Mohawk Lakes Hike, Mosquito Range, Breckenridge, Colorado
The remnants of an old mine
I was looking to do a day hike that wasn’t too far from home so Mike and I decided to hike up to Mohawk Lakes. The Spruce Creek Trailhead, where this hike starts, is only a 10 minute drive from downtown Breckenridge, so as you can imagine, it’s a popular place to go hiking. We parked at the lower trailhead, which is where I’d recommend parking unless you have a high clearance vehicle. We set out on Spruce Creek Trail and headed up toward Mayflower Lake where we took a quick detour. We then continued along the trail past some mining ruins to Lower Mohawk Lake. We saw three groups backpacking at this lake. One group actually had some mountain goats hanging out in their camp, but they didn’t seem to be awake yet to realize. They might have had quite a surprise when they opened their tent door!
About another half mile down the trail we hit Mohawk Lake where there was someone fly fishing and another person paddle boarding. Quite honestly, neither looked very fun in the very windy conditions we had that day, but to each their own. We then continued to follow the trail up to some of the upper lakes. While having a snack break at an upper lake, we got to witness a hawk swoop down into the lake and catch a fish with its feet - it made a surprisingly large and loud splash when it did it. It was very neat to watch. Since we had gotten an early start, we hadn’t seen many people up until this point, but it seemed like the crowds were starting to trickle in so we decided to head back down. We probably passed 100 people on our way out and there were over 50 cars at the trailhead when we left. While a pretty hike, it is an area that is getting over-loved, and if you are visiting the Breckenridge area for a vacation, I would recommend checking out a different hike that feels less crowded. As always, feel free to reach out if you’re looking for recommendations.
Total stats: 8.4 miles, 2100 vert.
