Basics
- Location:
- North of Durango
- Setting:
- Mountainous
- Length:
- 8 mile roundtrip
- Difficulty:
- Difficult
- Time:
- 4 to 5 hours
- Trailhead Elevation:
- 10400 feet
- Elevation Change:
- 1700 feet
- Season:
- Summer
Description
The Highland Mary area is a beautiful, high-altitude, subalpine basin that is, for the most part, free of trees. The open meadows are filled with wildflowers in the late summer, providing beautiful views and excellent opportunities for photography. The area is used by large numbers of people and is not the place to go for solitude. The lakes offer fishing but, like most subalpine lakes, tend to remain frozen until summer. Water availability is not a problem, but all water used in this area should be filtered, due to Giardia. Do not camp on the lake shore.
The Highland Mary Lakes are rated fair for rainbow, cutthroat, and brook trout.
Details
Location:
Setting:
Length:
Difficulty:
Time:
Trailhead Elevation:
Elevation Change:
Season:
Useful Map(s):
Map + Directions
Basic Directions
Follow U.S. 550 north to Silverton. Continue north through the town of Silverton toward Howardsville. About 3 miles past Howardsville, turn onto FDR #589 and follow this road to the trailhead. 2WD may not be able to complete the last ¾ mile of the drive. Parking is available in both places. The road past the Wilderness boundary is closed to all motorized vehicles and to mountain bikes.
2)The Highland Mary Trail can also be reached via the Whitehead Peak Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. Please refer to the descriptions of these trails.
