Colorado’s BEST Trail Town: Lake City

Trail Towns

The Colorado Trail exposes hikers to a lot of amazing trail towns. The people, the food, the beer, the hostels, the culture and history… every town stop is great.

I passed through Bailey, Breckenridge/Frisco, Leadville, Salida, Lake City and was on my way to Silverton and Durango.

On my day 23, I walked across CO highway 149 at Spring Creek Pass, off mile marker 357. It’s only 17 miles from there into Lake City, but it can take a good 30 minutes driving because of the winding road. I’d been looking forward to this stop for a good 100 miles.

Lake City Trail Hiker Center

The first thing that sets Lake City apart is its hiker center. I haven’t hiked any of the triple crown trails, but I’d never seen or heard of anything like this. They have volunteers who will pick up and drop off hikers from the trailhead (at pre-scheduled times). Because there isn’t a laundromat in town, you can put dirty clothes in a bag for a volunteer to take home to do your smelly laundry! And of course loaner clothes are available. They accept resupply packages, but offer so much at the center and General Store in town you don’t even need to send a resupply there. The center is staffed by volunteers who can help hikers find any resources they might need. And most amazing are their Sunday night dinners in July.

The center and the dinner is the brainchild of Jason Santos, the minister of Community Presbyterian Church, but many other local churches and residents volunteer their time and resources to make everything happen. 2026 was tle 5th year of the project. 

Sunday hiker dinner in Lake City.

The Dinner

The churches and hiker center put on a legendary Sunday night feast that’s free and open to the community. Think of a pot luck on steroids. I’m certain Jason Santos is the most wonderful minister, but he could easily have been an equally amazing food truck chef in a parallel universe. He reminds me of Guy Fieri in only the best way possible. A foodie with a passion for fellowship, helping people and giving back to his community.

On the Sunday night I attended (the second dinner of the season), there was a French theme for dinner and the main course was delicious hot Croque Monsieur covered in a creamy bechamel cheese sauce. The pot luck sides included a half dozen different salads, potato salads, scalloped potatoes, vegetable dishes, watermelon, and a whole table of desserts. I had a heaping plate of home cooked goodness. Plus a serving of lemon cake and a scoop of berry cobbler. Seconds are encouraged and supposedly the record holder made 4 trips through the line!

Hikers go through the buffet food line first. But importantly, when you enter each and every hiker must ring the gong and everyone claps to welcome them! So fun. 

Everyone eats at long tabes outside, but directions are for hikers to spread out so that community members can fill in at each table, which I loved. Chatting with Lake City locals was the highlight! Good people. 

Hiker Reunions

In terms of mileage for southbound hikers, Lake City’s location and the small size of the community make it common for this to be a place where you run into other hikers that you’d met much earlier on trail. The moment I walked into the hiker center I was greeted by G Bear and Tater who I’d met my first week on trail but hadn’t seen since before Breckenridge! (They’d been stuck in a vortex and already spent 3 nights in Lake City!) Standing in line at the Lake City Bakery I heard a familiar voice and it was Multi-Function, another friend from my first week who I’d hadn’t seen in weeks. 

The Texas Connection

Okay, another thing about Lake City. One of the first things you’ll notice is there’s a strong Texas vibe here. It’s not like a bunch of Texas tourists on the Colorado ski slopes in December; this is different. There are Texas flags on houses and vehicles. Many of the locals and seasonal residents are from Texas. The Lake City bakery sells the best koalches I’ve ever had outside Texas, and for dinner I ate brisket nachos while listening to live country music at the Packer Saloon. And unsurprisingly, they played favorites like “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” and “Amarillo By Morning.”

Outdoor patio at Packer Saloon with live music on a Monday night.

I’m from Texas so I loved it. I heard two main explanations for the prevalence of Lone Star State transplants. Quite a few people said that this sliver of Colorado used to be part of Texas (likely referring to the Republic of Texas’ attempt to claim a swath through Colorado in the 1830s). Others told stories about how their families had owned property and been vacationing in Lake City for generations. One told a story about a Houston based church that ran a summer camp around Lake City in the 1970s. Whatever the case may be, the town seems to embrace their Texas connection with open arms.

A Broken Arm

My predicament was my hurt wrist from falling on my hike into Lake City. At the bar Climb, where we grabbed a beer before the Sunday night dinner, fellow hiker BMW took one look at my wrist and said matter of factly that it was broken. I wouldn’t necessarily take the word of any hiker trash, but BMW was also an ER doctor. Uh oh. 

At hiker dinner, one of the locals I met was Marsha who happened to be the X-ray tech at the local clinic. So bright and early Monday morning, I went to see Marsha and the rest off the staff at the clinic. They were all so nice and I was helped right away. Unfortunately, BMW had been right. My wrist was broken and the nurse proceeded to wrap my arm in a brace that surely would prevent me from putting on my backpack or setting up my tarp. My hike was officially over. 

Ready and Eager to Help

The next course of action was to return home. But Lake City is famously remote. There’s no public transportation — no bus or plane service. The hiker center recommended I post on the locals’ Facebook page and ask for a ride to Gunnison, about 55 miles northeast.

Within a short time of posting, I had offers of help pouring in. In total seven people offered specific assistance, including an offer from someone driving all the way back to Texas in a few days! Wow. Where ever I went in town, locals would recognize me from my post. The check-out lady at the General Store asked if I’d found a ride yet. People at the Packer Saloon and the Bakery asked if I needed any further help with a ride. The woman who runs Breakfast Hangout & Euphoria and Hangout Hostel (which by the way are both awesome!) also checked to make sure I had found transportation.

It was incredible generosity. Not just a willingness to help a stranger … it was an eagerness to help someone in need. I’m still completely humbled by the experience.

And all of this happened in spite of the fact that the Elk Fire was — and still is — burning dangerously close to town. As I was driven to Gunnison we passed a staging area where firefighters were stationed and working to hold the line on the wildfire. (As of today July 30, the still active Elk Fire remains 6.5 miles north of Lake City, but it’s 37% contained and recent rain is helping to limit fire growth.)  

All I can say is Thank You Lake City. You are a special community. Nothing compares. Look for me to return in 2027. I most definitely will be back in Lake City to spend some time before completing the Colorado Trail!

Until then, may God bless Lake City.