Lost Lake and Happily Lost

Lost Lake Trail Description

The Lost Lake trail begins at the Dunraven Trailhead, near Glen Haven. The hike leads through U.S. Forest Service Comanche Peaks Wilderness for roughly 4 miles, until you reach the Rocky Mountain National Park boundary. To reach Lost Lake, the hike is 9.7 miles and climbs 2,750 feet in elevation. Round-trip, the hike is 19.4 miles. Lost Lake, nestled below a couple 12,000 foot peaks, sits at 10,710 feet above sea level. Just before you cross into RMNP, the trail becomes more rocky and continues this way to Lost Lake. Most of the trail is a gentle climb, until about mile seven when it becomes steeper. Please note that to stay in the campsites along the trail, a permit is required from Rocky Mountain National Park!

Happily Lost Experience

My dad, brother, and I began the hike at 8am on a cloudy day. It was nice and cool for a couple hours, and warmed up once the sun broke through the clouds. The beginning of the trail follows along the North Fork Big Thompson River for a couple miles, until rising away into the forest.

We hiked through a couple miles of burn scar from the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. It was difficult to see the destruction from the fire, knowing it was only one of twenty-five large fires that had ravaged the state last year. However, life carries on! Already, new growth was emerging along the forest floor. There is a large variety of wildflowers growing throughout the burn scar, contrasting the burnt trees.

After crossing into Rocky Mountain National Park, we found Columbine flowers everywhere! We reached the Happily Lost site in about 4 hours, with plenty of time to spare before afternoon rain showers. I had picked this campsite because of it’s name, and luckily it is a beautiful site next to the river!

Lost Lake Day Hike

Shortly after leaving our campsite, we found the steep section of the hike! The trail skirts along a mountain face and high up above the valley.

Once up the mountain, the trail leveled off again into a beautiful meadow. After about another mile through thick forest, we finally stumbled upon Lost Lake!

We ate lunch on the shore of Lost Lake, then relaxed and enjoyed the scenery and sounds of nature.

As the clouds began to turn dark, and we decided to head back to camp. We got a tiny bit of hail and a good splash of rain on our way down the mountain. It cleared as we arrived back to camp, and we enjoyed the sound of the river and the warm sunshine.

Another storm seemed to be building above us as we got ready to make dinner, and the sky opened up on us right as we finished cooking. A mad scramble to get everything protected ensued, and the wind whipped our tarp shelter threateningly. After a bit, the storm settled enough for us to eat our dinner, and slowly the sun peaked out just in time for a sunset.

Our final morning, we hung some lines to try and dry out the tents as best we could before packing out. The hike out after a backpacking trip always seems to fly by. We paused along the river a couple times, soaking in the wilderness before returning back to civilization.