Lawn Lake is located 6.25 miles from Lawn Lake Trailhead in a wide, flat basin ringed by Fairchild Mountain (13,502'), Hagues Peak (13,560') and Mummy Mountain (13,425'). The Crystal Lakes are 1.7 miles and 525' up in a spectacular cirque directly below Fairchild Mountain. A short but steep route splits off the Crystal Lakes Trail to 'The Saddle', a 12,398' pass between Fairchild Mountain and Hagues Peak.

The broad valley above Lawn Lake forms the headwaters of Roaring River

Car-size boulders and rock slabs ring Big Crystal Lake

Bighorn sheep males leave their birth group after 2 - 4 years and join small bachelor groups of rams

Longs Peak (14,259') is the highest peak and only Fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park

On July 15 1982, Lawn Lake's 26' high earthen dam failed, releasing 674 acre-feet (219,724,000 gallons) of water

The valley widens considerably above the Crystal Lakes split, an area frequented by bighorn sheep

The Saddle (12,398') is a spectacular alpine expanse between Hagues Peak (above) and Fairchild Mountain

Lawn Lake is a popular destination among equestrians, but horses are not allowed further up valley

Looking north from The Saddle, between Hagues Peak and Fairchild Mountain in the Mummy Range

Bighorn ewes isolate themselves prior to giving birth; newborn lambs weigh 8-10 lbs and can walk within hours of birth

Looking out over Horseshoe Park, where a 500' thick glacier once covered (and ultimately carved out) the valley floor

Estes Park flooded and hundreds of buildings were destroyed when the dam broke in 1982

The trail continues past Lawn Lake through treeline to the Crystal Lakes - Saddle trail split at 7.35 miles

Big Crystal Lake is possibly the deepest alpine lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Lawn Lake's outlet channel looks relatively unscathed compared to lower sections of the river, where deep, unstable gorges remain

There are fourteen 13,000' peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park, of which several are concentrated in the Mummy Range

Little Crystal Lake

The Saddle is located 8.6 miles from the Lawn Lake Trailhead (2.35 miles and 1400' up from Lawn Lake)

View of Mummy Mountain (13,425') on the descent from the Saddle

An outlying tarn adjacent to Little Crystal Lake

Lawn Lake is a natural lake that was enlarged by a dam in 1911, with water intended for the eastern plains

A marmot's territory can cover several acres

Queens Crown flowers have male and female organs that can self-fertilize