Island Lake

• Date of hike: June 21st, 2020
• Location: Ice Lake Basin Trail via Ice Lakes Trailhead – Near Ouray, Colorado 
• Rough Mileage/Vert: 8.5 miles round trip (out and back) & 2,600ft gain 
• Our time: About 3 hours round trip

Welcome to our corner of the internet! We hope to stuff it with enough stoke to make you instantly start planning your next venture. Even more, we want to share all of this with you and grow the community of outdoor enthusiasts. If you find a new hidden gem, or are feeling generous and want to share your go-to with the world, be sure to tag us on Instagram with #TheTrailheadClub. 

For our inaugural post, we present a real jaw-dropper: Island Lake. After staying the night in Ouray for our mini-moon, we set off along the Million Dollar Highway to the Ice Lake Basin trailhead. The road is doable in a passenger car, but since you’re in the area, we recommend a 4WD to get the full Ouray experience. 

The hike begins in a gorgeous clearing with 360 degree views of the San Juans, and climbs over streams and through lush forest to Ice Lake. From here, keep going! So many people stopped at Ice Lake, and admittedly the continuing trail looks intimidating, but every extra step is worth it. If your idea of paradise is a gemstone-colored alpine lake and donuts, you’re in for a treat when you hit Island Lake (okay, so it’s a “donut hole” island instead of a real donut). We could’ve stayed all day to take in the view, and had we gotten an earlier start to the day, would have taken the trail upward a bit further to a higher vantage point of the lake.

Once we pulled our eyes away and jaunted down, we drove about ten minutes south to Silverton, home of the Hardrock 100 ultra trail race. The town is charming, inviting, and less touristy than Ouray. Grab a square burrito at the Coffee Bear, and you’ve got a perfect ending to your day.