The Missouri Lakes Trail and Fancy Creek Trail form an 8.8 mile loop through the heart of the Sawatch Range. These venerable trails follow the respective drainages to Missouri Pass and Fancy Pass, and join together above Treasure Vault Lake in an idyllic alpine basin. Visitors will enjoy multiple lakes, airy landscapes and spectacular views along the way.

The Holy Cross Wilderness is named for Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005'), which earned fame in 1873 when William Henry Jackson photographed a 'snow cross' on the mountain

Upper Missouri Lake (11,502') is located .8 miles and 484' below Missouri Pass

Colorado subalpine forests typically occur at 9,000' - 11,000', above which subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce are gradually reduced to krummholz

The Fancy Creek Trail climbs steeply from Fancy Lake to Fancy Pass (12,390'), scaling slick snowfields through a narrow chute that may remain all summer

View from Missouri Pass (11,986') of Treasure Vault Lake (11,675'), a short excursion off the main loop

The Missouri Creek drainage joins Happy Creek, forming a major tributary to Homestake Creek

Globe Flowers' scientific name is Trollius albiflorus; 'troll' means 'globe' in Latin

Lingering snow may cover long stretches of trail between the two passes, though the route is fairly intuitive and easy to sight-navigate

Parry's Primrose favors moist soil along creek banks; despite its beauty, the plant has an unpleasant odor, which is intensified when disturbed

Fancy Lake fills a high-walled bowl at treeline; the main trail continues .7 miles and 840' on a rugged climb to Fancy Pass

Fancy Pass cuts through a narrow notch on the south end of the Holy Cross Ridge

Lower Missouri Lake is the first of the group accessible from the main trail; an unmarked social trail leads to a hidden lake in the SW corner of the valley below Savage Peak

A large tarn just off trail between Upper Missouri Lake and the pass

Alpine tundra grasses include the Alpine Blue Grass, Skyline Blue Grass, Spike Trisetum, Tufted Hair Grass, Spreading Wheatgrass, Kobresia and Pyrennian Sedge

Marmots are among the most visible alpine mammals in the summer, but enter burrows by early October and don't emerge again until April or May

Bluebells or Chiming Bells (Mertensia genus) are common in damp subalpine areas; their flowers have both male and female organs

The distant Middle Mountain ridgeline emerges as you roll north over Missouri Pass

Traction devices may be necessary to scale lengthy snowfields on either side of each pass, rewarding hikers with exhilarating glissades on the down side