Surprise Lake Trail Backpacking to Four Beautiful Lakes

Surprise Lake Trail accesses numerous scenic alpine lakes in the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Instead of a long day hike, backpacking Surprise Lake Trail seemed like the most enjoyable way to see Surprise Lake, Cat Lake, Upper Cataract Lake and Mirror Lake. And it gave us the opportunity to squeeze in one more backpacking trip before the weather directed us to lower elevations!

We had been boondocking on Spring Creek Road and recently hiked the nearby Elliot Ridge Trail to Meridian Peak. And on that adventure, we could see lakes down in the lush forest below and we passed a junction that led down to Mirror Lake. We knew we wanted to check out those lakes and now it was time! Backpacking Surprise Lake was a relatively short backpacking trip that allowed us to see four beautiful lakes among gorgeous wilderness.

Quick Info: Surprise Lake Trail to Mirror Lake

Directions to Surprise Lake Trail: From Silverthorne, take Highway 9 North for about 16 miles. Then turn left onto Heeney Road and continue for 5.3 miles before turning left onto Cataract Creek Road/FR 1725. After 2.5 miles, the parking area for Surprise Lake Trail will be on the left.

Permits: A free permit is required for overnight use. But it’s easy – at the trailhead there are permits to fill out and a self-registration box.

Surprise Lake Trailhead: There is a big marked pull off on the left side of Forest Road 1725. Here you’ll find a self-registration box and a map of the area. There are no restrooms at this trailhead but if you continue another mile or so to Lower Cataract Lake Trailhead, there is a vault toilet.

Difficulty: Moderate

Total Distance: About 14 miles out and back

Know Before You Go: After reaching Mirror Lake, you can continue following Upper Cataract Lake Trail all the way to Elliot Ridge Trail for a further backpacking itinerary.

Itinerary Breakdown:

Day One: Surprise Lake Trailhead to Surprise Lake, Cataract Lake, Cat Lake and Mirror Lake and back — about 11 miles

Day 2: Campspot on Surprise Lake to Parking Area at Surprise Lake Trailhead — about 3 miles

Our Experience Backpacking Surprise Lake Trail to Mirror Lake

Day One

The drive around Heeney Reservoir and along Forest Road 1725 to Surprise Lake Trailhead was gorgeous! Both the reservoir and the yellow aspens all over were a telling sign of the beauty we were to find on the trail!

After we filled out our overnight use permit, we hit the trail! Backpacking to Mirror Lake began by crossing a bridge over a nice stream and then quickly entering the Eagles Nest Wilderness Boundary. Surprise Lake Trail climbs through a beautiful mix of yellow aspen groves and conifers. As the trail continues, there are sections of open meadow views and wooded sections but almost always a climb!

Before long, the trail reaches an intersection. To continue backpacking to Mirror Lake, we turned right onto Gore Range Trail. You guessed it, the trail continues to climb through the pretty wooded setting.

Then before we knew it, we had reached Surprise Lake! Surprise Lake is a big, conifer lined lake with lily pads and mountains in the distance. Since we were planning on backpacking to Mirror Lake we decided to set up camp at Surprise Lake and leave the packs behind. So we set up the tent, ate lunch and continued on to see the next few lakes – Upper Cataract, Cat and Mirror Lakes.

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From Surprise Lake, we continued hiking on Gore Range Trail. The trail climbed before it mellowed out a bit and led us on a pretty trail through the woods.

At the next trail junction, we branched left onto Upper Cataract-Mirror Lake Trail. We followed Upper Cataract Trail through more gorgeous, lush woods. Then the trail reached a rocky slope and the view opened up. It was a vast and beautiful vantage point! The nearby mountain tops made an appearance and we could see two of the lakes down below.

From this gorgeous overlook, we followed the switchbacks down to the lakes among the blanket of sprawling forest. Once we reached the bottom, there was a sign indicating which lake was which way. Upper Cataract Lake and Cat Lake are in close proximity to each other.

Upper Cataract Lake

We chose to check out Upper Cataract Lake first so we went left at the trail sign. Upper Cataract Lake is a big, beautiful lake with conifers lining the shore and granite towering along the edges. The sun was shining on the lake and making the water appear to be sparkling. It was very beautiful and peaceful. After we were done taking it all in, we headed back to the last intersection and followed the trail towards Cat Lake.

Cat Lake

The trail to Cat Lake descended steeply on switchbacks through the woods before quickly arriving at the shore. Cat Lake had conifers surrounding it on the shoreline as well and was very peaceful. It didn’t have the dramatic granite mountain scenery as Upper Cataract Lake but it did have fish! As we walked around the shore of Cat Lake we noticed a lot of fish! Particularly near the lake inlet.

After checking out Cat Lake, we climbed back up to the trail junction and headed towards our final destination – Mirror Lake.

Mirror Lake

Backpacking to Mirror Lake led us on a gorgeous trail that continued to change as we went. At first the trail passed through gorgeous, dense forest with some big, tall old growth. Then the trail hinted that it would be opening up, revealing the mountains across the way. As we continued the trail followed an edge, revealing wide open valley views as the terrain became more rocky. We could see way down into the valley below and hoped that we would not be descending that deep to reach Mirror Lake! And then we began following the trail down… After the descent, we crossed the water, continued through the woods and finally reached Mirror Lake! And it was definitely worth the miles and effort.

Mirror Lake is big, rocky and beautifully rugged! The granite and boulders along the shore were awesome. We had the lake to ourselves and it felt so peaceful and wild. After sitting there in admiration, Shane skipped some rocks, we ate a snack and then headed back. The sun was getting low and we had some miles to go before reaching our camp spot at Surprise Lake.

Day Two

After a restful night camping at Surprise Lake, we enjoyed the morning sun and hanging out with the Gray Jays. Then we packed up camp and hiked back to the parking area at Surprise Lake Trailhead. On the way, we saw at least 16 people and lots of dogs on their way up but had only seen 3 people total the day before.

Thanks for Reading about Our Experience Backpacking to Mirror Lake!

We really enjoyed the beauty and solitude of the trail as it led us to four very different lakes! Mirror Lake was our favorite lake on this backpacking adventure.

If you’d like to see more of our hikes and adventures, check out the articles below:

• Highest Peak in Arizona: Humphreys Peak via Inner Basin Trail
• Backpacking Peeler Lake Loop in the Hoover Wilderness
• Fortynine Palms Oasis Hike in Joshua Tree
• North Halfmoon Lakes + Mount Massive Backpacking

We love adventuring and have been living on the road full time for awhile now. On our rest days we’re working hard on our hand painted one of a kind longboards! If you’d like to see our latest lineup, head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop. We also design and screen print our own shirts!

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