Wheeler Lakes Trail
Encyclopedia
Wheeler Lakes Trail is in the southern Gore Range
, part of the Rocky Mountains
in the US state of Colorado
. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness
, Dillon Ranger District, White River National Forest
, Summit County
. Wheeler Lakes Trail is north of Interstate 70
, at the junction of Highway 91, near Copper Mountain
.
Wheeler Lakes Trail lies west of the scenic turn-out a half-mile before the freeway exit for Copper Mountain. The trailhead also serves as the southern beginning of the forty-five mile Gore Range Trail
. The trail is a little more than two miles in length. Wheeler Lakes Trail turns up a steep ravine, ascending from 9,700 feet to 10,200 feet at the Eagles Nest Wilderness boundary. Two miles from the trailhead, the Gore Range Trail
breaks to the left and the Wheeler Lakes Trail continues along a short northeast spur. A short distance beyond, at 11,090 feet, is the shoreline of Wheeler Lakes. Wheeler Lakes are named in honor of Judge Wheeler who founded the first community at the base of Copper Mountain from his ranchlands at Wheeler Flats.
Wildflowers along the trail include paintbrush ( Castilleja), Parry clover (Trifolium parryi), elephant tusk (Pedicularis groenlandica
), monkshood (Aconitum columbianum
), and Parry lousewort (Pedicularis parryi). In the tundra above Wheeler Lakes, sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum
), alpine Smelowskia (Smelowskia calycina), spotted saxifrage (Saxifraga bronchialis), moss campion (Silene acaulis), and alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris
)cover the slopes.
Gore Range
The Gore Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado in the United States. The range runs for approximately 60 miles northwest-to-southeast, through western Grand and Summit counties, and eastern Routt and Eagle counties...
, part of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
in the US state of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness
Eagles Nest Wilderness
The Eagles Nest Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Gore Range near Vail, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Heeney, in Summit and Eagle Counties Colorado. Eagles Nest Wilderness falls within the jurisdiction of Dillon Ranger District and Holy Cross Ranger District, White...
, Dillon Ranger District, White River National Forest
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through it. It also contains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, largely considered the birthplace of the U.S...
, Summit County
Summit County, Colorado
Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,538 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Breckenridge...
. Wheeler Lakes Trail is north of Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
, at the junction of Highway 91, near Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Copper Mountain is a census-designated place in Summit County, Colorado, United States. Its elevation is 9,695 feet , and it is located at ....
.
Wheeler Lakes Trail lies west of the scenic turn-out a half-mile before the freeway exit for Copper Mountain. The trailhead also serves as the southern beginning of the forty-five mile Gore Range Trail
Gore Range Trail
Gore Range Trail is in the Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Buffalo Mountain Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, in Silverthorne...
. The trail is a little more than two miles in length. Wheeler Lakes Trail turns up a steep ravine, ascending from 9,700 feet to 10,200 feet at the Eagles Nest Wilderness boundary. Two miles from the trailhead, the Gore Range Trail
Gore Range Trail
Gore Range Trail is in the Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Buffalo Mountain Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, in Silverthorne...
breaks to the left and the Wheeler Lakes Trail continues along a short northeast spur. A short distance beyond, at 11,090 feet, is the shoreline of Wheeler Lakes. Wheeler Lakes are named in honor of Judge Wheeler who founded the first community at the base of Copper Mountain from his ranchlands at Wheeler Flats.
Wildflowers along the trail include paintbrush ( Castilleja), Parry clover (Trifolium parryi), elephant tusk (Pedicularis groenlandica
Pedicularis groenlandica
Pedicularis groenlandica is a showy flowering plant in the Scrophulariaceae which is known by the common names elephant's head and elephanthead lousewort. This erect plant can grow to a height of 80 centimeters. Its sharply-toothed fernlike leaves are located low on the stout stem. The stem is...
), monkshood (Aconitum columbianum
Aconitum columbianum
Aconitum columbianum is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names Columbian monkshood or western monkshood. This wildflower is native to western North America where it grows in moist areas. It is a spindly, twining perennial plant with lobed or toothed leaves...
), and Parry lousewort (Pedicularis parryi). In the tundra above Wheeler Lakes, sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum
Polemonium viscosum
Polemonium viscosum is a flowering plant in the genus Polemonium native to western North America from southern British Columbia east to Montana and south to Arizona and New Mexico, where it grows at high altitudes on dry, rocky sites.It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing 10-30 cm tall,...
), alpine Smelowskia (Smelowskia calycina), spotted saxifrage (Saxifraga bronchialis), moss campion (Silene acaulis), and alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris
Myosotis alpestris
Myosotis alpestris or Alpine Forget-me-not is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Myosotis.The Alpine Forget-me-not is the county flower of Westmorland in the United Kingdom and the state flower of Alaska....
)cover the slopes.