Highland Mary Lakes Loop Hike

Ouray, CO – The Highland Mary Lakes Loop is about a 7.7 mile loop that traverses alpine area in the northwest section of the Weminuche Wilderness. The trail visits the seven Highland Mary Lakes and also includes forest, waterfalls, alpine, wildflowers, expansive mountain views, rugged rocky peaks and soft tundra knobs. This loop trail starts near the end of the road climbing into Cunningham Gulch, which is rough, rocky and requires high clearance to get to the trailhead. The loop is created by combining the Highland Mary Lakes Trail # 606, the Whitehead Trail # 674, the Continental Divide Trail # 813, and Cunningham Gulch Trail. This is a very popular trail and can be very crowded, especially on weekends. We found this trail in Diane Greer’s “Best Hiking in Southwest Colorado around Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, and Lake City” and Donna Ikenberry’s “Hiking Colorado’s Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas“.

At the trailhead for Highland Mary Lakes

Trailhead of Highland Mary Lakes

Highland Mary Lakes Trailhead sits at 10,790 feet elevation. From the trailhead, head uphill through spruce forest. You will pass a sign that says to keep right for Highland Mary Lakes or left to the CDT, head right here, you will return from the left at the end of the loop. On the way you will climb along side of Cunningham Creek and cross side creeks running into it. There is also a ford of Cunningham Creek after about 1.8 miles.

View looking back toward trailhead along the trail

Mike waits for me on a steep section

One of the numerous side creek crossings

Waterfall on Cunningham Creek

The trail climbs along Cunningham Creek

After the Cunningham Creek crossing the trail climbs even more steeply up to a notch. The trail climbs for over 2.4 miles before reaching the first lake at 12,100 feet. Once you’ve taken in the first lake, make your way up to the next lake still climbing. Head across the alpine and visit the rest of the lakes. Follow signs for the CDT, always turning left. On National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated Map # 140: Weminuche Wilderness, the first left is onto Whitehead Trail # 674, and then left onto the Continental Divide Trail # 813 and then one final left turn onto the Cunningham Gulch trail which descends very steeply to the trailhead.

View from the trail

The first Highland Mary Lake

The trail passes another lake

The trail climbs toward the CDT

Alpine lake and mountain views

The highest of the lakes

Vestal (13,864 feet) and Arrow (13,803 feet) Peaks in the distance

Hiking in the alpine: tundra mounds

The loop includes a section on the Colorado Trail/Continental Divide Trail

To reach the Cunningham Gulch Trailhead from Ouray, head south to Silverton. Turn left onto CO Highway 110 and follow it through Silverton. After about 1 mile, head east (turn right) on San Juan County Road 2 following signs toward the Alpine Loop, which is paved for the first 2 miles. After the road becomes gravel, continue another 2.1 miles and turn right (south) onto San Juan CR 4 toward Stony Pass/Cunningham Gulch at a signed junction. At the first fork, keep right to stay on CR 4. At the next junction head right (left is signed to Stony Pass) and continue to about 9.2 miles. There are two parking areas. For the parking closest to the trailhead, turn left down a hill and ford Cunningham Creek. There is also a parking area just past that left turn but parking here means fording the creek on foot.