White River National Forest · Colorado

Island Lakes

9.5 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1842 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.9382, -107.1982 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Deer Lake #1802 the Forest Service's write-up

The Deer Lake Trail connects Island Lakes Trail #1842 to Chinese Wall Trail #1803 . From Island Lakes Trail, Deer Lake Trail branches north and follows a bench that overlooks the Island Lake and Derby Creek drainages. After 2 miles, the trail becomes steep and narrow as it drops to down to Deer Lake; this section can be hazardous to pack strings. From Deer Lake, the trail climbs 1 mile to the Flat Tops plateau where it joins the Chinese Wall Trail.

Restrictions <ul><li style="font-size: 1em;"><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3825863">Flat Tops Wilderness regulations</a>&nbsp;apply</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">This trail is used for multiple activities, including hiking and horsebackriding.&nbsp; Please respect other users.</li><li style="font-size: 1em;">This trail is not recommended for pack strings.&nbsp;</li></ul>

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Island Lakes TH #1842 the Forest Service's write-up

The Island Lakes trail begins about 1.5 miles up the Hooper Lake Trail #1860, passes Island Lakes, and ends at W Mountain Trail #1817. A 4WD vehicle is needed to access the trailhead. This trail has alternating steep and gradual sections as it crosses several watersheds. It offers many opportunities to take off on other trails and do trip extensions if you have the time. It is recommended to have good map and compass skills for this area as there is so much undulating terrain and multiple trail intersections.

Restrictions See Flat Tops Wilderness Regulations

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in White River National Forest

All 729 trails in White River National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.