Columbine Lake is located 3.4 miles from Junco Lake Trailhead on the west side of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It lies at treeline in a broad, open cirque under Mount Neva ringed by level meadows. tree-topped knolls and alpine terraces.

Meadow Creek is aptly named for expansive meadows that extend almost all the way from its source at Columbine Lake to the Meadow Creek Reservoir

Columbine Lake fills a wide, shallow basin west of the Divide under Mount Neva (12,814'); level meadows and gentle hills ring the lake and give it a particularly open, spacious feel

An unofficial but well-defined trail leads .5 miles and 425' above Columbine Lake to an unnamed pass with stunning views south down the Cabin Creek drainage

Columbine Lake is the headwater of Meadow Creek, which flows into the 104-acre Meadow Creek Reservoir; MCR is connected to the Moffat Tunnel Collection System and supplies water to Front Range communities

Mt Neva (12,814') is one of 23 peaks over 12,000' in the Indian Peaks Wilderness

Caribou Pass (11,851') is an equidistant hike from Junco Lake Trailhead that leads to broad alpine meadows along the rim over Caribou Lake

View over Columbine Lake from the unnamed pass between the Meadow Creek and Cabin Creek drainages

Subalpine meadows have a very short growing season and are slow to repair; visitors are asked to remain on designated trails and existing paths at all times

The trail over Columbine Lake is omitted from most maps but generally well-defined and intuitively followed when not

Bull moose can reach 1500 lbs with antlers 5' across that take 3-5 months to fully develop each season; antler symmetry provides a general indication of a moose's health

Despite the trailhead's relatively inconvenient location from Front Range communities, Columbine Lake sees heavy crowds throughout the summer and camping permits are in high demand

High, open meadows just above the lake are easy to reach and a good place to find privacy on busy weekends

Cabin Creek drains S-SW and joins Ranch Creek near the Devils Thumb Ranch Resort