Steps in the Right Direction: Mohawk Lakes, Breckenridge, CO

Lower Lake

Stopping for a snack

I love these, They only grow where it is wet

Upper Mohawk lake

Trail markers were hacked into the bark

Water diversion dam

Kathi is standing in the middle of a cabin and the trail
goes right through the cabin

Mine Shaft

Wow, one would be hard pressed to find a prettier hike than the Mohawk Lakes Trail. The two Mohawk Lakes are very scenic and as an added bonus, there is a nice waterfall in the creek below the lakes, plus a number of interesting relics in the area from Colorado’s late 1800's mining boom. Mining camps were built in the vicinity of Mayflower Lake and Lower Mohawk Lake in the 1880s, some of the log cabins in these two camps can still be seen. Most of the cabins have long since collapsed, but one has recently been restored and it is occasionally used as a bivouac by overnight campers. It contains a primitive sleeping loft and even a wood-burning stove to warm cross-country skiers and other winter visitors. After standing inside the cabin, it seems the mice have a firm grip on the residence, so I would prefer to stay in a tent. From Spruce Creek Trailhead the trail immediately enters a dense forest of Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine and starts following the north side of Spruce Creek. There are suppose to be lots of mosquitoes on this trail, but since we started hiking at 6:15 am, they are still sleeping in. The ground is still muddy and slick from the heavy rains last night. The trail intersects Spruce Creek which is used as a source of water for communities in the Blue River Valley below. The water is sent through a water diversion system. We had a good night of storms and rain so the creek is running full. If you are headed up this trail be sure to turn and take a side trip to Mayflower Lake. The lake itself is rather small and uninteresting, but nearby you can see the intriguing remains of an old, abandoned mining camp. The men who once lived here struggled against a highly contagious affliction known as "gold fever". The trail goes right trough one of the cabins remains. Kathi is standing in the middle of the trail and cabin. Gold was discovered at the nearby Mayflower Mine in 1887. The mine yielded ore as rich as 30 ounces of gold per ton. The euphoria was short-lived; the mines soon played out and the camps were vacated. In the end there was but one resident left. A hermit, named Tom Davidson continued to live with his cat in one of the cabins near Mayflower Lake until his death around 1920. This information is kind of fun to know when you are poking around. Returning to the main trail we press on toward Mohawk Lakes and soon come to the remains of an old stamping mill. Nearby is a cabin that has been restored and is occasionally used by hikers and cross-country skiers. Inside is a crude plaque inscribed with the words: "Welcome to Continental Cabin, 11,402 feet, circa 1883, the last bastion of freedom in this here Summit County. May the peace of these surroundings be felt by you and yours while you stay. The cabin was saved from filth and decrepitness on October 21, 1989 for the purpose of nothing more than sheer enjoyment." The bottom of Continental Falls is only a few hundred feet north of Continental Cabin; well worth checking out before continuing on to Mohawk Lakes. A primitive trail to the Falls begins a hundred feet east of the cabin, behind the roofless remains of another cabin. From the refurbished cabin the trail switchbacks up the south side of Spruce Creek for 0.4 mile, climbing 400 feet to the lower Mohawk Lake. Just before you reach the lake there is the remains of an old wooden tower that was once part of a tramway for lowering ore to the mill below. There are also a few broken-down cabins on the west end of the lake along with the trail. There is also one rusted tram laying upside down in the trees in this area . These artifacts do not distract from the beauty of the lake, but rather make the whole hike more interesting. It has been over a century since the mines were worked, and the old weathered, roofless cabins now seem to fit perfectly with the scenery. They are now simply a small reminder of Colorado’s colorful past. The trail continues along the south side of the lower lake for a hundred yards, then veers away to begin the climb to the upper lake. Ok, we know that now, but the cairns we were following are now strangely missing. There are social trails all over the place. We end up having a map chat with a couple who camped at the lake last night. Between the four of us we used a compass and topo map to locate the trail. The upper lake is only 300 feet higher than Lower Mohawk Lake, but that small elevation gain is enough to make a big difference in vegetation. Lower Mohawk Lake is just below tree line, but Upper Mohawk is above that magic elevation and no trees grow here. The lake is also much deeper and wider than the lower lake, to the eye it looks emerald. As a special prize there is more in store on this hike because there are four more lakes up over the open tundra. We visited lake 1 at 12,219 feet then a mere .35 miles later lake 2 at 12,334; then lake three which was another .35 mile forward at 12,372. There is one more lake, but the clouds seemed to be getting taller and we were way above tree line at this point. Since this whole area is an open bowl tundra we were certainly the tallest things around making us the primary lightening target. Lightening usually strikes the tallest thing. Hah, kathi is two inches taller than me, but this gives me little comfort. We stop and read the clouds and decide the clouds are getting to look like lightening makers so we decided the last lake must look much like the first three and turned back for tree line. We head back down to tree line and sit close to the mining ruins by lower Mohawk lake for a lunch. Then we push on for home. Coming up the trail we met a dog who does not belong to anyone. We just think it is another trail dog. We give him a pat and scratch before he is off up the trail. The last two miles of trail is all through the spruce, but the mosquitoes have all gotten rested up and are waiting for any human walking through. Ready for a quick bite! We arrive at the trail head to the questions of three ladies who have " misplaced" their dog. Really people, just put a leash on your dog... We last saw the dog at a junction about two miles back in there. So they had to hike back up the trail. Hope they found him, he was a sweet friendly dog. My toe feels like firecrackers are in my boot when I step and the ground is not flat. If I can manage a flat step all is well. I will try to take only flat steps. Teehee not possible! 7 hours 38 minutes hiking 10 miles of wondering around 133.55 Total Miles Starting elevation 10,370 Highest elevation 12,372