Backpacking Oh Be Joyful Pass + Blue Lake

After our hectic week replacing the roof on our travel trailer, we were quick to jump at the opportunity for backpacking Oh Be Joyful! Almost a little too quick – but it ended up working out great. The day we finished our roof we left the Montrose area and found a great dispersed campspot near Lost Lake off of Kebler Pass Road. And without thinking about it, we lost service too.

So here we were in a beautiful mountain area with no map and no service to look up hikes or trailheads. Luckily, I was able to recall the name Oh Be Joyful and knew that it was a hike I had wanted to do.

So on a whim we decided to pack up and go backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail. We didn’t know how far we would end up going, what our destination would be or even how to get to the trailhead! But we packed up our backpacking gear and decided to wing it. The worst that could happen is we would end up hiking and sleeping somewhere beautiful in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

At first, we thought that we would be able to access Oh Be Joyful Trailhead from Lake Irwin area off of Kebler Pass Road. But when we got there, we found a map of the area and realized we would have to go all the way to Crested Butte and up. No big deal. So we ended up making it to the trailhead and began our adventure backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail. And it ended up being an absolute amazing experience, even better than we were expecting. See how our spontaneous adventure turned into one beautiful overnight trip!

And yes… I still need to get a map.

Quick Info for Backpacking Oh Be Joyful Valley

Directions: From Crested Butte, turn left onto 6th Street and after .3 miles continue straight onto Gothic Road. After .6 miles, turn left onto CR 734 and continue for 4.6 miles. Turn left and a parking area will be on the right. Or continue further towards the campground and there is additional parking.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous overall

Total Distance: About 22 miles

Itinerary Breakdown:

Day 1:

• From Oh Be Joyful Trailhead we hiked to Daisy Pass and Peeler Trail Junction — 5 miles
• From the trail junction – we wandered around looking for a campspot, hiked up to Oh Be Joyful Pass, followed the saddle a bit and returned to our camp — 7 miles

Day 2:

• From camp we hiked back to the trail junction and dropped our packs — 1.5 mile
• Followed the Peeler Trail up to Blue Lake, explored and returned to our packs — 3.5 miles
• Hiked back to Oh Be Joyful Trailhead — 5 miles

Our Experience Backpacking Oh Be Joyful

Day One

On the morning of our backpacking Oh Be Joyful adventure, we headed to Crested Butte then up CR 734 to the Oh Be Joyful Recreation Area. When we got there (on a Tuesday) the BLM campground below was full and the trailhead parking area was pretty busy. We geared up and walked down to the Oh Be Joyful Campground Area. The campground was really nice right on Slate River which was crystal clear and beautiful! There were also several restrooms near the trailhead.

The Oh Be Joyful Trail crosses a wooden bridge over Slate River and parallels the water before branching off away from the campground. The trail starts to climb up through the trees and eventually we could hear the water from Oh Be Joyful Creek below us. As we glimpsed over the edge we noticed that there were several areas that looked great for setting up camp (already!) and playing in the water. We also noticed several inviting pools and some waterfalls to play in but we continued on, entering Gunnison National Forest.

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The trail continued a mellow climb through the gorgeous green “U” shaped valley filled with wildflowers and lined with towering mountains on both sides. We entered the Ragged Wilderness and were heading towards the 12,000 foot peaks of the Ruby Range up ahead. Much of the hike was pretty exposed as the trail meandered through the meadow filled valley. As we were backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail, we encountered about 15 or so other hikers on the trail as well as a group of kids on some sort of school trip.

After a pretty gradual climb through the valley meadows, the trail entered the woods and began a steeper climb up to a trail junction – Daisy Pass and Peeler Junction. We had intended on turning towards Peeler Junction to check out Blue Lake. But we reached the junction at the same time as a few other hikers and the group of kids on the school trip so we decided to save it for tomorrow. So we continued on towards Daisy Pass instead.

Finding Camp

The trail climbed and followed the mountainside before it opened up to a gorgeous basin exposing more stunning scenery. As we entered the basin, we were treated to a perfect mix of green slopes, waterfalls running down the mountainsides and new rocky peaks to take in. It felt euphoric!

Until the booming thunder shook us from our trance! Before we knew it, it started to drizzle and the drizzle quickly turned to hail. We tried to take shelter under a tree but luckily it didn’t last long. Next, we decided to look for a spot to set up camp.

As we looked around, we didn’t notice any obvious camp spots. So we climbed up off the trail and found a spot with a few trees for shelter from the wind. We set everything up and climbed inside just as it started to rain again. Since it was raining, we took it as a sign that we should nap. So we napped until the rain quit and were thrilled when the sun came back out! And we headed out to explore our gorgeous surroundings.

Hiking Oh Be Joyful Pass

We climbed back down from our campspot and followed Oh Be Joyful Trail further into the basin. Along the way we checked out a few of the beautiful waterfalls and even passed a couple small ponds.

The trail began to climb and we just followed it wherever it led us. As we gained elevation, the scenery was constantly changing and we were constantly in awe! Then we made it to some snow patches and threw some snowballs. From here we couldn’t help but continue along the trail. The trail itself was beautiful and the views somehow kept getting better and better.

Before we knew it, we reached the top of Oh Be Joyful Pass! All of a sudden we felt so high. And we could see so much, in every direction! The solitude. The beauty. It felt so good to once again be feeling the overwhelming euphoria from a good wilderness adventure. The unmatched feeling just fills the soul and we couldn’t keep the smiles off of our faces. From the pass, we decided to wander along the saddle and see where we ended up. Every few steps it felt like we would stop, look up and let ourselves be amazed by the unbelievable features we were among.

Finally, we found a perfect spot along the saddle to stop, relax and soak it all in. As if the views weren’t already perfect enough, across the way we spotted a rainbow. It all just felt so right.

After experiencing those perfect moments of pure bliss, we made the descent back down into the beautiful basin. We made it back to our tent, had some dinner and played cards. What an amazing day we had backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail. It feels good to be in Colorado!

Day Two

We started day two of backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail with breakfast with a view. After filtering some water, we packed up and hit the trail! We followed the trail back down towards the trail junction we passed yesterday. It was time to check out Blue Lake! We left our packs down in some trees by the trail junction and boy we were glad we did!

The trail up to Blue Lake ended up being quite a bit steeper than we were expecting. We began climbing, passed a water crossing and noticed a huge waterfall up above. That waterfall is pouring down the shelf that Blue Lake is above. There’s not a whole lot to say about the trail to Blue Lake except that there is a lot of up. Along the way we noticed a trail heading up to a saddle on the nearby mountain.

After a steep 1.7 miles, we made it to Blue Lake. WOW! Honestly, everything about it exceeded my expectations. Blue Lake is an absolutely gorgeous lake. Everything about it was just perfect – the color, the depth, the clarity, the setting, the backdrop…

Shane found a rock and a deep spot just off of the shore, then he made the dive! BRRR! What a beautiful place to dive into icy waters and remind yourself that you’re alive!

Backpack it Later – Pin it Now!

We wandered around Blue Lake a bit more, taking in the different views. The water was so clear we could see lots of fish swimming around. Then we made the descent back down to where we left our bags at the trail junction. Hungry already, we ate our PB&Js then continued on.

After our adventure to the stunning Blue Lake, we followed Oh Be Joyful Trail back down to the trailhead. The way back was beautiful and a bit quicker.

Thanks for reading about our adventure backpacking Oh Be Joyful Valley!

Our backpacking Oh Be Joyful adventure was nothing short of incredible. Following the trail through the scenic, wildflower filled meadow, the breathtaking views from Oh Be Joyful Pass, and the perfection of Blue Lake made for an adventure we will never forget! Short, sweet and spontaneous, this was a great first backpacking trip in Colorado. And now we can’t wait to get back out there and experience more of this beautiful state!

If you’d like to read about some of our other adventures we’ve had living on the road, check out the links below:

• Hiking Red Mountain Trail
• Point Trail in West Clear Creek Wilderness
• Lassen Peak

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