mount zirkel wilderness area

Truly one of the coolest spots in Colorado, great views along the whole hike. Went and did I bike ride there later in summer of of my top rides of all time

The Mount Zirkel Wilderness Areas is one of those places that leave you feeling like your life will never be the same. The mountains are stunning, the lakes are unsurpassed, the trails are well maintained. If you love mountains, you will love Zirkel. Absolutely magical. Hikes can be relatively easy to strenuous, day hikes to multi-day expeditions. Impressive Gold Creek Falls is only a couple miles above the Slavonia trailhead, but it's off the beaten path so you may not find it!

A friend and I hiked the Zirkel Circle, and it was one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done. This was not part of our original itinerary, but after a relatively easy hike up to Rabbit Ears Pass we decided to bite of something a bit more, and did some online searching while in Steamboat Springs. This was a winner all the way around. It was about a 40-60 minute drive outside of Steamboat. We opted to complete the hike counter-clockwise based on some hiking blogs we read. The hike ended up being 13.76 miles according to my GPS, even though everything we read online said it would be 11 miles. No big deal to us, but be aware it might take a bit more time that you might have planned due to the extra few miles. I would consider this a moderate hike. We climbed 2356ft in the first 8 miles, but it was fairly gradual (for the most part). If we had hiked clockwise it would have been the same elevation gain but in 5.8 miles. So, depending on how quickly you want to climb... It took us just under 6 hours to complete this hike. When we came to Cold Greek Lake I was in LOVE. It was peaceful and beautiful. There appeared to be one campsite (occupied) for backpackers on the north side of the lake. We crossed several small creeks along the way which did require crossing on logs. At one point we removed our socks and shoes and wadded across one creek as there was no way else to get over (and wet socks/shoes didn't sound appealing). My favorite part of this hike wasn't even Gilpin Lake, which truly is awe inspiring. There is a meadow valley between the two lakes that sort of appears out of nowhere - with mountain peaks in every direction you view. You come out of the trees and hike in some tall grass up a small hill, and then get hit by one of the most beautiful scenes. The choice to hike the loop counter-clockwise also meant that when we did get to Gilpin Lake, we came to it from a higher elevation. The view down to the lake was awesome. Unfortunately it was overcast for us, so we didn't get the awesome effects of the sun. Never-the-less, it was great.I could go on, but I think I've shared enough for one to draw the conclusion that this is a moderate hike that is WELL worth the effort.

Amazing area, can't wait to go back camping in the summer. Visited Summit Lake Campground and Fish Creek Resevoir. The drive up is a bit bumpy, road isn't maintained that well. But the area is amazing.

As a part time resident of the Steamboat Springs area, we've had an opportunity to explore the area over many years. Mt Zirkel remains my favorite area to hike. It combines great views, terrific water features and has less "crowds" than some of the "closer in" spots.There are several hikes that are terrific, however two I'd start with are Gilpin Lake and 3 Islands Lake (the latter is a bit easier for families with kids). Gilpin lake is about 6 hours round trip (lots of vert) three islands is closer to 4.5 (not as steep).The best way to smartly explore the area is to purchase the book "Hiking the Boat" (don't worry...no relation to the author). The book gives great trailhead instructions and routes for these two and many other hikes. Ski Haus or most other ski/bike stores in Steamboat carry the book (also avail on Amazon).

We did the 11.5 mile lop that included both lakes. We would highly recommend going right at the trailhead that goes toward Gold Creek Lake Trail. This will take you to Gold Lake first and then continue on to Gilpin Lake. This is the more strenuous route but it's totally worth it. This trial isn't for the extremely inexperienced but i think if you're at least in decent shape you could make it.

The Zirkle Circle was an amazing hike. The lakes are pristine and it was just the right amount of solitude. Around every corner was more breathtaking beauty. It reminded me of hikes I have done in Yosemite. Enjoy!

For a quick and easy half day hike, the Mad Creek Trail is pretty good. If you can choose to go after a decent rain, you might catch a riot of wildflowers.

I had never been up here before as we were just passing through the area but it was beautiful. Unfortunately, the trees were dying due to the beetle kill but the area itself made up for it. The rock and land formations were pretty awesome and the creeks and streams in the area was awesome. Just don't forget the mosquito spray during the summer. They were horrible at the creeks, so much that they covered my arm after just stepping out of the truck for a few minutes. Overall I would love to come back and go camping up here. There is just so much that you could do!

Great family hike to Mad Barn and back (4 miles total). Starts above Mad Creek where you can see the creek several hundred feet down but meets up with the creek near the old barn.

I'll qualify this report by letting you know I live near Rocky Mountain National Park and the adjacent Indian Peaks Wilderness. Everything is relative to something else, especially what you're used to. I'm used to spectacular mountain hikes and scenery. So, compared to what I've done (and continue to do) in my neck of the woods, the Zirkel Circle hike and others in the area as just so-so. Steamboat may be a great place to ski, but there's far better hiking to be had in Colorado, especially near where I live and off the I-70 corridor.I'd say the first few lines of "fiddlebike's" review are spot on. There are, however, some very large stands of aspen that are quite accessible, making parts of this area spectacular in the fall when timed right. Keep in mind it can be quite cold in the fall, especially in the morning when the light is good. In October 2012, it had already snowed and creeks were just beginning to freeze over.

We love to take the horse up here and go for a great ride with beautiful view! I also love to hike up here - all the trails are great and you can't beat the views!

I wouldn't recommend hiking here if you have breating or cardio problems - my GPS read 8700 elev. and the trails are arduous - but if you're healthy and love nature, go here. The views and photo ops are excellent, not to mention the clean smell of pines and feeling of solitude. Sure, we met others on the trail, but not often, and everyone we met was friendly.

This is not exactly an area of towering peaks as most of the peaks have a rounded appearance. In addition, there are whole mountainsides of dead pines. However. around Mt. Zirkel you get rocky cliffs and some jagged ridge lines. We hiked up to Lake Gilpin which was a nice and easy jaunt along the creek with lots of wildflowers the higher we got. The lake is beautiful. We then contained to the south, up over a pass at 10,800 feet to drop down into the Gold Creek drainage. We followed the trail back west, past Gold Creek Lake to our car. There are no bridges on Gold Creek and you have to cross a few times. Most of the time there are logs or rocks that enable you to keep your feet dry. At one point we ended up wading across because the water was up a bit from recent rains and the easy stuff was covered. I suspect later in the year more rocks are exposed for easy crossing. Interestingly, the published distances for this loop vary widely. Most of the books and websites say it is 11 miles. The Sky Terrain map says it is less than 10 miles. My GPS unit said we clocked 11.5 miles and the elevation gain was around 2,400 feet. All in all, it is a pretty easy hike with lots to look at.

I have hiked 200 hundred miles of trails in Mt Zirkel and I am not even close to seeing everything there is to see. The vistas are spectacular as are all the alpine lakes. Camping and backpacking heaven.