Trapper Lake and the surrounding mountains last summer (2023). This spot is dear to our hearts. Maybe you’ll enjoy it as well.
Luck was with us when we discovered the Flat Top Mountains of Northwestern Colorado.
We’d camped in Meeker, Colorado, looking to escape the mid-summer heat and unsure which direction to head. Mountains everwhere… but people and traffic too. Colorado was a surprisingly hard state to navigate.
Luckily, we headed out to Smoking River Brewery at just the right time and met some local folks there who recommended the Flat Tops. They said that Trappers Lake was one of the most beautiful places they had ever been.
Well, we have a policy of taking any and all travel advice we come upon. If somebody says “you have to see this!” Generally, we do. And it’s almost always well worth the detour. In this case, we had a few weeks before we were to meet family in Buena Vista. So, why not?
Let’s-just-go-see-it turned into a full week in alpine splendor, four hikes, and great many hours enjoying a perfect view of the picturesque lake, nestled in a unique mountain valley. Needless to say, we highly recommend adventuring in the Flat Tops.
The Where and What
The Flat Top Mountains are in Northwestern Colorado, south of Steamboat Springs. This area, in our (limited) experience, is less popular– and less posh– than areas south of Interstate 70. The White River and Routt National Forests manage this area.
Trappers Lake is a 300+ acre lake known for native cutthroat trout. No motorized boats are allowed on the lake, and there is no boat ramp or road access to it. If you plan to canoe or kayak, you have to carry your watercraft down to the lakeshore and back up.
The mountains themselves are mostly basalt, formed by volcanic eruptions and carved by glaciers. They do indeed have “flat tops”
Camping and Hiking in the Flat Tops
Five forest service campgrounds nestle in the hills above Trappers Lake: Horse Thief, (5 sites with horse corrals) Shepherd’s Rim (15 sites), Cutthroat (14 sites), Trapline (13 sites), and Buck’s (10 sites). This might seem like a lot, but they are all relatively small, and when we were there in mid summer, the weekdays were pretty quiet. On the Wednesday we arrived, we were the only people in the tiny Buck’s Campground. In addition, there is a small fishing lodge down the way, with a restaurant, bar and other services.
None of these campgrounds (nor the lodge) are on the lake exactly. But there’s an extensive trail system from each of them, leading down to to the lake, around it, and up into the Flat Tops Wilderness. In addition, there are many ways to explore the area, including a scenic byway and many awesome hiking trails.
While camped here, we hiked to Wall Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness, and around Trappers Lake as well. Aside from those longer hikes, we wandered the lake shore and gentle hills.
One day, we hiked beside the lake then down to the lodge. What a joy to sit on the restaurant’s open porch, sipping a cold beer and watching hummingbirds chasing each other off the feeders– especially after a day of summer hiking!
Before You Go
Much of the forest around Trappers Lake is a “ghost forest”, standing trees killed by mountain pine beetles . It makes for a dramatic landscape, but not a typical one. Though it was sad to see all the ghost trees, we enjoyed the openness of our views.
There’s no cell service at Trapper Lake. In addition, the campgrounds’ services are minimal: pit toilets and water only. It is a looong way back to Meeker, the closest town; be prepared before you head up to the mountains. You can disperse camp in the national forest here, but not on on Trappers Lake Road. There are other Forest Service Roads you could try nearby. Stop by the ranger station in Meeker for maps and info.
We hope you enjoy this beautiful area as much as we did. It was one of our absolute favorites of Summer 2023: a scenic, low-key spot with so many great recreational opportunities. Check it out.
