By:
Submission
Take I-70 to Eagle (Exit 147). Turn south and follow signs through town. Turn south on Brush Creek Road and travel 10 miles to the Visitor Center. Continue on Brush Creek Road until the road forks and becomes dirt. To reach the lake, at the fork, stay right and travel 5 miles to the campgrounds and cabins. To Brush Creek Yurts: Follow above directions until fork in road. Take left fork and travel 4 1/2 miles. The yurts are on left at the top of the switchbacks. The yurts are 9 1/2 miles from the lake.
Need a reservation to camp but we went during second hunting season and it was no problem to get one. We paid 28/day. Conveniently there's a dump station there. I recommend packing in water as the park is trying to save some water. We were right on the lake and did some fishing and hunting. We're locals and can't really stay out of the woods. Plenty of game here, spotted turkeys plenty of deer elk moose and beavers. Eagles too and one very brave bluebird. If you haven't checked it out yet it's great in summer and fall. Winter too if you don't mind the cold. Avoid in late April early may unless you love mud.
This beautiful lake is easy to access from Rifle, CO. It was easy to launch our kayak from the shore. David caught several trout while I hiked the 2 mile parameter of the lake. The visitor center has good information about the area.
This park is amazing. Very beautiful and peaceful. We saw moose and bald eagle. Although the fish we caught were small, the big ones are out there. Water and dump station are available in season. No electricity and NO cell service.
06/10/2023
First time camping here and couldn’t have been a better trip. The views were amazing, took the paddle board on the water, fished, and hiked. It’s got everything you could ask for. Couple things to keep in mind, reserve a camping spot in advance, and the lake is a no swimming lake. Truly paradise though.
***I do want to warn dog owners! We came back and found a tick on our dog. We used tick and flea spray and did a bath as soon as we got home. Luckily we found it right away.
On a whim, my wife and I were looking for a new lake to fish, as the spring runoff made the creeks and rivers too high and fast for fly fishing. We found Sylvan Lake, and couldn’t have been happier with our decision. We found this hidden gem in the mountains outside of Eagle. They have cabins and yurts for rent, although we just stayed for the day. A day pass was only $10.
The lake has a nice easy hiking trail and many fishing access points around it. The entire trail around the lake is about 1.4-1.5 miles. There is a small inlet creek crossing that has a wooden bridge on the far end of the lake.
Views of the mountains near the salt/aspen from the lake are absolutely stunning.
We wish we would have brought our SUP, because the waters were very calm, despite there being a breeze around the lake.
I would highly recommend this relatively hidden lake for camping or a nice day trip.
