GETTING THERE
From Denver, take (the sometimes slowgoing) I-70 west to exit 240. If you need more info, drop by the Clear Creek Ranger District station (303/567-3000), then head south on Chicago Creek Rd. (State 103) for 14 miles. Park at the edge of the lake.
GO
Echo Lake. Circumnavigate on a mellow, quarter-mile loop ― or lengthen it by continuing through the trees for half a mile to the shuttered yet still picturesque Echo Lake Lodge. Info: Clear Creek Ranger District, 303/567-3000.
Resthouse Meadow Trail. If you want to bore through the snowy forest and deep into the National Mount Evans Wilderness, Resthouse Meadow is your route. Its total distance of 5 miles makes it daunting for some, but the good thing about an out-and-back trail? You can pivot at any time. Info: Trailhead begins at the Echo Lake Campground.
RENT
If you don't own a pair of snowshoes, pick them up at Exit 240 Ski & Bike Rental ($15 per day; 1319 Miner St., Idaho Springs; 877/567-2220).
