This summer might be the last time hikers and backpackers can visit the popular Blue Lakes area in Southwestern Colorado without a permit. But due to a construction and restoration project, the main trailhead will be closed for most of the prime season, from June 2 until the end of August.
Hikers are prohibited from circumventing the construction happening on County Road 7 near Ridgway, which leads to the trailhead, even on foot. Anyone caught doing so risks a $5,000 fine or six months in jail, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
There’s another way to get to the lower, middle and upper Blue Lakes that will be open in summer 2025. But be aware, it is longer and more technical than the conventional trail, requiring both expert four-wheel driving skills and high-country hiking savvy.
Visitors can access the Blue Lakes as a 9.5-mile (round-trip) out-and-back hike, starting at the upper Yankee Boy Basin parking lot on the south side of the San Juan Mountains and using 13,000-foot Blue Lakes Pass to traverse the ridge near Mt. Sneffels. Where the normal route gradually ascends 2,500 feet in elevation over about 4 miles (one way) through forests and meadows, this alternate route starts above treeline and steeply drops from the peaks.
The trip requires driving an OHV road up to the trailhead, then hiking up and over the ridge before descending about 3,000 feet into the basin where the lakes are. Hikers should be prepared to travel rugged, high alpine terrain and to deal with the temperamental weather at these elevations. They should also be ready for a 3,000-foot ascent on the way out.
The drive to Yankee Boy Basin Road starts from the town of Ouray and approaches the San Juans from the south. It is about eight miles one-way to the Upper Yankee Boy parking area, and includes switchbacks and some rock crawling. Because of that, drivers must have a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle and some technical driving skills.
Backpackers will be permitted to camp at Lower Blue Lake this summer, the Forest Service said.
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