Park across Hwy 22 from Phillips Canyon trailhead unless you get there early enough to park on gravel access road - recommended. To the lake and back is 7 kilometers. This is an outstanding though short national forest hike that is rewarding at any time of year. The natural amphitheater above the lake is a perfect place to practice telemark ski turns. Invertebrate fossils and wildflowers may be found here: please leave for others to enjoy. Up to the wilderness boundary this is land of many uses so please be courteous in your sharing. If you’re hiking before 8:00 a.m. you’ll be ahead of the masses. This trailhead is the location where Rocky Balboa, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, ditched the Soviet observers assigned to him when he went to “Siberia” to avenge the death of Apollo Creed at the hands of Dolph Lundgren’s Drago in Vegas in “Rocky IV,” prior to running through thigh deep snow all the way to the top of Rendezvous Peak! Strong.

This is a short hike to a small mountain lake. Best to be done when the flowers are out in the summer . Can be busy and expect to see a lot of dogs

This hike is REALLY special in the late spring when the wildflowers are out. Moderate uphill on well makes trail to a beautiful Alpine lake.

This trail has lots of variety and when the flowers are out amazing. Varied terrain well maintained.

Ski Lake trail begins at the Phillips Canyon trailhead and is described as a 6-mile round trip, but my smart watch tracked it less than that (~ 7.18 kms). It's also described as the most accessible of all alpine lakes in the area, which seems about right (compare with say, Amphitheatre or Surprise Lake, for example) Description: difficulty level, moderate Uses: hiking, dog walking, jogging and horseback riding Attractions: forest, meadows, wildflowers, some wildlife (squirrels and plenty of songbirds) Beginning/ending elevations: 7,650 feet to 8,650 feet. The locals consider this an easy trail and many use it for an easy dog walk or jog (one of my mates even calls it not really a hike). I guess that all depends on how acclimatized and fit you are, as it still constitutes an increase in altitude of 1000 feet from a starting elevation of 7,650. So if you're new to this altitude, be prepared to take it slow. We went in late June when the weather was fine and there were wildflowers everywhere – I'd say (in my limited experience) that it's one of the best near-by trails to see a wealth of plants and wildflowers. We even found some elusive ones such as the steer's head flower and the chocolate lily. The trails at lower elevations were covered with Arrowleaf Balsamroot and were beautiful as a result. You pass through beautiful meadows, then over creeks and streams as well as through aspen meadows and some steep climbs on loose rocks. Even though it was late June when we went, there was still snow up near the top. When you reach the top, the trail opens out to the beautiful Ski Lake that is apparently very green/turquoise at some times of the year. When were there, it was a bit churned up from dogs swimming in it, so the color was not as intense. But it's still very pretty nonetheless. This is not the most spectacular alpine lake around, but it is relatively easy to access if your level of fitness is limited and you don't want to hike all day (unlike Amphitheater as I mentioned earlier). Worth the trip especially for the wildflowers in Summer. Close to Jackson as well.