On Day 2 of our Colorado adventure, we loaded up for an off road trek to the Pomeroy Lakes that sit at about 12,400 ft. in elevation atop Pomeroy Mountain. The off-road trail that leads to these alpine lakes is located just outside of the ghost town of St. Elmo, or 17 miles SW of the town of Buena Vista. The rocky trail follows the gulch that runs between Chrysolite and Pomeroy Mountains and is not suitable for stock vehicles. Along the trail lay the remnants of the Mary Murphy Mine, which was the predominant gold mine along Chalk Creek in Chaffee County, operating from about 1870 to 1925.

The trail eventually ends near a system of two alpine lakes, known as the Pomeroy Lakes. A short hike can lead you to these spectacular bodies of water. If you hike up a little further to the crest of the mountain, you can view some spectacular scenery and even find another alpine lake. By far, this trail and the scenery it has to offer was my favorite out of all the trails we did. I absolutely loved having this hard-to-reach and very majestic place all to ourselves. The wind was insane up at top (enough to actually blow over the kids!) but we had a very lovely time!

Going up.

Some of the Mary Murphy Mine ruins. The last pic shows Little Man posing with his beloved travel companion, his suffed yeti.

Hiking to the lakes.

A hike to the crest recealed this spectacular site

Ruins at the bottom of the mountain

If you are looking for a wonderful mountain trek in Colorado full of spectacular sites, history, hiking opportunities and even camping opportunities, you won’t have to look much further! We loved this trail SO much.