Mitchell Lake (10,735') occupies a broad, level basin at the base of Mt Audubon in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The Mitchell Lake Trail continues through treeline to Blue Lake (11,355') under Pawnee Peak, Mt Toll and Paiute Peak.

Mitchell Lake and its outlying ponds attract moose, which are particularly fond of willow and aquatic plants

Looking east across Blue Lake from its inlet area

Mitchell Lake and Mt Audubon (13,223')

Moose don't see well at close range, which has more to do with eye placement than poor vision

Shallow tarns dot alpine benches on the perimeter of Upper Blue Lake

View of Blue Lake from Upper Blue Lake

The columbine's extended sepals contain the plant's nectar

Moose are common in the Blue Lake area, typically in early fall after passes along the Divide have cleared

View from Mt Toll (12,979'), a conical peak on the valley's headwall

As the aspen's chlorophyll production slows, carotenoids' red and orange pigments show through

The valley opens past Mitchell Lake, though its true scale is limited from the trail

An accessible ridge separates the Blue Lake and Lake Isabelle valleys

There are several challenging x-country routes that connect Blue Lake with Mt Toll

The descent from Blue Lake reveals outlying ponds and a large open flat beside Mitchell Lake

Thick willow shrouds a network of streams that braid the Mitchell - Blue Lake valley floor

The trail continues 1.6 miles past Mitchell Lake to Blue Lake (11,355')

Rich willow thickets attract moose to the Mitchell - Blue Lake valley each fall

Massive perennial snow bowls span the saddle between Mt Toll and Pauite Peak near Upper Blue Lake

Upper Blue Lake (11,833') is accessible by a well-established x-country route above Blue Lake

A small alpine lake just off trail between Mitchell and Blue Lake

Ptarmigan feathers turn white in winter, exchanging pigment for additional, insulating air

Marmots sleep through the winter in deep burrows but are active and ubiquitous in the summer