Heart Lake is a popular hike in the Indian Peaks range near Rollinsville. To get there,
drive into Rollinsville and follow the sign for Rollins Pass. This is a well-maintained
dirt road that follows the railroad tracks about 7.5 miles to Moffat Tunnel. The road
continues on past the tunnel, but this is where you want to stop. The trail heads west up
the valley towards James Peak. Most of the time you are travelling through the woods,
so there are no vistas for awhile, but it is still a pretty hike.

We did this hike in March of 1999, and expected a lot of snow, but the mild winter and
warm spring resulted in a completely clear road, and only old, hardpacked snow on
the trail. Off to the sides in the woods, the snow was several feet deep, and you
quickly found that out if you wandered off the main trail. I sunk to my waist several
times and had to wade out. We brought snowshoes, but the entire way to Heart Lake
was so well packed that we never put them on. About 1/2 mile before Heart Lake
(which by the way in the winter is an anti-climactic snow field) you will get some
great views of the Indian Peaks range, which finally pulls out above treeline. If we had
remembered the camera, I would have stunning pictures of James Peak right here. If
you'd like you can hike up to the pass (it's a lot steeper for this part), and even continue
up the ridge to summit James Peak. We chose to turn around at Heart Lake.

The Heart Lake trail heads up a valley and is very moderate, with some steeper
sections, but nothing hard at all. It is a very popular cross country ski destination, and
we brought our skiis in the car, but the snow was too old and crusty to be fun.
Everyone told us this hike would be crowded, but on a 6 hour hike on a Saturday, we
saw other people for maybe two minutes total and those people were totally cool and
offered to share their lunch. All in all, a fun hike, and we will be back in the winter to
try it on skiis!