Nestled in the base of a classic glacial cirque below jagged Fools Peak (12,881′) and Eagle Peak (13,009′), the dramatic-blue Mystic Island Lake seems to be a hidden gem in the Holy Cross Wilderness. I had never heard of it at all before a friend had suggested that we backpack in for the night and based on seeing only a handful of people throughout the course of a July weekend, I’d assume this one escapes most people’s radar.
Mystic Island Lake is about 4.5 miles from the Fulford Campground along the Lake Charles Trail in the northwestern Sawatch Range. I was actually a little discouraged for the first three miles or so of the trail. Besides just being rutted, and rocky trail through a dense forest, the trail is plagued with ‘false summits’ where we just kept expecting to see Lake Charles around every turn. The bland nature of the trail just made the hike seem like a dull trudge rather than an enjoyable hike.
Finally breaking treeline at Lake Charles, all my pessimism immediately disolved as the entire impressive valley opens up with Fools Peak soaring above the crystal water of the lake. It’s a pretty spectacular scene, to say the least.
Continuing up the Brush Creek drainage through some beautiful meadows for another mile or so, we reached Mystic Island Lake (11,306 feet)…
Mystic Island Lake was just as awesome as my buddy kept insisting that it would be.
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