The Storm Lakes are located above Jasper Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. No trail reaches the lakes, but a challenging cross-country route follows Jasper Creek from Jasper Lake to its source at Storm Lake, and up to Upper Storm Lake in a deep bowl under the Continental Divide.

Storm Lake (11,415') is located approximately .5 miles and 600' above Jasper Lake, and forms the headwaters of Jasper Creek

Upper Storm Lake (11,965') is located approximately 1.5 miles and 1150' above Jasper Lake in a small, deep cirque just below the Continental Divide

Jasper Lake, which remains in view much of the way, is a reservoir whose rights are owned by Caribou Ranch

The off-trail route to Storm Lake begins from the NW side of Jasper Lake, where you'll follow the inlet through treeline

The route closely skirts several tarns and countless cascades through a relatively narrow valley

Storm Lake forms Jasper Creek, which flows through Jasper Lake Reservoir into South Fork Middle Boulder Creek

The route runs through and around several large ponds on the NW side of Storm Lake before pitching steeply up a rock face into the upper valley

The 1.5 mile - 1150' climb from Jasper to Upper Storm Lake eases briefly across several wide benches between steep pitches and scrambles

The narrow valley leaves little room to maneuver around tarns, snowfields, streams and willow patches

The steep-walled Jasper Creek valley blocks your view of incoming weather, and storms can form quickly overhead - get an early start and expect slower travel times than distances may indicate

Parry's Primrose, which favors moist soil and is found in abundance along the route's many streams, is named after Charles C. Parry, an English physician who was the first botanist for the US Department of Agriculture

Creeks run under several wide snowfields and hollow out unstable snow bridges over their path

Though steep grades pose the biggest overall challenge, negotiating thick willow is a constant battle

Poles and traction devices can be very helpful on steep snowfields between lakes