The Mohawk Lakes trail is a beautiful, rugged hike, but not overly difficult. After scaling some steeper sections of trail and navigating through some old mining structures, it rewards you with magnificent views of the valleys below and alpine lakes high in the clouds. As you ascend, you’ll also experience the transition from wooded forest, to aspen groves, and onto granite slabs and rocky trails above tree-line.
Getting to the Trailhead
The Mohawk Lakes trailhead is located just outside of Breckenridge, Colorado and is about 2 hours away from Denver. If you’re traveling south through Breckenridge, you’ll follow CO 9 to Spruce Creek Road, about 2.5 miles from town. This is a residential road, so follow all marked signs, and drive up it for just over a mile. Here you can park at the first well marked trailhead.
If you have a 4WD vehicle with higher clearance, you can drive further up the road to two other alternative entry points. This is what we did and our trek started from the second trailhead, which was another few miles up the road and bypassed the Spruce Creek trail section of the hike. Driving up the road dead-ends, so once you reach that point you’ll know you’ve made it.
What to Expect
The hike itself is moderate, with steeper sections of trail mixed in. Luckily none of these require a scramble or are precarious by any means, so you can take your time and enjoy the views from every step along the way.
The first lake offers wide open views and you can navigate your way around most of it. The trail will continue on to the upper lake though, and it is a relatively short jaunt to reach it. It is absolutely worth it to go all the way up and depending on pace is only another 15-20 minutes or so away.
All along the route there is plenty to see, including old mining structures.
For more information about the hike and a downloadable map, check out the US Forest Service site: Mohawk Lake via Spruce Creek
