Missouri Lakes-Fancy Pass Hike

I drove up to Missouri Lakes Creek on the recommendation of a friend.  I got there on Friday night about 9pm, parked on the side of the Homestake Road about 1/2 mile from the trailhead and slept in my car.  I woke up about 6am but it was still dark so I slept until 7:15am.  I changed clothes and was at the trailhead at 7:30am.  Though the trailheads about about 1/4 mile apart (in the same parking area), upon Jenny's recommendation, I took the Fancy Pass Trailhead.  I didn't see anyone until I made it to Fancy Lake.  The mosquitos were out in force so I headed for Fancy Pass.

The trail from Fancy Lake to Fancy Pass was a lot steeper hike than the trail to Fancy Lake (11,540 ft).  As I neared the pass, I could see there was a lot of snow.  I had slid about 150 ft while crossing a snow field in the Sangre De Cristos with my youngest son Johnny several years ago so I knew I shouldn't be attempting this.  I could see a young couple ahead of me so I gave it a shot, hoping that my trekking poles would help.

It look at least an hour and a half to go about half a mile but I finally made it to Fancy Pass (12,400 ft).  The couple was still at the top resting and I think they made it to the top at least 30 minutes before I did.  They had recently moved to Colorado Springs from Ohio and loved the proximity to the mountains.

The views from the pass were incredible.  Once I walked down into the valley near Treasure Vault Lake, I could see there were lots of wild flowers and mountain streams formed from all the snow melt.

 After several breaks for pictures, I hiked up over Missouri Pass into the Missouri Lakes area.  Just as Jenny had said, the lakes were beautiful, surrounded by the mountain peaks.

When I saw rain clouds gathering above, I decided against camping and decided to hike the rest of the loop.  Jenny was correct, most of the loop was after Missouri Lakes and I was grateful that I was going downhill.  I met about 100 people coming up while I was going down.  I guess they had heard about the snow fields on the way to Fancy Pass.  I got back to my car at 2:50pm.  You can see more pictures and the path I took on the Spot Adventures link below.




Fancy Pass & Missouri Lakes

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