The mountains north of Gunnison, CO are an old haunt for the Overcast Adventurers. It was therefore pretty nostalgic to find ourselves back that way recently. We and two fellow adventurers were pouring mai tais and poring over maps at a condo in Crested Butte when something caught our eye. It was a tiny blip of blue some way northwest of Taylor Park Reservoir, bearing the name Mysterious Lake. We had a destination.

Getting to Mysterious Lake meant getting to Star Trail, and getting to Star Trail meant a long drive around Taylor Park. Unfortunately, a shorter route to the trailhead past Spring Creek Reservoir was closed due to a washed-out bridge. We arrived at the southernmost end of the Star Trail in the morning, but not as early as we would have liked. The sun was already high up in the sky as we began walking.

The trail was designated as mixed-use, hiking and dirt biking. That meant we spent the first mile of hiking checking over our shoulders at every distant sound of an engine. Beyond the first mile it mostly left our minds though, as the tire tracks on the trail stopped. And it was no surprise – the trail had become steep and was covered in loose stones and jutting roots. It would have been atrocious to navigate on a dirt bike.

Our lungs ached at the long uphill segment. Our struggles were rewarded as we reached the top of the first slope though, with the trees opening to what would be the first of many stunning meadows.

The route was unforgiving. We were soon back on an uphill, and we began to wonder what we were doing it for. That’s when the first proper vista appeared through a clearing in the trees. The mountains sparkled over the sea of pines.

Visually, the hike went on to be more stunning than we had hoped. Interspersed clearings gave us periodic looks at the surrounding peaks.

A handful of late summer blooms lent color to the high mountain meadows. Some of the flowers were varieties we hadn’t spotted before – a surprise, given our collective time spent in this part of the world. It was exciting to discover new things in a place so familiar.

After we had been hiking for over four miles, our thoughts began to focus more on Mysterious Lake itself. The map showed the lake as being a short way off from the trail. Would we be able to see it when we got to it? We were paying close attention to every piece of flat land that we passed by. We ultimately shouldn’t have worried, but our map reading skills had been getting a bit rusty over the years.

We reached another meadow below a long ridge. We shared a nervous laugh. Perhaps the trail would take us up over that ridge next.

In truth, the next step was ultimately worse for our aching legs. The trail turned to a steep decline as it wound around one side of the ridge. Just shy of another mile later another meadow was becoming apparent through the trees on our left. And that meadow looked promising. It looked like a drainage. A drainage that stretched well off into the distance.

Sure enough though, just as a touch of frustration was beginning to set in, we spotted it. Mysterious Lake basked in the sun below. A cool breeze brushed over its surface. The pines rustled gently, making the only noise that could be heard.

When there is a story, a history, to tell about one of our destinations, then I usually like to include that in the blog. With a name like “Mysterious Lake” one might imagine this destination to have its own curious past. And that may be so. However, we were unable to find information as to the origins of the lake’s name. Perhaps one of us will have time to hound some local library records next time we’re in the area.

We rested briefly by the water before turning back. We had gotten a late start, and it was well into the afternoon when we reached the lake. Our return hike had the usual frustration that accompanies a trail with lots of ups and downs: climbing back up all of what had previously been downhill. Still, we made it back to the car with daylight to spare.

The hike to Mysterious Lake and back netted a solid 10.97 miles of distance. We debated walking up the road a little ways to round things out but ultimately decided against it. No need to inflate our numbers. In addition to the distance, the hike involved about 3,097 feet of altitude gain.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

~Ty & Sky