Lake Stuart (5,064') is located 5 miles from the Stuart Lake - Colchuk Lake Trailhead in a striking alpine basin below Mount Stuart (9,415') and a line of craggy peaks in the Stuart Range.

Mountaineer Creek - rushing trailside up to the Stuart Lake

Colchuk Lake reflects a deep blue hue from its glaciated basin

A mountain goat feeds along Colchuk Lake

The Stuart Lake Trail begins in a healthy montane ecosystem before rising to the subalpine lake

Colchuk Lake - framed by massive Dragontail Peak

Stuart Lake (4,937') is a very large lake, one of over 700 in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Columbine bloom in summer along the Stuart Lake Trail

The rugged shoreline of Colchuk Lake

Stuart Lake rests beneath Stuart Peak - a glacier covered mountain and pinnacle of the Stuart Range

The mighty peaks of the Stuart Range are popular with area climbers

The awe-inspiring Mountaineer Creek drainage