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.
“Very impressed with the itinerary I got for Austin for a weekend with the kids. So convenient and easy to use. Highly recommend for people with busy schedules looking for an easy and best way to plan an adventure.”
7 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
Fancy Lake → Fancy Pass → Missouri Lakes
Plan and book your 2 days in Holy Cross Loop, one step at a time
How 2 days in Holy Cross Loop split up
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
4 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
Book the 1 night
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling. We check every booking site, put your points and card perks against the cash price, and email you this plan back with the best room we can find for each night. 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
For the driving days
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.
Everything you'll actually want to know before a Holy Cross Loop trip.
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.
We'll find the cheapest way to do this trip.
Tell us your dates and we price the plan you just built: every booking site, the hotels direct, and your own points and card perks against the cash price. You get it back by email with a link for each night and what it saved you.
- It is free. The hotel pays us, not you. You pay their normal price.
- Nothing is charged and nothing is held. You decide at the end, or you walk away.
- Beds near trailheads are the part that runs out. Everything else can wait.
The figures below are estimates from local nightly rates, so you know the ballpark before you ask. The real number comes back once we have checked what is free.
- 1 night, a campsite near Minturn
1 × $26$26
- 1 night, a room in Minturn
1 × $195$195
- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide
- Airport pickup, every drive, all the gear
- Weather turns, they rewrite the day
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Builds every custom itinerary herself and leads guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests. Based in Seattle.
Booking Holy Cross
Everything below is booked with the operators direct. We earn a commission on some of them, which is what keeps the itineraries free to read.
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What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
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One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
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How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family's trip.