Colorado, Colorado Hikes

Colorado Day Hikes: Isabelle Glacier

Diana

Do you ever have one of those hikes where the scenery just blows you away?

There’s so much beauty in Colorado that the bar for that kind of awe has been set pretty damn high. But Isabelle Glacier exceeded that bar.

Lake Isabelle is one of the most popular hikes near Denver, and with good reason. It’s not terribly difficult and… well, the beauty speaks for itself. This was my fourth time hiking to Lake Isabelle, having previously completed it in summer, fall, and winter. But this time, for the first time ever, I hiked beyond the lake.

The main starting point for this hike is the Long Lake Trailhead at Brainard Lake Rec Area. Currently, a permit system has been implemented to manage crowds as this area is heavily overused. While the crowds have been successfully reduced, it can be challenging to get the permit you want. In fact, my friend Savannah and I weren’t able to get a Long Lake parking permit for our hike. We were able to instead get one for the Niwot parking area, which allowed us to take the 0.7 mile (1.1 km) Niwot Cutoff Trail up to Long Lake, adding only a short distance to our hike.

Shortly before reaching Long Lake, we were temporarily halted by three moose meandering near the trail. We carefully stepped off the trail and walked around, giving them plenty of space. We’d also seen two moose on the drive in and we saw another on the drive out, for a total of six. Brainard Lake Rec Area is prime moose habitat – I’ve never not seen a moose here in the summer. They’re beautiful, but also massive animals. Be on the lookout when you hike here; if you see one give it plenty of space, and if you bring your dog keep it on a leash to avoid a dog/moose encounter. (It’s a wilderness area, so dogs are required to be leashed anyway.)

Niwot Cutoff Trail, taken about 30 seconds before we saw the moose

After safely passing the moose, we turned onto the Jean Lunning Trail and followed it along the southern shore of Long Lake.

View from the Jean Lunning Trail

Long Lake is aptly named; it was quite a walk along the shore to the opposite end of the lake. From here, we connected to the Isabelle trail toward Lake Isabelle. It had been more than two years since I’d last been to Isabelle and I’d forgotten how gorgeous the approach is as it ascends next to a cascading stream amidst fields of wildflowers.

Approaching Lake Isabelle

Upon reaching Lake Isabelle, we took a snack break on the shore before continuing our trek. The trail travels along the shore of the lake to the far end.

Lake Isabelle
Hiking along Lake Isabelle

It was at this point that the difficulty level of the hike increased quite substantially. We had a lot of elevation gain to go in addition to navigating talus, mud, multiple fast-flowing creek crossings, and a couple sections without an obvious path. Simultaneously, we enjoyed beautiful wildflowers and cascading streams as we navigated our way through these obstacles.

Looking back at Lake Isabelle
Queen’s Crown
Colorado Columbine
Colorado Columbine
Indian Paintbrush
Navigating one of the creek crossings
Colorado got a huge amount of rain this summer, making for some very muddy trails
Another creek crossing

About halfway between Lake Isabelle and Isabelle Glacier is a small unnamed lake at the base of a snowfield. It was a fairly calm day and the reflection of the surrounding landscape was stellar. As we continued up the trail above this lake, we gazed down upon the deep turquoise water.

Unnamed lake
Reflection in the unnamed lake

It was a steep climb, switchbacking up through the rocks in what seemed at the time to be a neverending ascent. It wasn’t always easy to find the trail. And we had one final creek to cross. But at long last we crested the hill and there was Isabelle Glacier!

One final creek crossing

Isabelle Glacier – like all “glaciers” in Colorado – is not actually a glacier. There are no longer any glaciers in Colorado. To be a glacier, snow must compact into a sheet of ice that is thick enough to slowly move downhill. Isabelle used to meet this criteria, but nowadays it is just a stationary snowfield.

There’s a small tarn at the bottom surrounded by some watermelon snow. The color is caused by a species of algae that contains a reddish pigment called astaxanthin – interestingly, the same pigment that gives flamingos their pink color. This algae thrives at high altitude and cool temperatures, going dormant in the winter and germinating as the weather warms in the summer.

Because we were so close to the glacier and the surrounding mountains are so tall and sheer, it wasn’t the easiest thing to photograph. I did my best, hopefully you can get the gist from the photos below.

Isabelle Glacier

We weren’t able to spend too much time at the glacier; storm clouds were beginning to build and we had at least an hour of hiking to descend back below tree line. I wish we could have enjoyed the unique scenery for a little longer… but it did in fact start thundering about an hour later, so we were smart to leave when we did.

Over the last three years, I’ve done quite a few beautiful hikes in Brainard Lake Rec Area and this is one I’m glad I can now add to the list!

The Important Stuff:

  • Getting there: this trail departs from the Long Lake Trailhead at the end of Brainard Lake Road, just a few miles outside the tiny town of Ward off Highway 72
  • Fees and passes: there is a $12/day entrance fee to Brainard Lake Rec Area from June-mid Oct (this trail would likely be impassable outside that window anyway); interagency passes are accepted. You’ll also need a timed-entry parking permit for Long Lake… permits are released on a rolling basis two weeks in advance
  • Hiking: round-trip distance is about 9.2 miles (14.9 km) with 1934 feet (590 m) of elevation gain
  • Where to stay: This is an easy day trip from Denver or Boulder. For overnight stays, there is one campground at Brainard Lake Rec Area; reserve in advance, it fills up very quickly. Backpacking is not allowed in this area during the summer
  • Other: If you’re unable to get a permit for Long Lake, you can get one for Niwot or Brainard Lake parking areas instead; add 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the round-trip hike distance from Niwot or about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Brainard Lake

Published by Diana

Hiking, road-tripping, and handstanding my way around the US (currently) and the world (hopefully in the not-so-distant post-COVID future… if such a thing exists)

35 thoughts on “Colorado Day Hikes: Isabelle Glacier”

    1. Uh yeah, the moose thing has gotten out of control. We saw 12 moose in one day way back when we first moved here 3.5 years ago, at which point I started keeping a list of moose sightings… I’m now at 97. It’s absurd. Friends have started calling me the moose whisperer 😂

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  8. This hike looks gorgeous. Glad to hear that there is a permit system in place to manage the crowds. I’m never a fan of crowded trails, no matter how beautiful the scenery is. That’s amazing that you saw moose on the drive in and on the trail!

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  9. I can see why this hike blew you away. I love your photo “approaching Lake Isabelle”; it looks like a painting. I’m sure I’ve commented on those spectacular Colorado columbine before. Great that you made it to the glacier that’s not a glacier (was sad to hear that there are no actual glaciers in Colorado). The last photo with the tarn surrounded by watermelon snow is striking.

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    1. Yes, you guys should definitely visit this place when you come to Colorado someday. There are 6 easily accessible lakes in the rec area, plus these smaller hidden gems and a bunch of mountains to climb!

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  14. Yes, you were not kidding when you said it was a hike with an amazing scenery! Really beautiful … just love the flowers (the Colorado Columbine is so pretty)! And snow with a watermelon colour … hmm, that was really gorgeous to see!

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  18. Wow, what a beautiful hike, Diana 🙂 From its sensational landscapes and soaring mountains to its cool cities and quirky gold-rush towns, the star of the West is certainly home to some of the most beautiful places in the country. Thanks for sharing, and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva

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  20. I see what you mean by the “watermelon snow;” such a strange, but fascinating appearance of Isabelle Glacier! It really isn’t something you normally see on your hikes, let alone in glaciers (or glacier-like entities) Glad you went beyond the typical hike to see something new!

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