This is our second trip to Sugarloaf Campground. Please click here to read our original post.
The Sugarloaf CG is located in a perfect spot— surrounded by lakes that you can walk to and large mountains in the distance. The evening sunsets are gorgeous over the mountains. It is best to bring your own water in, this year the water was turned off on the upper part of the campground, and the one water supply is a hand pump water spigot.
On Thursday we went up to the Medicine Peak Trail – Lake Marie Overlook, leaving from Lake Marie trailhead, located at the parking lot on the southwest corner of Lake Marie, which falls below the impressive granite faces of the Medicine Bow Range. Take the trail to your right. It is a steep climb, but the rewarding views are amazing! We could see lakes Marie, Mirror, and Lookout from above. The wildflowers were fantastic, skies blue and the weather, perfect. On the way back, we crossed the road to check the small Marie Falls. A short walk by the creek, that runs into a canyon surrounded by screes.
The fish were biting like crazy during our trip. I caught well over 40 nice sized trout (14”-18”) between Lake Marie and Lilly Lake. The types ranged from Cutthroat, Cuttbow, Rainbow, Splake, and Brook Trout. Cuttbows and Splike were new to me. I took pictures of nearly every fish, but I will not bore your with that 🙂 However, I would like to share some pictures of the Splake, Cutthroats, and large (for me!) Brook Trout.
We hiked up to Lost Lake. The trail is great, right on the edge of tree line. There are many lakes along the way to explore, too. We even came across a high lake that looked to be drying out, so we ventured over to see what we could find. We were so surprised to find small Fairy Shrimp swimming in all of the rock pools. Natasha was able to take a great video of them underwater. We have never seen, or heard, of shrimp in the Rocky Mountains! Telephone Lakes were so beautiful from afar. The trail does not take you to the two lakes, but I would still like to visit them some day. It would be worth the exploration to check out the two lakes. Perhaps next year. Lost lake is a deep lake alongside a mountain of scree. There are a lot of Brook Trout (I caught one small one) and the shore is so nice we could walk around barefoot!
Fairy Shrimp in a rock pond.
The Perseids Meteor Shower was happing during our trip. We would set the alarm and bundle up under blankets and watched the sky light up. Watching a meteor show at high elevation is amazing! The only light comes from the Milky Way, which is amazing in its self!
On Saturday we set or sights on North Gap Lake. There are many lakes and snow banks along the trail. We stopped at South Gap Lake, and I tried to throw a fly. A storm suddenly came over the ridge, and we took cover under a bush until the rain and hail past. The sky quickly turned dark gray, with thunder and lightening, so we headed back to the campsite right away. As we came upon Lewis Lake the rain and wind became strong, and we continued running all the way back to camp! Next year we will complete our adventure.
Everyone was tired from running all the way back to the campsite, so we decided to go for a drive on FS 332, which took us to Brooklyn Lake Campground. There are a lot of boondocking sites along FS 332–the road is to rough for our trailer. FS 332 meets up with 317, which is a nice gravel road between Brooklyn Lake CG and Hwy 130. Brooklyn Lake CG is an open campground. Once again, all the trees have been cut down, probably because of the Pine Beetle. There are some nice sites that over look the lake. On the way back from the drive, there where three bull Moose, next to Libby Lake, being chased by stupid people.
We had some deer visit the campsite at night.
What a wonderful Adventure we had this trip. We already have a list of things that we would like to do next time we visit the Sugarloaf Campsite! 😀
When: Mid August, 2015
Elevation: 10,700 ft
Reservation: Sugarloaf Campground, WY
Misc: somewhat level, pump water
Oh another wonderful post. Gorgeous photos of a beautiful area. I sure appreciate your effort and skill in sharing your adventures. I watched the meteor shower when I was near Vail and loved it too. The videos are great too. Thanks so much for sharing another adventure. Here’s to many more.
Thanks for the kind words Janel. I can honestly say this was one of my favorite camping trips. Aside from the never ending winds– it was great. The hiking is not that difficult and the views are amazing, the fishing was the best I’ve ever experienced, and we saw Moose! If you get a chance, head up that way– you will love it.
Happy Adventures to you!
Sara
Thanks again for sharing. Your photos are beautiful and stories great to read. I’ve had Routt NF as a destination when we start traveling having been there a couple of times while in college, and will add Sugarloaf to our list. Glad to hear the fish are good too. I’ll need a lot to improve my odds. Thanks and safe travels.
Richard
Richard, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. You know what improved my odds fishing on this trip? The tube boat. Being out, away from the shore, really increased the amount of fish that I caught (compared to those on shore). My long cast has really improved over this past summer, too. Better yet my ability to set the hook from a greater distance improved! Now, I have to start working on getting distance on my roll cast. I was wondering if my height had something to do with it?
Tight lines and happy Adventures to you!
Wonderful post. We will check out Sugarloaf next summer!
Thanks for sharing dynamite pix. Hope to see you both next year. K&J
You are welcome Karl. We love your campsite, incase you couldn’t tell 😉
See you both next year,
Sara & Natasha
Hi Sara & Natasha. Always enjoy revisiting your posts. Hoping to see you again in 2017. One big change: We are being told NO MORE RESERVED SITES. In a pinch you could reserve a site at Ryan Park in case you arrive late. On a sad note, we lost our short legged companion due to internal tumors. BUT, by July another short legged puppy will experience high altitude camping for the very first time. If you’ll stay again in your favorite site we’ll have stories to tell about Mardi Gras.
Goodness! I have not been online to check comments this past summer. I hope you had a marvelous summer at Sugarloaf. Natasha and I are so sorry to hear about your loss, too 🙁 It’s hard losing our little ones, isn’t it? We can’t wait to visit with your new puppy though.
This year was difficult for Natasha and I. We had to deal with the loss of my job (after nearly 20 years), Natasha’s neck surgery, and a harsh hail storm that did a lot of damage to all of our property. We didn’t get to camp until September, and the Airstream is still showing a lot of damage! 🙁 Did you get your new camper? We were looking forward to seeing it.
2018 will hopefully be full of camping trips again, and of course, Sugarloaf will be on the top of our list. We will let you know when we are heading that way, perhaps you can put our name on our favorite spot for us 😉 HA!
Miss you both,
Sara & Natasha
Sorry about home, health and camper issues. Our new “Sparki” had a marvelous time with us at Sugarloaf Cg and elsewhere including Alberta and Idaho in September. Some GLAMPING spots to take notice of: 1. Kananaskis Country near Canmore AB, 2. RedfishLake, ID any time of the year. Land End Park for just $20.- per night if you call to reserve 7 nights for the OFF SEASON, as for example 2/7-14, 2018 for Mardi Gras. Anyway best wishes and hopefully gainful emplyment is not far off. K, J, Sparki