Island Lake is around 9500 feet elevation and the hikes from here have a lot of bang for your buck (a lot of scenic lakes with minimal elevation gain). The easy trail coupled with the beautiful scenery makes this one of the most heavily trafficked trails in the area, so we were surprised at how few people we saw there (not that we were complaining). This area is a must stop for us every year. We have previously hiked to Becker and Albino Lakes and Steve has done some of his long distance hikes from this trailhead (e.g. Spirit Mountain).