Square Top Lakes

Hiking Square Top Lakes

Square Top Lakes are located up the South Park trail at the top of Guanella Pass. The trail takes you to the lower and upper Square Top Lakes and will continue on to Square Top Mountain. The area is very popular and often crowded, however more people are typically across the street at Mt. Bierstadt. Hiking Square Top Lakes has some amazing views and is enjoyable and challenging.

Guanella Pass

Guanella Pass is a wonderful road in Colorado that connects Georgetown and I-70 and Grant at 285. It is only open during the warmer months and can be closed based on snowfall in the late fall and up until June or later depending on conditions. The pass is a great place to look at fall colors and has some amazing hikes.

One of the most popular hikes on the pass is of 14er, Mt. Bierstadt, which is near the summit. The parking lot and sides of the road get packed with cars of those who are giving this popular peak a shot. The trailhead for Square Top Mountain and the lakes is on the opposite side of the road as Bierstadt and has its own parking lot at the summit of the pass. There are some nice views from the summit lot of both Bierstadt and looking down the pass a bit. The trailhead is located near the restroom facilities at the end of the parking lot.

Open Meadow

The Square Top Lakes trail begins with a really enjoyable walk through an open meadow. In fact, the majority of the hike is out in the open and exposed so make sure you are prepared with sun and weather protection. The open meadow to start this hike is just so grand. The views stretch in every direction. Bierstadt towers to the East and Square Top and Argentine Peaks bookend to the west with the open meadow sitting in between. It really is pretty special.

The walk through the meadow is relatively flat for the first mile. However, there are a couple of hills that pop a grade of over 10%. I actually kept walking around in circles through this lower section trying to just take in all of the mountain views around. It helped that it was a blue sky day and the wind hadn’t started up yet!

First Ridge

The honeymoon ends pretty quickly on the trail up to Square Top Lakes. After the really enjoyable meadow comes the push to the first ridge. This uphill section is some of the steepest of the hike, gaining 400 feet of elevation in just a half mile. The incline stays pretty consistent between 16-25% for the entire half mile stretch that takes you over 12,000 feet for the first time of the hike.

For me, the wind really started to pick up as I approached the first pass. That wind didn’t let up for the rest of the hike either! Once you make the pass, the trail actually descends a bit before heading back up towards the first, lower lake. I did the hike in mid August and there were a couple of dried up ponds during this little dip in elevation that could be full in the early summer. The trail also gets a bit rockier and muddier as it comes closer to the lower lake.

Lower Lake

The first of the Square Top Lakes is actually a little hard to find! As the trail gets closer to where the lake should be, it gets lost a bit in some tall bushes and a small stream of water cascading down from the lake. To find the main body of water, follow the trail just past the bushes to a smaller trail that heads to the lake side. This isn’t marked really well on the map that I was using.

The lower lake is more of a rounded lake sitting beneath a ridge at the base of Square Top and Argentine mountains. The water is shallow close to where it can first be seen with a deeper section toward the back based on the change in water color. There isn’t much vegetation around the water, or trails to go around the lake but a few spots you can get pretty close. A close look at the picture above actually reveals some white caps on the waves due to the very strong winds this day.

From the lower lake, the trail heads to the southwest where it splits. If you continue forward, you will head to the upper lake or you can head left to continue on to Square Top Mountain Peak.

Upper Lake

The trail to the upper lake has one more really steep section to get it started. A short tenth of a mile with about 20% grade incline before it flatten out for the most part to get you to the lake. The upper lake is more of a long skinnier style lake. The trail approaches it on the south side and then there is a bit of a ridge above the lake that lets you walk the length of the water.

From the top of the hill/ridge are some of the best views of the entire hike. Below is the lower lake and in the distance is Mount Bierstadt and it is rather magnificent. I sat up at the upper lake for a few minutes and most of the time was with my back to the lake so I could take in this view.

The wind was also its strongest up by the upper lake so I couldn’t stay too long. However, I was the long enough to really enjoy the amazing scenery and relax a bit after all the elevation gain. This was a really amazing hike that showed some of the best views that Colorado has to offer. It isn’t as challenging as the 14er across the street but still allows for a lot of the same beauty!

Video of my hike to Square Top Lakes

I have created a time-lapsed video of the Square Top Lakes Hike to give you a feel for what it is like. I call these time lapsed versions of the hikes my hikers edits. If you enjoy the video, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest updates.

Distance and Elevation

If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 5.15 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 922 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 12,264 feet. I was also moving for a total of 2 hours and 49 minutes.

I am a Pro member of AllTrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.

Effort

The hike to the Square Top Lakes is challenging for a shorter hike. Almost 1000 feet of elevation in just about two and half miles of one way trail. The elements can also make this a more challenging hike as it is mostly if not entirely exposed. It is also around or above 12,000 feet so people who are not used to elevation hikes could struggle. I am going to list this as moderate but it is definitely challenging.

Terrain

The trail to Square Top Lakes starts out as mostly hard packed dirt but turns more rocky the higher you go on the trail. There were also a few sections of mud and flowing water around the lakes that made the footing pretty slick. The biggest concern is the exposure and elevation. This trial is close or above 12,000 feet and is almost totally exposed to the elements. The sun is intense and the wind can be very strong. Make sure to have plenty of protection to both the sun and elements!

Access to Square Top Lakes

Square Top Lakes trail is located at the top of Guanella Pass in the Summit parking lot. There is usually a lot of congestion due to Mt. Bierstadt being so close. The parking lot has room for about 20 cars or so and there is a pit toilet available.

Wrapping Up the Hike to Square Top Lakes

This might be one of the more beautiful hikes in Colorado. It is nice to be on the top of the mountain pass but not have as many people around as the trail to Mt. Bierstadt. I found that I could enjoy it a bit more although it did get busier later in the day.

The views were just breathtaking in every direction. I found myself just standing in place and turning in a circle to take it all in. There were some really steep sections to overcome but the views made up for it and I found this hike to be really enjoyable and can’t wait to try it again, and even possibly make it to the top of Square Top Mountain!

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to my interactive map page that you can find here. If you have a suggestion or comment you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Gallery of the Hike to Square Top Lakes