What's iconic about this Centennial State is the fact that it has numerous and stunning alpine lakes. That's why we Coloradans feel lucky to have close access to these crystal clear lakes only a short drive away from our homes. Well, after living in the state for 28 years, I belatedly had a chance to climb up to see the beauty of Mohawk Lakes just several days ago. Due to the unprecedentedly low snowfall the past season (2025/2026), the lower Mohawk Lake's water level was quite low. This was by no means a disappointing view in any way; it still was emitting the beauty of a clear lake image that calmed us the hikers. We got tempted to sit right by the lakeside and start reading a great book although we didn't have one (lol). Two beautiful waterfalls treated us on the way to the top which we, of course, took advantage of by walking around them and snapping photos. Watching the rushing waters invigorated our spirits. Upper Mohawk Lake was the absolute treat to state the least. This lake deserves far better expression than "beautiful" or "stunning" as those words were quite ordinary for it. "Splendid" might be a bit better to use to describe its incredible depth of the character and the charm. Well, you will have to see it for yourself; mere words or even well-taken photos don't justify how gorgeous it is. Late August was a bit too late for the colorful wild flowers and yet it wasn't completely devoid of them as we saw some dark pink and white on the way. The trail gets a bit confusing during the 4.5 miles walk. You might feel a bit lost due to the lack of signs (we did too) especially when we got closer to the lakes (so I would say the last 0.75 miles or a mile) but we kind of followed other hikers to stay on the road. Don't worry; you'll get there! The Canada Jays or Gray/Grey Jays, fluffy mostly white with some black, were quite friendly! They flew over to us where we almost got to pet them! When they come close to you, stick your index finger. They might come and lightly and playfully bite it but it won't hurt. They are absolutely adorable and made our hike so memorable. read more

The lakes were beautiful and the falls were also very beautiful. The hike was challenging but doable and not too hard. Good shade in a lot of places but lots of mosquitoes as well you need bug spray for sure! Really crowded but less crowded than a fourteener. read more

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I arrived close to 8AM, and the parking lot was full but I still parked pretty close to the trailhead. The hike up was quite shaded for most of it, and it wasn't too bad until the steep section about halfway into the hike. Views were pretty with mountains in the distance and being surrounded by trees, and the waterfall was small but pleasant. The lakes were pretty as well, and there were lots of places to sit around it. Good hike! I didn't (know to) go all the way to the last lake, just went to Upper Mohawk Lake which took me 3.5 hours round-trip not including time spent at the top. read more

Beautiful trail with lots of wildflowers. Managed even after recent foot surgery and 6 weeks in a boot, but lots of rocks and roots as trip hazards for those with mobility challenges. So many mosquitos! Don't stand still or you will get eaten even with diet coating read more

Review from out-a-stater (reppin' California, heyyyy). First off, let me say that Colorado people are super humans in this altitude. (Applause, applause- now let me catch my breath). If you're not use to altitude, you may feel it on this hike. This is a pretty rocky, steep hike. You can start at the lower parking lot- hike 1.8 miles to the other parking lot. That path is mostly dirt, rocks, slightly up hill. From the other parking lot (which you can also drive a rocky road too), the hike to Lower Mohawk lake is 1 mile. It's steep and rocky. Oy, my knees! The scenery is gorgeous though- green trees, flowers, old cabin, etc. View of the mountains and trees are refreshing; I couldn't stop smiling. Lower Mohawk Lake is pretty. And it's another .5 miles to Upper Mohawk Lake. This hike is a short drive from the main town of Breckenridge. Glad I got a chance to hike in the Rocky's during my first Colorado visit! Now I will happily return to the Bay Area amongst the sea level Pacific Ocean, where I will gasp for air no more. read more

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A nice hike just outside of Breck. Easy to find and plenty of parking if you get there before 10am. The first two miles are really flat so a nice warm up and good for visitors not used to the altitude. Then the include starts and great views of the mountains, a waterfall, old miner's cabin and lots of flowers. Don't forget a rain coat/wind breaker. The top is a great spot to enjoy a snack. read more

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Beautiful, challenging hike! We got to the trail before 10am and there was plenty of street parking. Since we don't have a fwd car, we parked at the base and hiked the extra 2 miles to the trail head. From the trail head it was 1.5 miles round trip to lower mohawk lake. This doesn't seem like much, but it was pretty steep in some areas. Along the way we saw some old cabins and mining ruins. The lake at the end was very beautiful! Pros: Picturesque Old cabin and mining ruins Pretty lake at the end Dogs allowed off leash Close to downtown Breckenridge Cons: Beware of the steep terrain when it's raining or snowing. It can be pretty dangerous. Not incredibly well marked read more

Mohawk Lakes Trail - View along the trail to the Mohawk Lake Trail. - Hiking Near Me - Breckenridge, Colorado

THE YELP PIN FOR THIS IS WRONG!! Type in Spruce Creek trailhead in your google maps and it will take you to the end of Spruce Creek Road where this hike begins. It's about a 10 minute drive from Breck. Now for the actual review: AWESOME HIKE! the last mile or so is very steep so you will definitely get your fitness in. Beautiful views at every turn. Highly recommend! read more

The hike on the Mohawk Lake Trail was one of the best hikes I've been on this season. Plenty of waterfalls, gorgeous meadows and ponds. Not to mention the lakes, both Lower and Upper Mohawk Lake. It's a beautiful hike with plenty to see along the way. Old cabins, 19th century ore cars and an old mill as well. And the views looking back towards Breckenridge are incredible especially with the fall colors arriving. When you get make it to lower Mohawk Lake, I suggest taking a rest, then heading up to the upper lake. Its very steep from the lower to the upper lake but well worth it and takes another 30-40 mins depending on how many stops you take along the way. I saw hikers of all ages on the trail this day and if you pace yourself, you can make it no problem. A great day indeed! I would do this hike again in a heartbeat! read more

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Excellent hike. Beginning of November and there was quite a bit of ice and snow and we are out of towners so it slow going at that altitude. I would say this is a moderate hike the first half and difficult the second. The hike up to the lakes is very much worth it with lots to see along the way. Plan for plenty of time. We departed trailhead at 9am and returned at 330pm spending about 45-60 minutes at the top and taking our time to enjoy the views along the way. Dress in layers, the wind gusts constantly and the temps are much colder the higher you ascend. read more

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Challenging, but really nice hike! There's no shame in slowing down or stopping for water or snack breaks. I did it often. Most of the trail to the lower lake was shaded, which was nice since that Colorado sun can really be blazing! Once out of the trees as you start ascending, and it does get pretty toasty. Lots of markers to the lower lake, but not much after that. A lot of the time I thought we were doing the trail wrong, but we got to see a bunch of cool stuff along the way. The old mining cabin, the old equipment and the chain that I ended up utilizing to help myself up the rocking incline. DO continue on to the upper lake. The brush is pretty thick on the path, (I was so glad I wore longer pants) but the approach to the water is pretty incredible and totally worth the entire journey! You can definitely find some great spots to take in the beauty and have yourself a snack or lunch. We even saw some guys fishing on our visit. read more

We have a Toyota Tacoma so we drove up the road and parked to cut down a bit of the hike but didn't realize just how FAR we could have parked and so we ended up clocking 7.5 miles total. The trail is VERY rocky and kind of a pain in the A$$. We wanted to do a trail that would get us prepared for a 14er (as in ascent and elevation gain) so we knew what we were up against. I just hated the amount of rock scrambling we had to do for almost the entire trail. Plus with the amount of mud, ice and snow pack and lack of shade...it was just not a good time to do this trail in mine and my husband's opinion. We probably would have chosen a different trail had we known about the amount of sun exposure too (we didn't use a lot of sunscreen and I had a tank top on because we thought whatever trail we chose would be more shaded). Not blaming the trail for this but wish we had a better heads up on what to expect. If you're prepared, then you should be very pleased with this trail. The scenery is, like everyone has said, stunning. The ponds, lakes, old cabins, shelter, mining equipment, the waterfall (that waterfall is AMAZING!) were all pretty freakin' sweet. We felt physically challenged in a good way! When we got done we felt great. Today I feel great. We'll see about tomorrow haha Just be aware that I saw on some website that this trail takes "2.5 hours". That is a load of crap. The only way this could take someone 2.5 hours, is if they're hauling butt up it and don't take any breaks. We finished it in 3.5 hours. We were going at a pretty steady speed with few, short breaks. We would do this hike again but not before trying all the other places in Breckenridge! :) read more

This was a fantastic hike. It started in the woods which were beautiful and went about 2 miles until you hit Beaver Ponds which was a nice point to stop for lunch. A little beyond Beaver Ponds you hit the road which you cross over to continue the hike up to the lakes. It's much more strenuous here and I wouldn't recommend it for seniors or young kids. There are basically three lakes and some old mining cabins which are pretty cool. We made it to the Lower Mohawk Lake which was beautiful, clear, shallow....amazing panoramic views. I'm sure we would have been even more blown away with the Upper Lake but it was getting too late in the day to continue. The falls are also gorgeous. I don't recommend walking the road on the way back, it's pretty uncomfortable. read more

Great hike where you experience everything from waterfalls to old cabins to lakes. We drove past the first parking lot, but don't try it if you don't have a 4x4 or high clearance. This cut a couple miles off our hike. Even with three kids ( one of which was in a ride along backpack on my back), we made it just fine. Great views, waterfalls, ponds and an old cabin from 1883 that can still be used as a shelter if needed. This is a must do hike if you are in the Breck area. read more

Probably my favorite hike in the Breckenridge area. I always recommend it to guests. Make sure to go to the second lake you will be treated to an even better view ! read more

Fantastic Hike -- first part through the trees is about 2 miles, it has lots of roots and rocks to watch for but is an opportunity to see some elk or a moose. When you see the first little lake like area you have not made it to the first lake though. The next part of the hike gets steep so be prepared. No mistake this is an amazing hike but this is a long hike -- my Map My Run app recorded nearly 8.5 miles all the way up to the second lake. There are fish to catch if you want to take a rod and tackle -- we saw a boy carrying fishing equipment up as we were coming down. Enjoy it! read more

Our family of 4 - kids age 10 and 13 - drove our jeep to the upper "parking area." We didn't start the trail immediately but walked up the Boulder/rock path. Saw several small animals like marmot and chipmunks. The Boulder landacape is very interesting. Lots of wildflower. We could have taken the trip up to the top but didn't. This walk is in the sun. After leaving Mohawk we drove east of Keystone to Montezuma Rd. at the south end of Montezuma Road there is a 4-5 hr loop. It's hard core, raining is common, beautif views. Will leave a separate review there. Going up and down the drive is very bumpy. read more

Hiked on a Friday morning , lots of hikers!! Start early to avoid major crowds after lunch. Nice, well maintained trail. 1st 2.5 miles is relatively easy hiking. Last .5 was more difficult-climbed over some rocks, but nothing technical. Beautiful lakes and scenery !!! Would do this hike again. read more

Beautiful trail! We went on a fall day in November because the weather has been unseasonably warm.. while it was beautiful out.. once we got close to the first lake, it was incredibly windy. It was difficult to even sit at the lake because it was so incredibly windy so be prepared should you go on a potentially windy day. We didn't make it to the second lake due to wind.. we will plan to in the spring. It looks like it is even more beautiful with flowers and meadows in the spring and summer. The old mining cabin, mine car and other remnants is very cool. Beautiful views and got to see many mountain goats on the way up. The trail is only about 1.5 miles up if you drive all the way up.. if you have 4 wheel drive you might as well drive as it's a long road to travel up otherwise. Looking forward to going back in the spring or summer. Good joke for kids too! read more