Pitkin Lake is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness north of Vail, CO. It fills a large cirque just above treeline at the head of a broad, glaciated valley. Visitors will enjoy varied scenery and terrain highlighted by rolling alpine meadows, streams, ponds and wildflowers on the hike to Pitkin Lake.

Pitkin Lake sits just above treeline surrounded by rolling alpine meadows and thinly treed knolls

A cirque is defined as a bowl-shaped depression with steep sides that form at the head of a mountain glacier

Glaciers and running water sculpt the land in different ways; streams tend to cut winding curves and V-shaped valleys, while glaciers carve nearly straight valleys with broader U-shapes

Clovers belong to a genus of about 300 annual and perennial species in the pea family

Pitkin Creek originates from a small tarn just above Pitkin Lake and flows into Gore Creek, a major tributary of the Eagle River

The Amanita muscaria is also called 'Fly Agaric' for its use as bug repellent

During glacial periods, ice covered much of Summit County above 8,000'

Frisco and Silverthorne lie on a graben, defined as a collapsed or down-dropped block of rock that is bordered on its long sides by faults

Pitkin Lake is one of four main lakes accessible from trailheads on the I-70 Vail Valley corridor

Large cutthroat trout can be found in Pitkin Lake, especially in the braided outlet area

Marmots may hibernate up to 8 months a year, but are very active and frequently seen throughout the summer

Wide, stream-crossed meadows on the final .25 miles to Pitkin Lake

Research by CU scientists Drs. Jessica Metcalf and Andrew Martin concluded in 2012 that the only population of true greenback cutthroat trout survives today in Bear Creek, a small tributary of the Arkansas River west of Colorado Springs

Relatively open, obstacle free terrain makes it possible to explore the entire cirque

Steep valley walls of glacial troughs (U-shaped valleys) are among the most distinctive features of a glaciated landscape