Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest
Isabelle Glacier Trail #908

Long Lake Trailhead to (one way):

• Long Lake: .2 miles
• Lake Isabelle: 2.1 miles
• Upper Lake: 3.7 miles
• Isabelle Glacier: 4.2 miles

Elevations:

• Long Lake Trailhead: 10,500'
• Lake Isabelle: 10,868'
• Isabelle Glacier: 12,000'

Season of heaviest use: June through October (open year round)

Use: Moderate

Rating: Easiest to more difficult

USGS Maps: Ward and Monarch Lake Quads

Trailhead Location: The Long Lake Trailhead is within the Brainard Lake Recreation Area, off of Highway 72, 13 miles north of Nederland, just north of the town of Ward. Turn west onto the Brainard Lake Road (County Road 102, National Forest System Road 112 - closed at halfway point from late October through late June or early July). Travel approximately five miles on the paved road to Brainard Lake. The Long Lake Trailhead is a half mile up the left fork of a side road that turns off at the west end of Brainard Lake. Be careful around the Brainard Lake Recreation Area because of day use fees.

Follow the Pawnee Pass Trail #907 as it climbs gradually for two miles, through wooded terrain, into the Indian Peaks Wilderness, past Long Lake to Lake Isabelle, which sits just below the tree line.

At Lake Isabelle, follow Isabelle Glacier Trail #908 as it forks left from the Pawnee Pass Trail and continues along the north side of Lake Isabelle to the source of the South St. Vrain Creek: Isabelle Glacier. The Isabelle Glacier Trail is a difficult trail, climbing over talus and passing through some marshy areas on its way to the upper lake.

Beyond the lake, there is a narrow switchback trail up a somewhat unstable steep, rocky slope, which may be hidden under the skirts of the glacier early in the summer. The Isabelle Glacier Trail ends beside Isabelle Glacier in a very steep-walled cirque basin framed by Shoshone, Apache and Navajo Peaks.

Special Trail Regulations:

Camping: Backcountry camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness is by permit only. Camping is only permitted along this trail December 1 to April 30. Contact the Boulder Ranger District (303-541-2500) for information.