Lake Fork Trail #82

Dogs Off-leash

Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Fall Colors · Fishing · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · Lake · River/Creek · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Access to Cabresto Lake via Forest Road 134A is steep and requires high clearance, 4wd might be necessary. A large parking area is open at the bottom on Forest Road 134. As this is close to Questa and Taos, it's recommended to not leave valuables in your vehicle.

This is the main access route into the Latir Peak Wilderness. The entirety of this trail is narrow singletrack, through thick forests along the Lake Fork of Cabresto Creek. Beginning at the Cabresto Lake Campground, after 2.5 miles the trail passes a junction with the southern point of the Bull Creek Trail #85 and continues another 2 miles to a junction with Trail #115 to Heart Lake. Continuing another half mile north, the Lake Fork Trail ends at a junction with the northern point of the Bull Creek Trail #85 and the Midnight Trail #81, near an old Forest Service cabin.

Once you run around Cabresto lake the trail is pretty straight forward class 1 terrain, with a fairly consistent elevation gain of about 450' per mile.

The gems of this run are Heart Lake, and the high ridges and peaks of the Latirs. A few campsites can be found along the trail, and several in the forest surrounding the lake.