HIGHLAND LAKES

June 11-13, 2021

I don't usually care for campgrounds and I find myself usually only going to them when I'm meeting friends, who have chosen to go to them, but when it's a campground like Highland Lakes, I'll easily make an exception.

Situated at 8,600 feet elevation, the lakes are a great destination when trying to escape the summer heat in the valleys below.  Both lakes are close to the campground and are super "kayakable."

From the campsites, you get a beautiful view of the smaller lake with the gorgeous background of Hiram Peak looming on the other side.  There's a trail to the summit, on which you'll have to commit to 1,187 feet of elevation gain and the trek is very exposed to the wind and sun.  The boundary of the Carson Iceberg Wilderness is near the base of the peak.

The road from Ebbetts Pass to the lakes is drivable, but it's narrow, steep and not in the best of condition and I believe this is the reason why it's not a super crowded destination.  The camp host, however, said that in the last few years (after Sunset Magazine did an article on the lakes) that he has seen it full to capacity for most of the summer.

On this particular trip, I went with friends and we were able to get, what I considered to be, the best sites in the campground.  We hiked, paddle boarded, relaxed and enjoyed some good food and great company around the evening campfires, which at the time of our visit, were still allowed.

Hiram Peak (9,795' elev.), our backdrop for the weekend.

Got the camp set up.

Tri-Tip on the grill...there's nothing like that smell.

Mark did a great job with dinner.

Some happy campers.

The next day, we all set off to do some hiking and exploring.  A couple of the girls headed out on a more ambitious hike towards Hiram Peak and the rest of us explored a milder trail to the west of the campground that we were told had fantastic views of the area.

The smaller of the two lakes, which is where our campsite was located.

The views definitely didn't disappoint.

It's hard to see from the photo, but you can see Spicer Reservoir way off in the distance.

This is what a tired "hound dog" looks like...

Dexter took every opportunity to cool off, whether it was rolling in the snow or soaking in the many snow melt run offs flowing down from the mountain.

Coming down off the mountain was a lot harder than it looked.

After hiking for a good chunk of the day, it was time to cool off in the lake.

The water was very cold, as the snow melt was still flowing into the lake

and there was a lot of wind that would pass through intermittently, so 

we had to take advantage of the calm phases.

Susan took her new inflatable paddle board on its maiden voyage.

The girls were much braver than the men, as they were the only ones who decided to take swim

in the icy lake.

This dog wouldn't leave Dexter alone, so he had to endure a little "Prison Love" on the trip...

After a full day of activities, it was cocktail time.  Everyone brought something nice to the table to share: from Japanese scotch to hummus to berries.

Susan made a wonderful Caprese salad...

We ate appetizers in the warm sunshine and still had room for a nice pot luck dinner that evening.  We had another nice campfire, laughed and told lies

until bedtime.  It had been a wonderful day.

Leaving a beautiful place is always kind of sad, but we'll be back to

enjoy this little gem.