Brainard Lake Recreation Area: Lake Isabelle and Isabelle Glacier, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Colorado
Brainard Lake Recreation Area: Lake Isabelle and Isabelle Glacier
Indian Peaks Wilderness Area
Isabelle Glacier is located in a saddle between Apache (13,441') and Shoshoni (12,967') peaks in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The short hike to Lake Isabelle is one of the area's most popular, however few continue on the rugged trek up-valley to its glacial benefactor.
| Related Trails: | Lake Isabelle Isabelle Glacier |
The oldest rocks in the Indian Peaks (schist and gneiss) date back an estimated 1.8 billion years
Cushion and mat plants help build soil by catching organic debris in their foliage
Marmot spend the active summers in burrows 3-6' deep, and hibernate through the winter in burrows 15-20' deep
Melting snow from Isabelle Glacier runs down valley into Lake Isabelle
Some tundra plants have red-colored pigments capable of converting the sun's light rays into heat
Lichens need only a rock, sunlight, and some water every few years to survive
Lake Isabelle (10,868')
Level benches break up the steep climb from Lake Isabelle to Isabelle Glacier
A tarn is a small pool with no outlet that's fed by glacial melt
A glacier is a perennial mass of snow or ice that's large and heavy enough to flow, like a thick gel
Cushion and mat plants help build soil by catching organic debris in their foliage
Isabelle Glacier
New snow compresses older layers into ice, adding weight and thickness to the glacier
Looking (northeast) down valley
Pools, or tarns, typically form at the base of a glacier's ablation zone
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