Twin Crater Lakes Trail

Twin Crater Lakes is a short trail with a big payoff — a mile and a half of climbing that trades quaking aspen and mixed pine for open alpine meadow and, at the top, a pair of glacier-carved lakes tucked hard against the Rawah high country. It's a spur, not a standalone: you reach the trailhead by first hiking in on the Rawah (South) Trail, and from that junction the path pitches up right away, steep and eroded through the trees for the first quarter mile before it levels off into meltwater flats where the views open west over the Laramie River Valley.

Higher up, the trail hugs the creek draining the lakes through lush sub-alpine meadow, then makes one last steep pull to the water's edge. Two things to plan for — the creek crosses your path twice with no bridge (at 0.4 and 0.9 miles), and in early-summer runoff those fords can be a genuine, cold wade even if you come ready to get your feet wet. Up at the lakes you're fully exposed, so watch the afternoon sky and turn back early if storms build. This is the Rawah Alpine Closure Area: carry a chemical stove because wood fires are off-limits above 10,800 feet, keep your dog on a hand-held leash, and camp well back from the water.

Trail Facts

Getting There

Twin Crater Lakes is a spur off the Rawah (South) Trail, so you hike in to reach it — there's no trailhead you can drive to. Follow the Rawah (S) Trail from its start off Laramie River Road, and where it meets the signed Twin Crater Lakes Trail (#962), your 1.4-mile climb begins. Laramie River Road isn't plowed in winter, so the whole area is typically inaccessible until late June once the road opens. There's no water or facilities at the junction, but the trail itself crosses reliable water four times on the way up.

Know Before You Go

• Two unbridged fords. The creek draining the lakes crosses the trail at 0.4 and 0.9 miles with no bridge — both can be a cold, pushy wade during high stream flows, so plan your timing around runoff.
• Exposed up high. The lakes sit in open alpine terrain where lightning is the real danger — start early, and turn around if afternoon storms build.
• Alpine fire closure. No wood fires above 10,800 ft in the Rawah Alpine Closure Area; pack a self-contained chemical stove instead.
• Wilderness rules. This is the Rawah Wilderness — no bikes, no motorized use, and group size is capped at 12 (people and stock combined).
• Dogs on leash. Dogs must be on a hand-held leash with hikers (voice control is only for those traveling with stock).
• Camp with care. Camping and fires are prohibited within 200 feet of any water or the trail; legal sites are limited, so scout them before dark.
• Season is short. Access hinges on Laramie River Road, which isn't plowed in winter — count on late June through fall.