Overview
"Island Lakes Peak North" is an unofficial name for Peak 11,926 in the Flat Tops of Colorado. It is the 12th highest ranked peak in the range, but it is little known. The north side of the mountain is very steep, while the other sides of the mountain are gentle.
The peak is rather conspicuous when viewed from the east or north, but those drainages aren't very popular so few people see the mountain. The peak is visible from the more popular trails to the west, but it doesn't stand out despite it being one of the highest peaks in the Flat Tops.
The summit of the peak is pristine with no register or summit cairn and isn't climbed often, despite its scenic beauty and nice views.
The Flat Tops are more of a huge elevated plateau rather than a typical mountain range, but the plateau has been eroded into many individual peaks and summits, and most of them are flat-topped, or dome-like as is this one. The mountain area composing the Flat Tops contains over 110 lakes full of fish, and also has some of the most extensive areas above timberline in Colorado.
Flat Tops: 11,000+ Foot Peaks with 300+ feet of Prominence
Island Lakes Peak South as seen from the north.
High on the ridge of Island Lakes Peak South.
Getting There
South Derby Creek Trailhead
The access road is very rough. This road is for high clearance 4wds with a low range, and not for Subarus, Rav4s, or Explorers, et al. I made it to above Still Water (not to be confused with Stillwater Reservoir which is farther north and on a good road) in our old Pathfinder, but we wearied of the punishing ride. If you can make it to Stillwater, you can probably make it to Crescent Lake, but the road is very slow and is used more by ATV’s than 4wds.
To get to the access road, you first want to make your way to the community of Burns, which is one of the few communities in Colorado with no paved roads leading to it. Burns is along the Colorado River Road between McCoy on Highway 131 and Dotsero on I-70. If coming from the east or north, driving in by way of Highway 131 and McCoy is more expedient, but if driving in from the south or west, then coming in from Dotsero and I-70 is faster.
It is recommended that you have a map, such as the White River National Forest Map or a Colorado Atlas to find the trailhead. From Burns, you want to take the Derby Mesa Loop Road. You can catch the north end of this right at Burns, but it is faster to catch the south end of the loop road just southwest of Burns and at Burns Junction.
From Burns Junction, take the Derby Mesa Loop road to the west and follow this good road for 6.3 miles to FR 613. Passenger cars can make it here with no problem. Turn left (west) on FR 613 and follow the increasingly rough road to another junction at mile 10.05 (from Burns Junction). Turn right, still following FR 613. Signs say that it is 7 miles to the trailhead.
The road gets increasingly rough and gets even rougher at the stream crossing of South Derby Creek. The road from here on is rough and punishing on your vehicle and there are big rocks and usually big mudholes as well. Drive as far as you dare and don’t get stuck. This area is out in the middle of nowhere and towing a vehicle would be a costly affair.
The access road to Crescent Lake is very rough and has some big rocks.
Crescent Lake and Island Lakes Peak South.
Trappers Lake Trailhead
There are four main ways to reach the trailhead. I have only driven to two of them. The trailhead is near Trappers Lake.
There is a road from the west and Meeker, one from the east and Yampa or Phippsburg, one from the northeast and Oak Creek, one from the north and Hayden, and one from the northeast and Pagoda (village) and Hamilton. I know only the roads from Hamilton and Pagoda, but very few Coloradans will be coming from that direction (Craig), so it seems rather pointless to describe the drive in detail. Most people will be driving in from the Meeker or Yampa areas. After Pagoda or not far past Buford, all roads are gravel and in good condition in summer.
From Meeker:
From just north of Meeker and along Highway 13, turn east on County Road 8. Follow County Road 8 to Buford. Follow the road another 17 miles and turn right (south) on FS Road 205 to the Trappers Lake Lodge. There are several roads here, but they are well marked. From the Trappers Lake Lodge, turn left on FR 815 and follow it a short distance to the Outlet Trailhead. Park there.
From Yampa or Oak Creek:
I haven’t come in this way, so directions will be brief. Use a map. Briefly put you can reach country road 8 (see above) from either CR 25 from Oak Creek or CR 21 from Yampa. From there, you follow the road all the way over Ripple Creek Pass and down to FR 205. Turn left and follow the directions above.
From Hayden:
I haven’t come in this way, so directions will be brief. Use a map. Briefly put you take CR 53 south to CR 29. Turn left (east) and follow CR 29 to CR 55. Turn right (south) and follow the road to the junction with CR 8. Take CR 8 over Ripple Creek Pass and follow the route above.
From Hamilton:
Unless you live in Craig, few Coloradans will use this route and thus the directions won’t be detailed. From Hamilton (13 miles south of Craig and along Highway 13), drive east on Highway 317 to Pagoda. Highway 13 turns into county road 29. Turn right on CR 55 and follow the remaining directions from the route from Hayden.
Trappers Lake as seen from near the trailhead.
Routes Overview
South Derby Creek and Crescent Lake Route
This is by far the shortest route to the peak, if you have a vehicle that can make it to the trailhead.
Perhaps the easiest route up the peak is to use the Turret-Crescent Trail to reach the ridge and then follow the inconspicuous W Mountain Trail north before climbing the rather easy slopes east to the summit. This route is 7 miles round trip.
An alternate route is to take the trail from Crescent Lake to Island Lakes over a minor pass and then west the ridge south of Island Lakes Peak South. It is pretty faded, but can be followed with care. Once on the ridge, simply route find southeast to the summit.
This can be done as a day climb and is about 9 miles round trip. You can combine the two routes into a nice loop.
Several days can be spent in this area, climbing several peaks and visiting several basins along the way.
View into the Island Lakes Basin as seen from Island Lakes Peak South.
Middle Derby Creek Route
This highly scenic would make a find backpacking trip and you are likely to see other visitors.
There are actually two trails that start near the trailhead that reach Island Lakes. One stays lower and near the creek, which one climbs to the bench north of the creek and visits some extra lakes.
Depending on your route, this route is at least 15 miles round trip (but variations are longer) and will take 1-2 days.
Trappers Lake Route
The most expedient way to climb Island Lakes Peak Sorth from Trappers Lake is to follow the Trappers Lake Trail past Parvin Lake to the Plateau and then east to another trail junction before heading south on the W Mountain Trail to a junction. From the junction, head east to near the saddle and then climb southeast to the summit. This route is just over 16 miles round trip. It can be done in one long day, but there is lots to see in the area, so two days is better.
You could also use the Wall Lake Trailhead, but the route is slightly longer.
Island Lakes Peak South from the west.
Red Tape
Basic Rules
• Entering or being in the area with more than 15 people per group, and a maximum combination of 25 people and pack or saddle animals in any one group is prohibited.
• There is no permit system in place in the Flat Tops Wilderness but we do ask that visitors sign in on provided trailhead registration forms.
• Camping within one hundred feet of any lake, stream or trail, or any “No Camping” or “Wilderness Restoration Site” sign or within ¼ mile of Trappers, Hooper, Keener or Smith Lakes is prohibited.
• Building, maintaining, attending or using a campfire within one hundred feet of any lake, stream, or trail or within ¼ miles of Trappers, Hooper, Keener or Smith Lakes is prohibited.
• Storing equipment or personal property or supplies for longer than 10 days is prohibited.
• Hitching, tethering or hobbling any pack or saddle animal within one hundred feet of any lake, stream or trail is prohibited.
• Possessing any pack or saddle animal within ¼ mile of Trappers Lake except for watering or through travel is prohibited.
• Possessing a dog or other animal that is harassing wildlife or people or damaging property is prohibited. There is no leash law in the Flat Tops, however dogs must be kept under verbal control at all times.
• Possessing or using a wagon, cart or other vehicle including a wheelbarrow or game cart is prohibited.
• Shortcutting a switchback in a trail is prohibited.
When to Climb
This peak could be climbed year-round, but I'm not sure if the road is open all the way to the trailhead in winter and spring.
The Flat Tops receive much snow, so despite the lower altitude than the 14'ers, the peaks remain buried in snow until mid-July. Snowshoes are recommended in June. The Flat Tops have many mosquitoes in July, and sometimes into early August. From September and into December is hunting season, so wear blaze orange and use extreme caution. On the plus side, hunter traffic usually keeps the Trappers Lake and Ripple Creek Pass roads open until around Thanksgiving weekend. Late November might be the best time to make a “winter conditions” ascent because after the road closed, this would be about a three to four day trip.
A stream crossing on the Trappers Lake Trail in September. Camping
There are many campgrounds in the area and at Trappers Lake. On summer and holiday weekends, they are crowded. In the backcountry there are campsites around all the lakes below the plateau rim.
Mountain Conditions
Contact the Yampa Ranger District for up-to-date road, trail, and wildfire conditions:
PO Box 7
300 Roselawn St.
Yampa, Colorado 80483
970-638-4516
CLICK HERE FOR WEATHER FORECAST OF THE AREA
Weather and climate data for Marvine Ranch at 7800 feet elevation is below. *National Weather Service Data 1972-1998. Expect much wetter conditions at higher elevations. The area around the peak will average around 10-15 degrees colder in the daytime than Marvine Ranch; nighttime temperatures won't have as big of a difference.
MONTH | AVE HIGH | AVE LOW | REC HIGH | REC LOW | AVE PRECIP (in) |
JAN | 33 | 1 | 59 | -38 | 2.43 |
FEB | 36 | 3 | 56 | -42 | 2.30 |
MAR | 42 | 11 | 63 | -32 | 2.55 |
APR | 49 | 18 | 75 | -16 | 2.20 |
MAY | 61 | 27 | 78 | 5 | 2.41 |
JUN | 72 | 33 | 92 | 15 | 1.57 |
JUL | 77 | 38 | 89 | 23 | 1.94 |
AUG | 75 | 38 | 90 | 21 | 1.91 |
SEP | 68 | 31 | 87 | 11 | 2.16 | |
OCT | 57 | 22 | 76 | -10 | 2.16 |
NOV | 40 | 11 | 65 | -30 | 2.26 |
DEC | 33 | 2 | 63 | -44 | 2.53 |