Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes Loop Hike Guide

June 17, 2024 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

The Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes, Chinese Wall loop is a fantastic spot to trail run, hike or backpack in Northern Colorado. Located in the Flat Tops Wilderness, this trail is even better during wildflower season since the ground is painted in all colors of the rainbow. This is a popular spot for a short backpacking trip or longer trail run with over 5,100ft of climbing in nearly 22.5 miles of trail.

Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes Loop Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes Loop

Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes Loop Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)

Distance: 22.4 Miles Total (6-7 Miles RT if JUST doing Devil’s Causeway)

Elevation Start: 10,289ft

High Point: 11,872ft

Total Elevation Gain: 5,100ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 7-9 Hours: One Day, 2 Days: Backpacking

Difficulty: Difficult to Strenuous What does this mean?

Class: Class 2 – What does this mean?

Season: June – October: Expect road closures and snow outside of this period

Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes Loop

Trailhead: Stillwater Trailhead

Getting Here: From Yampa, Colorado take County Road 7 to Forest Road 900 for about 16.5 miles to reach the trailhead. Almost this entire drive from town is on dirt road but they are fairly well maintained and the start of the hike should be accessible for most vehicles. In the earlier and later season months, expect patches of snow to make this drive more difficult.

Parking: The parking lot at this trailhead is fairly large and should not USUALLY present issues with a lack of spaces. There is a set of non-plumbing bathrooms at the trailhead as well.

Fee: No fee is required

Summary

Dogs: This hike is dog friendly but is in a Wilderness area so please keep your dog on a leash and under voice control.

Camping: The Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes loop has a number of areas to camp along the loop. The most popular spots are near the lakes (Causeway Lake, Long Lake, East Long Lake, West Long Lake). Once you get onto the Chinese Wall (West part of the loop) camping options are fairly limited due to uneven and extremely exposed terrain. However, in a pinch, you could likely find a spot up there. Always check out Wilderness camping regulations before popping up your tent.

Make it a Loop: This is a loop hike/run. If you wanted to extend the Devils’ Causeway, Lost Lakes loop you could easily do so by extending the Chinese Wall trail to the Bear River Trail.

Trail X Factors: Bugs & Flattop Section of Hike

With so much water along the Devil’s Causeway, Lost Lakes loop it should not be surprising that bugs and mosquitoes are usually going to be an issue on this hike. My strategy of “just keep moving as quickly as possible” was great until I needed to stop and eat, refuel water etc. I would highly recommend bug spray and a bug net on this one, ESPECIALLY if camping.

Although much of this loop is super easy and straightforward to follow, once you get onto the Flat Top portion of this hike, the well established trail essentially disappears. Additionally, the terrain turns very uneven making it a perfect place to sprain an ankle, twist a knee or just have a general bad time hiking.

Hike Tip(s): Regardless if you are trail running or hiking this loop, travel light with water. There are PLENTY of spots to pump/filter and refill. Due to the exposed Western part of this loop + the Devil’s Causeway itself, you will not want to be stuck on this portion if a storm rolls in or in any sort of bad weather. Check the weather forecast and plan your day accordingly.

Best Views: Overall, the views on this hike are fantastic from start to finish. This was my first time in the Colorado Flat Tops Wilderness and I would go back in a second. The wildflowers during peak season were especially beautiful.