Grizzly Lake (12,523') is located 3.65 miles from Lincoln Creek Road in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. It fills a steep-walled cirque carved from the base of Grizzly Peak (13,988') just west of the Continental Divide. This relatively moderate hike follows long stretches of alpine meadow beside Grizzly Creek until veering away across high alpine terraces on the final ascent. Visitors will enjoy open valley travel, abundant flowers and great fishing at Grizzly Lake.

The Grizzly Lake Trail levels across a broad alpine bench from 3.0 - 3.35 miles

Alpine tundra meadows below Grizzly Lake support archetypal alpine grasses such as Blue Grass, Tufted Hair Grass, Spreading Wheatgrass, Kobresia and Pyrennian Sedge

Sunflowers are in the genus Helianthus, which comprises the Greek word 'Helios' (sun), and 'Anthos' (flower)

The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness likely has the highest average elevation of any wilderness area in the lower 48 states

Grizzly Peak (13,988'), from which the lake-cirque is carved, is the highest ranked 13er in Colorado

Grizzly Creek flows into Grizzly Reservoir, built in the 1930s and primarily serves as the fore bay to the tunnel that Twin Lakes uses to divert water under the Continental Divide.

The trail climbs 365' in just .45 miles, then moderates for 1.7 miles through a broad, open valley cut by Grizzky Creek

Much of Grizzly Lake is bound by steep walls of loose rock, but the open side provides ample room to fish its abundant cutthroat trout

Indian Paintbrush belongs to a genus of 200 species of partially or fully parasitic plants that derive nourishment from the roots of other plants

The Grizzly Lake Trail sees lighter traffic than others in the Aspen area due in part to the difficult drive up Lincoln Creek Road

Tall knolls over the lake provide good aerial views of the basin and back down valley

The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness was designated in 1980 and covers over 167,000 acres

Flax is an annual or short-lived, semi-evergreen perennial forb that has commercial value as a dietary supplement and oil

Paintbrush is in the genus 'Castilleja', named for 18th century Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo

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

The final approach to Grizzly Lake takes a counter-intuitive route that can be difficult to read with snow cover

Grizzly Peak (13,988') emerges on the final approach to Grizzly Lake