The next morning we woke up early, ate an amazing breakfast in the restaurant, and then drove to through the tiny town of Minturn and headed to the Fancy Pass and Missouri Lake Trailheads. We started up the Fancy Pass side and planned on making the big loop all the way around to Missouri Lake. The start of this hike was mostly in the trees, and it was shaded which was wonderful. There were a few sections where some big trees had fallen into the trail, and we had to climb up and over them to get through the trail. After some steep ascent we popped out and saw the lake. It started to sprinkle and hail which was crazy and sort of fun. We were glad that we came prepared with our light running rain jackets. As we made our way to the pass, we heard thunder and stopped for a moment to access the situation. We started to turn around but after a minute we decided it was best to keep going up the pass since the clouds and sky in that direction looked clearer. So, we booked it up the snow field, being very careful with our footing. We had to post hold several times since there were some deeper sections. Once we popped out over the other side the meadow bowl was littered with wildflowers and we had a 360-degree view of the most amazing mountain ranges. This was our favorite part for sure. As we made our way across the meadow and up towards Missouri Pass it started to thunder again. It kind of took us by surprise since we thought that had passed, so we hiked as fast as we could up the pass. There was one section where I feel into hip deep snow, and it took a little bit of help to get out. After we made it over Missouri Pass the clouds part and we could see Missouri Lake. This hike literally took my breath away! With every turn there was something amazing to behold whether it was another part of the lake, beautiful wildflowers, or distant mountain ranges. This was one of the best hikes I’ve been on in Colorado. Overall, the hike was a bit challenging but very doable in one day. After finishing our hike, we drove back to the hotel and got ready for some pampering. We both got massages and then spent some time in the grotto area where we sat in the adult only underground hot tub. It was amazing! For dinner that night we ate at the Japanese restaurant, and we were both stunned at how tasty the food was. We will definitely be returning to this hotel and restaurant someday!
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