![\"Rainbow](\"https:\/\/checkconnect.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Rainbow-Lakes.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis hike was done in mid-August. \u00a0One or both of us had been sick for almost 2 weeks and thus we weren’t able to do much hiking for a bit. After we were both feeling better we decided to go out and just do a nice easy fun hike; and that’s what we did. \u00a0But, life happened and we never had a good good opportunity to publish our story. \u00a0Now that flooding has overtaken much of our part of the country we have had to stay indoors, making this a good time to share our experience at the Rainbow Lakes.<\/p>\n
The Rainbow Lakes in Indian Peaks Wilderness are a collection of nine or so lakes and ponds. Indian Peaks Wilderness is 76,586 square acres according to the Forest Service and is on the southern border of the Rocky Mountain National Park and the northern border of the James Peak Wilderness. \u00a0Much of the water for Denver and Boulder is in a reservoir just north of where we hiked. \u00a0The hardest part of the hike by far is the drive to the trailhead. \u00a0We would not recommend trying to navigate this without a high clearance vehicle. \u00a0The road is very rocky with large potholes.<\/p>\n
One of the first things we noticed on the hike were the abundance of aspen trees. We intended to go back to the area to see the aspen trees change color and put on a show for us, but the flooding may have made that an impossibility. Mixed in with the aspens were many Lodgepole pines and a few spruces and firs. Another point of interest was the diversity and quantity of fungi on the hike. Amamitas, coral mushrooms, puffballs, boletes and many others were littered all over the trail. Some had gorgeous red and yellow colors. \u00a0Below are some of the plants we saw on the hike.<\/p>\n
After a very brief hike we reached the first of many interconnected lakes. \u00a0This first lake was a bit marshy and didn’t have a huge appeal to us, but had its own charm nevertheless. \u00a0The second lake, however, was quite pretty. \u00a0It was significantly larger than the first lake and much less muddy. \u00a0It felt more open and the mountains behind the lake to the west made a nice backdrop. \u00a0Both of those lakes are shown below.<\/p>\n We kept going and found ourselves crossing a small stream. \u00a0Quickly after crossing the stream we noticed a small talus field and we went to explore it a little bit. \u00a0Once on top of the talus field we could see two more good sized lakes with numerous anglers on both lakes. \u00a0The view was very pleasant and we took a seat atop a boulder and began to notice many small yellow birds flying in and out of the trees in front of us. \u00a0We couldn’t get a good shot of these guys due to their shy nature and our lack of having a zoom lens, so we’re not sure what type of bird they were. \u00a0There were many other birds around those lakes and we did see some gray birds who were hopping around the boulders and on the ground. \u00a0Below are some of the pictures we got of the lakes and the birds.<\/p>\n In what became a very wet summer indeed, a very typical afternoon shower came through and we headed back to the trees. \u00a0It was only a mild drizzle, but it was a little chilly up there. \u00a0On our way out we saw some more of the lakes and ponds and got a really cool picture of a large bird. \u00a0This bird had a small rodent in its mouth as it flew to the top of a tree right next to us. \u00a0An image of the bird in flight is below. \u00a0However, due to lighting and distance we weren’t able to get a good picture of it.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n