Square Top Lakes - surprisingly round ;)

Another Saturday and I couldn't stay put. I decided to take an easy hike and went to Guanella Pass to hike up to Square Top Lakes. I didn't expect them to be square (and I was right), but I did expect to have a good time far from the hot air of the city downhills. I dropped my car and started along the trail that weaves through the beautiful valley...

 

There were some options but this time I didn't think twice, I was aiming to see the lakes ;)

First, the trail runs downhill, which only means it goes up later. At least it wasn't too steep, I thought  ;) And... the trail was surrounded with flowers, especially blue columbines. Those were everywhere along the trail!

The vistas from the trail were simply stunning. I stopped to admire the views constantly.

   

At some point, I turned back and was surprised by how far I'd gone. But I still had a lot of climb ahead, so I didn't stay long looking back...

  

A couple more twists of the trail, and a small lake appeared on the right. It definitely wasn't my destination just yet, but it looked really nice. At this point, I didn't know there were two small lakes, but I found it out later, when I observed them from a higher point.

  

Actually this was my destination, but I didn't know it yet. I assumed the lake lay at the foot of this slope, but wasn't sure...

The flowers and views surrounding the trail made the hike very pleasant.

  

And finally I found a small stream, which told me that the lake was just around the corner. So I kept walking...

And once I climbed another hill and turned around I saw the lower lake. It was just beautiful...

I kept walking and followed the trail around the lake.

Some slopes around me were really steep. At this moment, I just looked at this slope and didn't know I would choose to traverse it on my way back ;)

When I hiked a bit higher, I had a better view at the lower lake. Now I could see it all!

Everything seems to appear smaller when you move further, and the lake wasn't an exception. I was higher above it, and it didn't look big at all ;)

The landscape changed by this time. No more trees,  the shrubs were found only along the stream, but there was lush green grass and rough dead rocks... An interesting combination, but quite common for the Rocky Mountains.

  

A few more twists of the trail, and I was at the upper lake. I guess I need to look up the story about the names - both lakes are far from being square ;)

Instead of turning back, I decided to go around the upper Square Top Lake and return to the trail later... And I was rewarded with an amazing field of mountain flowers growing where the water melting from the snow found its way to the lake.

This lake was even bigger than the lower one. And... it was such a pleasure to walk around alone. The sun was shining brightly, and it was perfect weather for a hike like that...

A few minutes later, I found a nice flat rock and decided it was time for rest and breakfast. So, I dropped my backpack and had a breakfast burrito I picked up at Santiago's on my way to the mountains ;) I also admired the view at the lower lake from the upper one.

And again, I changed my plans and instead of walking back to the trail, I chose to traverse the steep slopes to go around the lower lake too. It gave me an opportunity to see the lakes from different angles, and I really enjoyed it.

I even had an opportunity to see both lakes at the same time...

 

This is the trail I took from the lower lake to reach the upper one. And now, I was so far from it ;)

The slopes I walked on were steep, but the hike was still easy. Just slow ;) I aimed to join the trail just at the hill down below and kept walking around...

Soon, I was back on the trail and followed the same path I took to get there, but walked in the opposite direction. And I was able to see the small lakes down below. I couldn't see the second one on my way up, because it's invisible from the trail, but I could see it from the higher ground...

Soon, I was close to my starting point and admired the rough ridges on the other side of the Guanella Pass. After all, the views were what I was looking for when I was going to the mountains.

My hike wasn't long - just over 3 hours. 5 miles and just over 1,200 feet of the elevation gain. But it was worth it - I saw a lot of mountains and blue skies, tons of flowers and plenty of water. I was tired, but not too tired... And I was already thinking that I need to do it again one day...

 The pictures were taken on July 06, 2024.