Backpacking Flat Tops Wilderness - Colorado, 2026

#colorado #nature #hiking #backpacking #mountains #travel #outdoors #adventure #rockymountains This is a 3 day backpacking trip in Colorados' Flat Tops Wilderness from June 2026. Day 1 we drove out from Grand Junction to the Wall Lake Trailhead where we started our hike. We started hiking on the North/West side of Trappers Lake heading up towards Wall Lake where we camped for the first night. The views heading up from the trailhead were fantastic and reminded us of Glacier on a smaller scale. We got to Wall Lake very early around 2 PM and had the entire afternoon to relax and soak in the views. The first day was an easy 5.5 miles with roughly 1500' of elevation gain. Day 2 we enjoyed our morning at Wall Lake and headed out with our destination towards the Island Lake cutoff prior to droping back into the Trappers drainage. Starting the hike we climbed up onto the West side of Wall Lake which provided fantastic views in the morning. The color of the lake was extremely vibrant in the morning. We continued on with open views through meadows and crossing streams. We caught a quick glimpse of a moose through the thick forest. Once we got to camp we had time to relax, jump in the lake, and enjoy legendary stars during an usually dark New Moon night. Day 3 we woke to a beautiful sunny morning with the plan of only having to hike 5.5 miles and 2,300' of descent to the trailhead. Walking down the Trapper's Lake trail through the tree deadfall was a very unique experience. There was not much new growth since the fire in 2002 which burnt much of the valley, yet that allowed for open views of the drainage. We got back to the truck and grabbed burgers at the Trapper's Lake Lodge. This was a fantastic trip in a beautiful area. This was just a glimpse into the massive size of the Flat Tops Wilderness. I cannot wait to get back and dig deeper into some of the more remote areas of the Wilderness. As always, thanks for watching and Safe Trails! Gear List - Camera: https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-Digi... Backpack: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... Tent: https://www.atepaoutdoors.com/product... Sleeping Bag: https://www.atepaoutdoors.com/product... Sleeping Bag Liner: https://www.rei.com/product/705534 Sleeping Pad: https://www.atepaoutdoors.com/product... Pillow: https://www.rei.com/product/151400 Water Filter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... Water Storage: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... Cook Set: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... Bowl: https://www.rei.com/product/767560 Mug: https://www.rei.com/product/794090 Coffee Maker: https://www.rei.com/product/784659 Power Bank: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... Camera Pouch: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... Tripod: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B... Headlamp: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... Compression Sack: https://seatosummit.com/products/evac... Seat Pad: https://www.rei.com/product/829881 Boots: https://www.rei.com/product/113823 Socks: https://www.rei.com/product/114120 Pants: https://www.rei.com/product/108952 Boxers: https://www.rei.com/product/891827 Shirt: https://www.rei.com/product/153828 Mid Layer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... Jacket: https://www.rei.com/product/878092