Middle Fork Lake Trail

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Features Commonly Backpacked · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

After about 3 1/2 miles from the trail start shown in this description, the trail gets confusing for 0.4 miles. Some maps show the portion from this point to the trail's endpoint as unmaintained/unofficial. Yes, it is less maintained and overgrown with willows from the 3.65 mile mark to about the 4.05 mile mark. When hiking in the direction shown in this description, watch carefully at the 3.65 mile mark. The obvious trail here heads uphill and delivers one to a rocky outcrop that has great views of the lake, and then deadends eventually. So instead at the 3.65 mile mark, look carefully to the right for a faint trail that leads down to the lake and the overgrown path through the willows that runs along the lakeshore - this is trail that will be faint and overgrown for about 0.4 miles and then emerge on good trail that is easy to follow.

The Middle Fork Lake Trail start (as shown in this description is found at a well marked trail junction along the Fremont Trail/CDT. Follow the arrows and head off onto Middle Fork Lake Trail. This trail is relatively flat almost to its end where it goes over a pass from Middle Fork Lake to Rainbow Lake.

For the trail's first 3.4 miles, it follows the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek upstream to its source at Middle Fork Lake. This is beautiful country. The trail crosses grassy meadows, well maintained areas of relatively small willows, and some forest. a couple small lakes are passed as one nears Middle Fork Lake. All of this plus the rolling terrain, mountain views, and patches of forest add up to quite a scenic hike.

The west end of Middle Fork Lake is reached at the 3.4 mile mark. From here the trail travels along the lake's north shore for about the next 2 miles. There are exquisite views of the lake and several prominent peaks - Nylon Peak, Mount Bonneville, Pronghorn Peak, Dragon Head Peak, and more. However, the tradeoff is that the trail soon reaches less maintained status that lasts to its endpoint (as shown in this description). See the Need To Know section above.

The first poorly maintained challenge is at the 3.65 mile mark. Watch carefully for faint trail here that heads towards the lakeshore. Read the Need To Know section carefully. This challenge is only 0.4 miles long, and the trail emerges to easy to follow path again, and cross beautiful meadows. The Bewmark Lake's (out of site on a shelf above) outlet creek is crossed at the 4.7 mile mark as it cascades down into a gorgeous, huge patch of summer wildflowers.

At the 5.5 mile mark the east end of the lake and a major inlet creek to it, are reached. Again, the trail is a bit confusing. Best to find a good place to cross this inlet creek and on the other side look around for trail and/or in this open terrain just head up to the obvious pass.

Continuing on in the open, grassy, rocky terrain with stands of pines, the trail goes over the pass at the 6.3 mile mark. It then descends along an inlet creek to Rainbow Lake, for about a mile, passing a small lake on the way. Rainbow Lake and Rainbow Lake Trail where this trail description ends, are soon reached.

Low, bushy vegetation including a lot of pint size willows, is found around the creeks and lakes. Otherwise there are areas of pine forest. Additionally, there are fields of wildflowers in places such as the northeast end of Middle Fork Lake.