diamond lake

This was our first hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness since moving to Colorado. As luck would have it, we like to rise early for our hikes, and we managed a parking space at Fourth of July trailhead (which evidently fills up and spills out onto the dirt road for a long way on weekends). This trail follows the Arapaho Pass trail a short way before diverging west as the Arapaho trail continues to climb. We descended into a valley where the trail was muddy at times, and then climbed up onto the bench where Diamond Lake is nestled. It is a mild and pleasant hike if you are acclimated, and a nice workout if you aren't. You can continue on the trail to Devil's Thumb Trail which runs along the next valley to the south.