arapaho pass

Starting out of Fourth of July Trailhead, we followed the trail for Arapaho Pass - this time taking the higher trail at the junction with the Diamond Lake trail. As we climbed out of the valley into subalpine and alpine environs, we were surrounded by a rainbow of colorful wildflowers in magnificent display on the slopes above and below us. Looking south, we had ever-changing views of the beautiful North Fork Middle Boulder Creek valley (I know, it's a mouthful - I didn't name it). We passed the old Fourth of July mine and the turn off for the Arapaho Glacier trail and continued on our steady ascent to the pass.

When we did arrive at a saddle, it was really a junction of the Arapaho Pass trail and the Caribou Pass trail. We first visited Arapaho Pass (11,906 ft.) which was less than a quarter mile away. From the pass you can peer down into the gorgeous valley below where Caribou Lake is nestled in a lush meadow. We headed back to the saddle and decided to search for Caribou Pass. Jeremy ran down a half mile or so, but I opted to explore Lake Dorothy. He eventually caught up with me after realizing Caribou Pass was not so obvious. We explored the lake and decided to head back when we felt hungry and guilty for leaving the dog at home (her feet were sore from previous hikes).