Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Colorado / Northern Colorado

Trappers Lake and Wall Lake Loop (Flat Tops Wilderness)

Flat Tops Wilderness, White River National Forest (Trappers Lake, near Meeker)

Trappers Lake is known as the “Cradle of Wilderness.” The Forest Service says the Flat Tops, home to the lake, was designated wilderness in 1975, and the Steamboat Springs Chamber credits Arthur Carhart with falling in love with the area here nearly a century ago. A loop of about 15 miles climbs from the lake through forest recovering from the 2002 Big Fish Fire, crosses open high country, and drops to Wall Lake, a favorite camp.

Dispersed camping isn’t allowed within a quarter mile of Trappers Lake, so plan your camp elsewhere on the loop.

The hike

The Forest Service says Trappers Lake lies entirely inside the Flat Tops Wilderness, at about 9,627 feet. It notes five Forest Service campgrounds nearby and prohibits dispersed camping within a quarter mile of the lake and the campgrounds. Uncover Colorado says the lake is the headwaters of the North Fork of the White River.

Komoot calls the loop a difficult 14.6-mile hike with about 2,047 feet of climbing through pine and aspen forest and lush meadows. It describes Trappers Lake as one of the largest lakes in the wilderness, and Wall Lake as the reward for a short but steep climb, with plenty of good tent spots. An AllTrails reviewer calls the loop, around 15 miles total, a great backpacking trip for beginners.

The same reviewer recommends going clockwise for an easier climb to the top of the Trappers Lake Trail, through a burn scar. Around mile 6 is the high point, with picturesque views and plenty of water, before a gradual descent to Wall Lake at about mile 10, which the reviewer calls the perfect place to camp.

The Steamboat Springs Chamber describes a longer Wall Lake and Trappers Lake loop, about 23 miles, that it calls a comfortable two- to three-day trip in either direction. Starting at the Wall Lake Trailhead gets the steepest climbing out of the way early, it says, through a pine forest recovering from the 2002 Big Fish Fire and up a canyon of steep switchbacks. From Wall Lake, the trail climbs over a saddle and through meadows, tundra, and forest to the Trappers Lake Trail.

Fire is part of the landscape. ADVENTR.co says the Big Fish Fire started from a lightning strike in mid-August 2002 and burned nearly 10 percent of the Flat Tops Wilderness. Burned trees still stand along parts of the route.

The mountains are distinctive. Crazy Brave Adventure says they’re mostly basalt, formed by volcanic eruptions and carved by glaciers, with literal flat tops. It describes Trappers Lake as more than 300 acres and known for native cutthroat trout. Ripple Creek Lodge notes special fishing rules: only artificial flies and lures, and limits on cutthroat.

AllTrails reviewers describe plenty of campsites at the lakes and few bugs, but warn of some horse traffic and cattle along the trail. Komoot notes the Carhart Trail circles Trappers Lake for those who want to explore the shoreline, and says the area has been protected since 1920.

Getting there takes time. Crazy Brave Adventure warns there’s no cell service at Trappers Lake and that it’s a long drive back to Meeker, the closest town.

For another northern Colorado lake loop, see the Rawah Lakes and Camp Lakes Loop.

Tips

Camping

Camping is dispersed in the Flat Tops Wilderness, but the Forest Service prohibits it within a quarter mile of Trappers Lake and the nearby campgrounds. Five Forest Service campgrounds near the lake, mostly first come, first served, make a good base the night before, according to Uncover Colorado. Confirm current Flat Tops Wilderness rules for group size, food storage, and campfires with the White River National Forest.

Inside Intel: Wall Lake is the camp to aim for. An AllTrails reviewer calls it the perfect place to set up camp, about 10 miles into a clockwise loop, and Komoot says there are plenty of good tent spots there. ADVENTR.co’s writer, whose plans centered on Trappers Lake, stayed at nearby Himes Peak Campground instead, because dispersed camping isn’t allowed right around the lake.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A night at Wall Lake:

After 10 miles through the Flat Tops, a comfortable pad makes Wall Lake's campsites even better. See which pads testers recommend.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.