Ayone heere familiar with Trappers Lake west of Yampa

[USMC88-93]

I spent a lot of my childhood at this lake, but remember as a child having to walk around to the east side of the lake to a cabin (or shack) to rent canoe's to get out on the lake. I went up there last weekend and had not seen the lake in 35+ years. In that time the fire in 1992 destroyed all the dense old growth forest around the lake so the views were entirely different from my childhood memories.

I am curious if anyone here knows if this is the cabin that they used to rent canoes from. I am not sure if it is but it fits my perception of late 70's and is in the right area. I'll upload a video from this spot later that gives a more complete picture of the spot.

Google Maps link to lake I am referring to. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Trappers+Lake/@40.0196201,-107.4182134,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87422a7a0cfcb0fb:0x5a2182165fd78 6ab!8m2!3d39.9846663!4d-107.2296999
(https://www.google.com/maps/place/Trappers+Lake/@40.0196201,-107.4182134,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87422a7a0cfcb0fb:0x5a2182165fd78 6ab!8m2!3d39.9846663!4d-107.2296999)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je7Du36LG6I

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Color_zps3ks4i3uc.png (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Color_zps3ks4i3uc.png.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%204_zps98afj4dh.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%204_zps98afj4dh.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%20cabin_zpsqzlqdrov.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%20cabin_zpsqzlqdrov.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%20cabin%202_zpsfjhwghdp.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%20cabin%202_zpsfjhwghdp.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%203_zpsc9uxmhra.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/trappers%20east%203_zpsc9uxmhra.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/20190922_144509_zpsxqjebrkk.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/20190922_144509_zpsxqjebrkk.jpg.html)

[Hummer]

Interesting pictures. That is the cabin where canoes were rented. I recall that there was a small dock in front. My cousin stayed in the cabin and tended the canoe rental in the early 70's, not sure for how many years.

I backpacked through the Flat Tops Wilderness extensively almost every year from 1964 through 1972, trips of 67 to 90 miles. I entered and exited the wilderness from several trails including at Trappers Lake. The mountain behind the lake is called The Amphitheater. The area was dense old growth spruce-fir forest.

My wife worked at the Trappers Lake Lodge at the time for Calvin and Arlene Fritzlan, who were outfitters in the area. She rode into the wilderness on outfitted fishing trips for clients.

I later worked for Calvin's brother, Tom for 9 years in his hunting camp packing meat, etc. I still hunt the area and hire his grandson to pack my elk almost every year. Thirty elk in 34 years. I'll be hunting there again in a few weeks. The area I hunt had a big forest fire a year ago. I'm looking forward to seeing the recovery. I'll be driving through after my pronghorn hunt next week.

Thanks for the pics. Curious why they're black and white?

[USMC88-93]

Thanks for the pics. Curious why they're black and white?

I felt like being artsy, and those particular pictures looked better in black and white.. I took color as well.


The mountain behind the lake is called The Amphitheater. The area was dense old growth spruce-fir forest.

I always knew the area behind the lake as the "China Wall" and the area under the cliff face it and the bowl around the lake as the amphitheater.

[Hummer]

The China Wall is a different mountain than The Amphitheater. I believe The China Wall is shown in your second photo, The Amphitheater is center in your last photo.

What did you do there in your childhood and when was that?




I felt like being artsy, and those particular pictures looked better in black and white.. I took color as well.



I always knew the area behind the lake as the "China Wall" and the area under the cliff face it and the bowl around the lake as the amphitheater.

[USMC88-93]

The China Wall is a different mountain than The Amphitheater. I believe The China Wall is shown in your second photo, The Amphitheater is center in your last photo.

What did you do there in your childhood and when was that?

It was just on of my regular family haunts as a child. Driving up from Denver stopping in Yampa at the Antlers Cafe and Bar and visiting with Mike and Emily (the married couple that owned and ran it for many many decades. Both of them well into their 80's and 90's in age) and still cooking meals for guest of the bar and restaurant on a coal and wood fired stove. then either heading to Crosho Lake, Trappers Lake or any number of other lakes in the area.

My dad and mom on Trappers in the 60's 3rd photo might be the old cabins.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Old%20family%20pix/dad%20fish2_zpsdvcfwake.jpg

(https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Old%20family%20pix/dad%20fish2_zpsdvcfwake.jpg.html)https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Old%20family%20pix/1058968_1058968-R1-E017_zps7ixlxlnn.jpg

(https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Old%20family%20pix/1058968_1058968-R1-E017_zps7ixlxlnn.jpg.html)https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Old%20family%20pix/1058968_1058968-R1-E002_zpsy6vlof8s.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Old%20family%20pix/1058968_1058968-R1-E002_zpsy6vlof8s.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Old%20family%20pix/99D29A91-77E4-4189-895B-E845B816F8D3_zpszkpjfl8d.jpg (https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Old%20family%20pix/99D29A91-77E4-4189-895B-E845B816F8D3_zpszkpjfl8d.jpg.html)

[Hummer]

Cool pics, that's how it was done back then.

[.455_Hunter]

Very nice!

Colorado before we were overrun with snowflakes.

My family has hunted more on Sleepy Cat and the area south of Buford.

[wctriumph]

Thanks for the photos and history.

[Brass]

My understanding is that the forest fire destroyed only the lodge. That's why it is nice and new, and everything else looks like it was built in the 1940s.

[hollohas]

I spent lots of time there in the late 90's early 2000s. Friends and I spent many, many days belly boating it and the smaller Lake in the Woods on the road before you get to Trappers. A fire burned around Lake in the Woods in the early 2000's too so it's not so "in the woods" anymore from what I understand.

One year I got hit with a huge hail storm while in my belly boat on trappers. That one lefts some bruises...and great memories too.

[USMC88-93]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je7Du36LG6I


https://youtu.be/N1AXQ2kfIJA

Lake of the Woods....

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_130140_zpsapef4p1v.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_130140_zpsapef4p1v.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_125823_zps4hjp97tb.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_125823_zps4hjp97tb.jpg.html)

Trees in the valley survived the fire...

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_124630_zpso3l8p8mh.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_124630_zpso3l8p8mh.jpg.html)

[GilpinGuy]

We fish at Trappers every summer. Native Cutthroats. I love that place. No clue about the cabin though.

[USMC88-93]

Complete photobucket album if anyone is bored and wants to flip through a lot of bad photos......

https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/library/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full?page=1

(https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/library/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full?page=1)
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/story (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/story)

[USMC88-93]

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_161352_zpslaxpd9rk.jpg (https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_161352_zpslaxpd9rk.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_152347_zpssdzbvgpb.jpg (https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_152347_zpssdzbvgpb.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_135607_zps1gmciv4z.jpg (https://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_135607_zps1gmciv4z.jpg.html)

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/PhotoTWB/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_135526_zpsdslnyc5i.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/PhotoTWB/media/Trappers%20Lake/Trappers%20Lake%20full/20190922_135526_zpsdslnyc5i.jpg.html)