Hiking Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop | Great Hike in Flat Tops Wilderness

With so many trails to choose from in the Flat Tops Wilderness, we finally decided on hiking Devil’s
Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop. Devil’s Causeway is an exciting narrow rocky section of the trail that can get play with your vertigo. We were excited to check it out for ourselves. But hiking Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop also allows for the change to encounter stunning vistas and great views of the Chinese Wall formation as well as experience hiking through tundra and seeing several lakes. Read on to learn more about what to expect!

Quick Info:

Distance: 10.5 mile loop

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous

Directions: Or click here to get directions to Stillwater Reservoir trailhead.

Trailhead Amenities: Vault toilets

Our Experience Hiking Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop

Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop trailhead departs near beautiful Stillwater Reservoir. When we
arrived there were about 4 other vehicles there though it does get busier on the weekends.

The trail begins by heading towards Stillwater Reservoir and continues straight as it becomes a pretty
single track paralleling the water below. At the first intersection, we went right on trail number 1119
to complete the Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop in a counterclockwise direction.

We chose to do it counterclockwise because we weren’t sure if Devil’s Causeway would be passable due to snow. This direction allowed us to encounter Devil’s Causeway sooner to know if the loop could be done or not. But in hindsight, snow aside, we would probably still choose to do it this way.

At the intersection, the trail officially enters the Flat Tops Wilderness and there is a log book where you
need to register. We noticed an entry from the day before that said the Devil’s Causeway was not passable due to snow. No!! But we were here already, so we decided to go see for ourselves. If we had to turn back, no big deal.

Entering the Flat Tops Wilderness

After the registry, the trail climbed and the scenery became more and more beautiful. The nearby peaks
surrounding us became more visible and the lake nestled in the conifers below created a breathtaking
landscape.

As we got higher and closer to the switchbacks that climb up to the ridge, the trail was covered in snow.
And the trail was at quite a slant at this point. We made it as far as we could using the switchbacks then
we had to improvise a bit. But we made it to the ridge! And the views of the valley we just climbed out of
were incredible.

The trail led us away from that valley and over to the valley on the other side. And it too was just gorgeous!

Since we made it this far, we pushed on. The trail climbed a bit more and there were some difficult snow
patches. Luckily we weren’t sinking much, mostly just sliding.

Reaching the Devil’s Causeway

At the top, we could see both valleys, the dramatic Chinese Wall, and the tundra up in the distance. Then
we spotted the bridge that we must cross to continue the loop known as the Devil’s Causeway. After reading all the hype about it with crazy descriptions and mentions of ropes being necessary I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Crossing Devil’s Causeway was not nearly as dangerous as I was led to believe. That’s not to say a fear of
heights would be very challenging to overcome at this point making this crossing a huge accomplishment for some.

I did stay low and crossed very carefully using my hands to steady myself because a gust of wind or surge of vertigo could spell disaster. It was still very exhilarating and a fun, exciting feature to encounter in the middle of a hike! Not to mention breathtaking views all around.

Shane crossed the Devil’s Causeway like it was nothing. Several times haha.

Continuing the Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop

The next section of the Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop leads towards the Chinese Wall and a vast
area of tundra. We passed the intersection for Chinese Wall and continued traversing the tundra. This
single track trail is very exposed but very mellow and pleasant with nearby snowy peaks poking up in
the distance. While we were hiking the Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake loop, the exposed tundra section
was really windy and extremely frigid! And there were some really muddy areas along the way as well.

Eventually, we picked up Stillwater Trail number 1814 heading left to continue along Devil’s Causeway
Mosquito Lake loop. As you can see, there are numerous options for furthering this adventure and creating other loops or routes.

As we were leaving the tundra section behind we encountered more muddy trails and some large patches of snow. Sliding down is one way to speed up the hike!

Once we were back at the treeline, the wind let up a bit. So we took a break for lunch overlooking the
conifer filled valley below.

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The trail descends and enters the woods, paralleling streams and opening up for views of the once again
towering peaks. This section of Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake loop is less dramatic but the landscape is
still beautiful. Since the trail leads through the woods, there were still a lot of snow patches laughing at us as we tried so hard to keep our feet dry.

Next, we reached Mosquito Lake. And believe it or not, there were ridiculous amounts of mosquitoes here. It’s a pretty lake but we did not linger.

Then before long, the trail comes out of the woods showing Stillwater Reservoir up ahead. We followed the trail as it paralleled the pretty blue reservoir all the way back to the trailhead. Hiking Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop was an awesome adventure!

Thank you for Reading!

We had an amazing time hiking into the Flat Tops Wilderness. The landscapes were absolutely beautiful!
There’s so much more to see though so we know we’ll be back someday. If you’d like to read about some
of our other hiking adventures, check out the hikes below:

• Hiking to Sierra Buttes Lookout Tower
• Lassen Peak Summit Hike
• Lower Monument Loop
• Hiking Teocalli Peak in Crested Butte

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