Blue Lakes Trail, Blue Lakes

OutsideJun 5

Colorado Crews Are Cleaning Up an “Abundance of Human Shit” at One of the State’s Most Popular Trails

Thousands of hikers flock to Colorado's stunning Blue Lakes every year. They're leaving behind a massive trail of human waste that crews are struggling to clean up.

8.7-mile trail to three turquoise lakes

12 things in this story

National Forest FoundationPlaceclearing human waste from trail
Southwest Conservation CorpsPlacecleanup volunteers described waste situation
Mount SneffelsSight14,000-foot peak above Blue Lakes
Blue Lakes TrailTrail8.7-mile trail to three turquoise lakes
U.S. Forest ServicePlace(Ouray, CO, March 2, 2026)—The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ Ouray Ranger District will…
Bureau of Land ManagementPlacefederal lands.
OurayNeighborhood
TellurideNeighborhood
San Juan MountainsNeighborhood
Uncompahgre National ForestPlace
National Forest Foundation (NFF)Place
Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC)Place

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Blue Lakes Trail

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Colorado Crews Are Cleaning Up an “Abundance of Human Shit” at One of the State’s Most Popular Trails