Trails / New Mexico / Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Trampas Lakes and Hidden Lake

Pecos Wilderness, Carson National Forest (Trampas Campground, Forest Road 207)

The Trampas Lakes are in the Carson National Forest’s share of the Pecos Wilderness, reached from the Rio de las Trampas. The Carson National Forest lists the upper lake at 11,400 feet, and Live Hoppy puts the trailhead at about 9,000 feet, so nearly all of the trip is climbing.

It is one of the shorter overnights into the Pecos high country, and two more lakes, Hidden Lake and the San Leonardo Lakes, make side trips.

The hike

The Trampas Lakes Trail #31 begins at Trampas Campground at the end of Forest Road 207, on the northeast side of the Rio de las Trampas, according to New Mexico Trails. TrailGroove gives the trip as about 6 miles one way with 2,800 feet of gain, and AllTrails lists 11.3 miles round trip with 2,918 feet.

New Mexico Trails, in a 2015 description it said was unchanged in 2018, rates the trail in good to excellent condition with a few downed trees. The first mile climbs steadily but modestly. The trail makes a couple of quick stream crossings early and follows the Rio de las Trampas for much of its length. Around 3 miles in, it turns south up the canyon, with gentle switchbacks and openings that give views down-canyon. The steepest stretch is about the last mile, after one more creek crossing. The Forest Service calls the climb moderate to easy at first, then steeper on switchbacks.

At about 5.5 miles, the Forest Service places a junction sign. Straight ahead (south) are the Upper and Lower Trampas Lakes; New Mexico Trails says the upper lake is 0.1 mile on, with the lower lake to the east, the two separated by a small rocky fin. An AllTrails reviewer warns that vandalized arrows on the sign point both ways and that the left turn is correct for the lakes.

Hidden Lake is about a mile west of the junction, according to the Forest Service. Live Hoppy, writing in 2016, found no campers there and met only one other hiker, while counting at least half a dozen camps around the Trampas Lakes. The Forest Service says the San Leonardo Lakes can be reached by climbing the ridge west of the lakes, which it calls “very steep and difficult.”

The Forest Service lists June as the start of the season and recommends summer and fall for hiking. Live Hoppy also mentions Trail 30 starting nearby, which it found much less busy.

On the other side of the range, the West Fork of the Rio Santa Barbara climbs to the Santa Barbara Divide, and Pecos Baldy Lake is reached from the Pecos side.

Tips

Turn left at the vandalized sign for the Trampas Lakes, per a recent reviewer; Hidden Lake is the other way.
Camp outside the lake basin if you can, as the Forest Service asks.
Go to Hidden Lake for a quieter evening.
Watch your footing at the creek crossings.
There’s no horse grazing at the lakes, per the Forest Service.

Camping

No permit is required to enter the Pecos Wilderness. The Carson National Forest asks campers to camp outside a 300-foot radius around all lakes and, to protect the area, to choose a site outside the lake basin. The Forest Service page points to the federal wilderness rules at 36 CFR 261.18. Domestic sheep and goats are prohibited in Carson wilderness areas. Santa Fe National Forest pages for the Pecos Wilderness list groups of no more than 15 people and 15 stock. Carson National Forest lifted its 2026 fire restrictions on July 21; check for new ones before you go.

Inside Intel: No camper account was found recommending a specific site at the lakes that meets the 300-foot rule. New Mexico Trails points to spots on the fin between the two lakes, but those are likely too close to the water. Live Hoppy’s 2016 trip camped partway up the trail rather than at the lakes, and found Hidden Lake empty of campers.

Trail facts

Distance: About 11.3 to 12 miles round trip (sources vary); Hidden Lake adds about 2 miles round trip
Route type: Out and back
Difficulty: Strenuous; about 9,000 to 11,400 feet
Campsites: Dispersed; at least 300 feet from the lakes
Water: Rio de las Trampas along much of the trail; the lakes; treat all water
Permits: None
Group size: 15 people and 15 stock (Pecos Wilderness rule on Santa Fe National Forest pages)
Trailhead: Trampas Campground, end of Forest Road 207
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Hot water at Upper Trampas Lake:

At 11,400 feet, a stove that boils fast in thin, cold air makes breakfast at the lakes a lot easier. See the camp stoves testers recommend.

Read the full guide →

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.