The Fancy Pass Missouri Lakes Loop Two Passes and Nine Miles in the Holy Cross
Nine miles, two passes and almost nobody knows it is here, which is the entire appeal.
Under nine miles, two passes above 12,000 feet, and a chain of alpine lakes at both ends. It works as a long day or as the easiest one-night backpack in Colorado, and the permit is free at the trailhead.
Guided from $1,475 per person. Free to ask, pay after the guide confirms.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
8 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Holy Cross Loop: every stop pinned in order.
Fancy Lake → Fancy Pass → Missouri Lakes
Plan and book your 2 days in Holy Cross Loop, one step at a time
- White River National Forest lifted its forest-wide fire restrictions on September 25 and says they could be reinstated if conditions change. The watershed campfire rules posted at the trailhead still apply. Source
How 2 days in Holy Cross Loop split up
Plan 2 days for Holy Cross Loop. Distance: ~8.7 mi. Gain: ~2,800 ft. Permit: Free. The Fancy Pass and Missouri Lakes loop is the best short backpacking trip in Colorado that nobody talks about. Under nine miles, a chain of alpine lakes at each end, and two passes above 12,000 feet, all inside the Holy Cross Wilderness between Vail and Leadville.
Day 1: Fancy Lake and over Fancy Pass
3 stops · Day one
Day 2: Missouri Pass, the lakes, and back down
5 stops · Day two
Fancy Lake and over Fancy Pass
From the Missouri Lakes / Fancy Pass trailhead, the Fancy Creek side climbs steadily through forest beside the creek to Fancy Lake, which sits in a bowl under the pass and is the obvious place to camp if you are splitting the loop.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
Homestake Creek Rd off US 24 · DriveFrom US 24 take Homestake Creek Road, then Missouri Creek Road to the trailhead at the Fancy Creek junction. The lot is small, around thirty cars, and fills on summer weekends.
- Fancy Creek to Fancy Lake
Steady climb through forest · HikeA steady forested climb alongside Fancy Creek to a lake sitting in a bowl below the pass. This is the obvious camp if you are splitting the loop over two days.
- Camp at Fancy Lake
Dispersed · free permit · watershed rules · CampFancy Lake, in its bowl under the pass, is the natural camp for a one-night loop, and it leaves both passes for the morning when the weather is most settled. It is dispersed wilderness camping on the free self-issued permit, with extra camping and campfire rules for the Fancy Creek watershed posted at the trailhead board. Camp well back from the water and filter everything.
Missouri Pass, the lakes, and back down
From Fancy Pass the route drops and traverses to Missouri Pass, then descends past Treasure Vault Lake and into the Missouri Lakes basin, a scatter of small alpine lakes in open tundra that is the prettiest part of the loop.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Fancy Pass
~12,380 ft · high point · mtnSteep, short and completely exposed on top. At about 12,380 feet it is the high point of the loop, with the Sawatch Range and Mount of the Holy Cross laid out around you.
- Treasure Vault Lake
Between the passes · WaterSitting in the saddle between the two crossings, and the quietest water on the loop. Most people walk straight past it.
- Missouri Pass
The gentler crossing · mtnThe second pass, lower and gentler than Fancy on both sides, dropping you into the Missouri Lakes basin.
- Missouri Lakes basin
The highlight of the loop · WaterA scatter of small alpine lakes in open tundra, and the reason people come back. Beautiful camping and completely exposed, which matters when a storm builds.
- Missouri Creek back to the car
Forest descent · routeA forested descent along Missouri Creek closes the loop back at the trailhead. Leadville is forty minutes south, Minturn twenty-five north.
Sort where you sleep each night
Most nights on this trip are in a tent. Reserve any campsite the route needs, and the room either side of it if you want one.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling: the rooms either side, and the guided days in between. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Holy Cross Loop
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping out 1 night
For the drive to the trailhead
Why this loop punches so far above its nine miles.
All the vertical, none of the mileage
2,800 feet of climbing packed into 8.7 miles means you get two 12,000 foot passes and two lake basins without committing to a multi-day trip.
The free permit is genuinely free
No lottery, no Recreation.gov, no fee. Fill in the self-issue permit at the trailhead board and go. Read the watershed restrictions on the same board while you are there.
The trailhead lot is tiny
Homestake Creek Road off US 24 leads to a small lot that fills on summer weekends. Arriving early is the only real logistics problem this trip has.
Two exposed passes, one afternoon
Both crossings are above treeline with nowhere to shelter. In monsoon season that means an early start is not optional.
Planning Holy Cross Loop, answered.
Fancy pass: the questions people ask most.
About 8.7 to 8.8 miles with roughly 2,600 to 2,800 feet of elevation gain. As a day hike it takes most fit hikers five and a half to six hours. As a backpack it is a comfortable one-night trip.
Overnight users need a wilderness use permit, which is free and self-issued at the trailhead board. There is no lottery, no reservation and no fee. Additional camping and campfire restrictions apply in the East Cross Creek, Missouri Lakes and Fancy Creek watersheds.
About 12,380 feet, and it is the high point of the loop. Missouri Pass, the second crossing, is slightly lower and gentler on both sides.
The Missouri Lakes and Fancy Pass trailhead sits at the junction of Missouri Creek Road and Fancy Creek Road, reached from US 24 via Homestake Creek Road. The lot is small and fills on summer weekends.
It is one of the best. Under nine miles split across two days, with an obvious camp at Fancy Lake, a free permit and no reservation system. The only serious demand is the altitude, since both passes are above 12,000 feet.
Either works. Going up the Fancy Creek side first puts the steeper climb and the higher pass early, and leaves the Missouri Lakes basin and a gentle forest descent for the way out.
Tell us your dates and we ask a local guide who works this area what they can do on your days and what it costs. If nobody is free, we tell you. Asking is free: no card, no deposit, and nothing is held until you say yes.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 2-day loop. Same 6 stops.
- 1 night, dispersed wilderness camp, free self-issued permit
- Free
- Rental car, 2 days
- $120
- A private local guide, campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Last checked September 2026
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You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
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