An Exploration Near Aspen Mirror Lake

Our hike in the vicinity of Aspen Mirror Lake was another random exploration-slash-quest-for-foliage but there were enough really pretty photos from this area to group together into single post. Plus, I can actually describe where I was at the time unlike many other places I’d been wandering around in. The lake is an easily accessible small fishing spot that sits at about 9,500 feet just off SR-14. Ringed with aspen trees, its a lovely place to catch the vibrant yellows of fall and – if you’re lucky – to see the bright golden leaves reflected in the lake’s surface.

We began by walking the length of the lake and then continued west, following Duck Creek as it wound through meadow and aspen-spruce forest. A mile or so into our walk Abby began running back and forth ahead of me sniffing like a crazy dog, obviously tracking something; once I caught up I realized we were walking though beds of grass that had been occupied by elk the previous night. Abby is enthusiastic about most wildlife but seems to have a particular nose for following deer and elk. A few days after our excursion at Aspen Mirror Lake, Terry and I were following an elk trail blazed only a few hours ago and Abbs went nuts. We did not however catch up with the elk then or any other day. Anyway, on the day of our Aspen Mirror Lake exploration, we ended up following the yellow-lined Duck Creek for a couple miles almost to Duck Lake before we backtracked and picked up an OHV trail back to the car. There aren’t any hiking trails back here that I know of (though there’s an extensive OHV trail system through the plateau), but it’s a beautiful walk and impossible to get lost if following the creek.