Round Trip Distance: 1.2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 9348 - 9565 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Weller Lake
Fee: none
Attractions: Forest hike, scenic lake
View Weller Lake in a larger map
The Weller Lake trail is in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area of the White River National Forest east of Aspen, Colorado. The trail begins across the highway from the Weller Campground and ascends to Weller Lake about a half mile up the side of the mountain. Weller Lake is a popular family hike that also attracts the occasional angler fishing for cutthroat and brook trout. The banks of the lake are strewn with basalt boulders making it difficult to get to the waters edge in most places.
The trailhead is 8 miles east of Aspen measuring from the intersection of Mill Street and Highway 82.
The Forest Service has had a new bridge constructed to convey hikers safely across the Roaring Fork River.
At the time of this post the metal bridge over the Roaring Fork River was new and had only been open for a week. The intention is probably to move the trail sign from the old crossing where the wooden bridge once stood to here and replace the paper sign in the picture.
As the trail heads south it enters the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area of the White River National Forest.
The easy to follow trail passes through tall stands of trees that seclude the hike from the traffic on Highway 82..
With only a little over 200 feet of elevation gain, which is a paltry amount for trails in the Aspen area, the Weller Lake trail is a relatively easy climb. Several switchbacks make the short hike even easier yet.
For the times when the lake is spilling over and sending water down the mountain to the Roaring Fork River there is a bridge to convey hikers over the stream.
As you approach the lake watch for a fork near the trails end that branches off to the left and climbs the hillside a little to get around to the east side of the lake. The trail can be a little confusing and harder to follow at this point.
It is also possible to crawl over some fallen trees and basalt boulders near the outlet to get a better view of Weller Lake.
Weller Lake is an attractive sub alpine wilderness destination that probably attracts most of its visitors because it is close to Aspen and easy to hike. The trail can be a little busy at times but quite often on weekdays there very few other hikers. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
