White River National Forest · Colorado

Lake Charles

4.6 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 1899 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.4921, -106.6576 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Ironedge TH #1873 the Forest Service's write-up

The Ironedge Trail begins near the Fulford Cave Campground and ends at the Lake Charles Trail #1899 near Lake Charles. The trail becomes steep in places with switchbacks and follows an old logging road for a short distance. Be sure to look for rock cairns marking the trail. It will pass the Peter Estin Hut and Charles Peak before the trail opens up at tree line. Spectacular views of Castle Peak, the Flat Tops, and the Elk Range are seen along the way. Follow the cairns as the trail skirts around a hill and then begins to descend 2 1/2 miles to Lake Charles, through meadow, forest and rocky areas.

This hike on fs.usda.gov

Lake Charles TH #1899 the Forest Service's write-up

The Lake Charles Trail begins near the Fulford Cave Campground , passes Lake Charles and ends at Mystic Island Lake. The trail follows East Brush Creek up to both Lake Charles (4.1 mi) and Mystic Island Lake (4.7) in the Holy Cross Wilderness where regulations apply. It is a generally a gradual climb with two short areas that are quite steep. The trail is rocky with exposed tree roots and a few stream crossings passing through aspen changing to dense pine, spruce and fir. Lake Charles has a spectacular view of Fool’s Peak, 12, 947 ft. and a classic glacial cirque at the end of the valley above Mystic Island Lake.

Restrictions See <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/?cid=STELPRD3825863">Holy Cross Wilderness Regulations</a>

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.