It’s that time of year again! Welcome to the glorious aspen and ground cover colors at Cottonwood Lake. It is a small lake three miles off State Highway 306, best known as home to Cottonwood Pass. We will visit there soon for amazing beauty at 12,126 ft elevation. Now, we are about 9,600 ft high along the shore of Cottonwood Lake!
About two miles west and 500 feet down from Independence Pass on CO Highway 82 is the Independence Lake/Lost Man Trailhead. It is also the trailhead for the shorter hike to Linkins Lake. My original plan was to consider doing this hike only after seeing a few other sights. However, there were only 6 cars in the parking area designed for over 20 which is usually full by now (8:40am), so let’s go for it!
Midway between the tiny town of Twin Lakes and Aspen, on Colorado Highway 82, sits Independence Pass. The second highest paved highway in Colorado, the Pass sits on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch (suh-wahch) Range of the Rockies.
Let’s explore the views and the tundra, but first we need to get there. From Twin Lakes we drive 17 miles climbing 2,718 feet, so there will be hairpin turns. At the second hairpin, what a view east at 7:30am! There’s CO-82 along Lake Creek making its way to the Twin Lakes. Yes, there are two lakes about the same size just out of view. Onward . . .
We are having an amazing spring/early summer here in Colorado Springs! It rained more than not in May, more than usual in June, and July we are seeing rain most every day, much of it overnight. So what does the rain bring? Grasses taller than expected, vivid greens across the landscape rather than golden grasses, and wildflowers rarely seen here and some I’ve never seen in my life. Join me on a walk to explore the beauty brought by the rain!
