Lost Man Lake is an

alpine lake Alpine lakes are classified as lakes at high altitudes in mountainous zones, usually near or above the tree line, with extended periods of ice cover. These lakes are commonly formed from glacial activity (either current or in the past) but can al ...

Pitkin County Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,358. The county seat and largest city is Aspen. The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin. Pitkin County has the sev ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, located high in the

Sawatch Range The Sawatch Range or Saguache RangeThe place name "Saguache” is pronounced “Sawatch” . This name derives from the Ute language noun "''sawup''" meaning "sand dunes" and is spelled using the Spanish language version of this name "Saguach ...

in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness of

White River National Forest White River National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River (Green River), White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest ...

. The lake is accessible via the Lost Man Loop Trail from State Highway 82 west of Independence Pass. The lake is over a pass and north of Independence Lake and northeast of

Geissler Mountain Geissler Mountain is a summit in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. Description Geissler Mountain is set west of the Continental Divide and north of Independence Pass in the Sawatch Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The ...

. Lost Man Lake is larger than Independence, but only its east side is open. The trail continues by the lake into high alpine meadows in the upper valley, and to its west terminus at Lost Man Campground. Views down Lost Man Creek valley are worth a look, and a great place to scan high slopes and ridges for mountain goats, bighorn sheep and elk. It is a moderate half day hike. Depending on

snowpack Snowpack forms from layers of snow that accumulate in geographic regions and high elevations where the climate includes cold weather for extended periods during the year. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as th ...

and weather, the lake may still be frozen in July.

References

{{authority control Lakes of Colorado Lakes of Pitkin County, Colorado Glacial lakes of the United States