Trapper’s Lake Getaway

There’s nothing quite like an escape to the mountains—with zero cell service and very few amenities—to clear your head and fill your heart.

Last weekend, after deciding that we must leave our house and get away all by ourselves (and after convincing Chad that, yes, it was a good idea and yes, it would be a necessary expense and no, we should not “just go camping”), we ended up at Trapper’s Lake, nearby Meeker, Colorado.

Meeker is about an hour away, but that’s the closest town by far.

We were off-grid. Chad, Wally, and I stayed in a very, very small cabin at Trapper’s Lake Lodge, which was built in 1880 and lived in by the very men which the area is named after. “Can you imagine if walls could talk?” I was asked upon check-in, by a very friendly owner who worked the entirety of our stay.

During our two-night adventure, we enjoyed a hike, playing cards, swimming at the lake, happy hour at the Lodge, a pre-fixed dinner of ribs, lights out at 9:30, lounging on our patio, and plenty of wildlife sightings. We saw numerous deer, elk, marmots, and ground squirrels, and we also saw a bear—clear and still in a meadow—on our drive there. (We stopped and watched him for about 10 minutes, because it was amazing.)

Trapper’s Lake is a gorgeous area in the Flat Tops Wilderness, and it was a treat to explore. Our 2-ish mile hike was just right, taking us through diverse wilderness scenes with incredible views and an eerie vibe. (There was a devastating wildfire in 2002, and most of the land is covered in charred and barren “snags”—naked trees that can fall over at any time.)

The lake itself is like an oasis. It’s picturesque, with clear waters, lots of fish, and banks that are cloaked with trees and lush shrubbery. You have to walk a bit to access the lake, which makes it a bit of a challenge. I wondered about those in canoes, and how difficult it’d be to carry a boat to the water.

Two nights managed to be both quick and long enough. We were tired, sun-kissed, and a little smelly (especially Wally after his many jumps into the lake), but also happy and digitally detoxed. (Okay, we did fall asleep to the Hamilton soundtrack on Night 2, but that seemed pretty tame.)

I hope to return someday. Trapper’s Lake already feels like a distant dream, shimmering and glistening in the beyond.