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Wheeler Peak: Williams Lake Trail

Name: Wheeler Peak: Williams Lake Trail
Rating: 4.00

Type: Trail

Length: 5.00 Miles

Elevation Gain: 1300 Feet

Cost: Free

Rating:

(4.00)1

Difficulty: 3point5stars

(3.50)

Solitude:

(2.50)

ADA Accessible: No

Bikes Allowed: No

Dogs Allowed: N/A

Interpretive Guide: No

City: Taos Ski Valley

County: Taos

More Information: More Info

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Photos

This water fall is located near Lake Williams and provides the water for the lake. (Photo by Blaze)

Wheeler Peak is in the background. (Photo by Blaze)

Expect to see (or hear the chirping) of marmots along the trail. (Photo by Blaze)

This monument to Major George Wheeler is located at the summit. (Photo by Blaze)

Another view from the top of Wheeler Peak. (Photo by Blaze)

View from the top of Wheeler Peak. (Photo by Blaze)

Me at the top of Wheeler Peak (Photo by Blaze)

I saw these (and many more) mountain goats on my way up to the summit. (Photo by Blaze)

View of the trail as it winds up Wheeler Peak. (Photo by Blaze)

This is where the trail forks either to Lake Williams or to the summit of Wheeler Peak. (Photo by Blaze)

This is where the trail starts/ends, but you have to hike a bit from the parking area to get here. (Photo by Blaze)

Log Entries

Williams Lake Trail to Summit of Wheeler Peak
By Blaze on 8/9/2014
Rating:

Difficulty:

Solitude:

Distance: 9.90 Miles Duration: 6 hours, 10 minutes

FYI - my GPS odometer recorded 10.6 miles roundtrip, but the track file only recorded 9.9 miles.

This is an awesome hike! I did it on an absolutely beautiful day and the views were incredibly scenic. I took a side trip to Lake Williams and decided to trace the source of the lake. To my delight, I found some beautiful waterfalls. This is a primo spot to camp overnight (I didn't). This is a MUST DO hike for the hardcore hiker/backpacker. It is shorter than the Bull Of The Woods Trail, but steeper.