Colorado certainly has plenty of sun in the summer, but venture into the high country and you might even witness snow during the same period.
Because of the variability of weather as the elevation changes in Colorado, the summer wildflower season can change and is often short lived in the various elevation ranges. Blooms first start to appear in the eastern plains in May but the dry and hot summer conditions that started in early June quickly put an end to the flowers of the plains.
As June, progresses, the flowers start to peak in the foothills, providing pops of color as plants like the pincushion cactus, wild iris and mountain mahogany begin to bloom. But these too don’t last long as the heat of summer arrives and the landscape parches under the strong Colorado sun.
But the quintessential perspective of Colorado wildflowers are the high alpine meadows blooming in a kaleidoscope of color. Here too the season is short, typically starting in late June and ending by mid-August, but a lot blooms in these few short weeks.
One trail that provides easy access to some of these meadows is the trail to Long Lake, located at 10,520 feet – about 1,000 feet below tree line – and in the dramatic Indian Peaks Wilderness.
This lollipop trail in Brainard Lake Recreation Area offers different lengths depending on which parking lot is the starting point. If parking in the large lot near the Pawnee Campground, the total length is about 3.5 miles. If using the Niwot Parking Area, the trail is about 2.5 miles. And start in the Long Lake Parking Area, the trail dwindles to just two miles roundtrip. All options only have minimal elevation gain of less than 200 feet.
Starting at the farthest lot, however, gives hikers some of the best views of the area, where the trail passes Brainard Lake, navigates along willows where moose are frequently spotted, and opens to a perspective of 13,229-foot Mount Audubon to the north.
From the parking lot, follow the trail around Brainard Lake to the left or south side of the lake. At the west end of the lake, the trail passes the Niwot Picnic Area. Across the street from the picnic area is the Niwot Cutoff.
Follow this trail as it moves into the shaded comfort of the forest. Look for heartleaf arnica along the trail with its pops of taxi-cab yellow flowers in the shadows of the trees.
In about a half mile from the picnic area, the trail reaches a junction. A bridge leads to the right and the Jean Lunning Trail continues straight. Take this latter trail for one of the easiest to reach meadows of alpine flowers in the area, including paintbrush, elephant heads and the cotton-ball-like bistort.
Continue along the Jean Lunning Trail as it moves along the south edge of Long Lake. As it reaches the west end of the lake, it crosses a creek where Parry’s primrose and alpine pennycress are prolific along the edges of the creek.
Continue to follow the trail as it loops around the west end of Long Lake and then travels east again along the north side of the lake on the Pawnee Pass Trail.
The trail will reach the east end of Long Lake, where the trail crosses a bridge over the South Saint Vrain Creek and back to the Niwot Cutoff Trail.
Follow this trail back to the starting point of the hike.
Moose can be found throughout this area. If hiking with a dog, be sure to keep them on a leash and be cognizant of moose in the area.
There is a fee to park at Brainard Lake Recreation Area and timed-entry reservations are required to access the trailhead. Reservations fill quickly for parking areas but are released on a 15-day rolling window. Print or screenshot the reservation prior to arriving at the entrance gate as there is no cell service to access the reservation, which can be purchased on recreation.gov.
For more information about Brainard Lake Recreation Area, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=28182.
