Indian Heaven Lakes Loop

Indian Heaven is an ideal place to spend a day hiking. With mountains on the horizon, countless lakes to dip your feet into, and more wildflowers than you could ever imagine, it offers lots to enjoy. The Indian Heaven Lakes Loop takes you past more lakes than you can keep track of, offering either a longer day trip or a nice backpacking route.

Beware, Indian Heaven is full of bugs in the summertime. You’ll need every protection you can get against the mosquitoes and horseflies. We recommend a hike in later summer to avoid the bugs. Also, the section of this route from Rock Lake to Bear Lake was decommissioned decades ago due to the sensitivity of the environment that it crosses. It is unmarked, has not been maintained in decades, and is faint in places. Be gentle on the environment and have a GPS track downloaded or hike a different portion of this trail as an out and back hike instead.

Beginning from the road, climb gradually up towards East Crater. You’ll skirt the northeastern side and then it’s up to you which way you take the loop. Going clockwise takes you to Blue Lake and the countless smaller lakes around it (good for camping), then up to Rock Lake and through to Bear Lake, Deer Lake, and Clear Lake. Going counterclockwise has you ending your loop at Blue Lake. Either way, you’ll finish your hike by retracing your steps from the bottom of the loop to the trailhead.