By:
Submission
Gorgeous hike. We went early on a weekday and there weren't a ton of people out. We took lots of breaks, took lots of photos, and spent a good chunk of the day enjoying the trail. Wildflowers were lovely.
4 stars for a lack of facilities at the trail head itself. Being so close to Denver and very popular it needs a bigger parking lot and real bathrooms with running water. It has plenty of space for it, the county just needs to do it. The trail it's self had absolutely no markers to tell you if you were going the right way which can be confusing for newbies or out of state folks since this trail head leads to many other massive trails. Take water and food. Don't be fooled, these are 13ers and much harder then they look online. It's going to take any where from 3.4 to 6 hours to get to the lake and back down. They need a dog leash sign as well to remind people even the mountains have a leash law. Witnessed dogs in fights but also they have a lot of moose, deer and bears on this trail and it's not safe to let your dogs off leash. Part of the trail over the waters edge needs a railing. Kids and adults were trying to pass and couple of them almost fell off the side.
Double check with county and city events before going because this trail is used alot for races and events. Take your walking sticks and hiking shoes with lots of grip to them. Not sneakers. Be warned this is an all up hill constant incline with continuous elevation increase. Not just a walk through meadows. Very few spots are flat. Very rocky and full of tree vines. The lake is beautiful. Remember leave no trace!
Tough old hike to a beautiful lake. Plenty of stunning views on the way up. It is a tough old hike for sure about 7.5 miles there and back with 1900 ft of elevation gain. It comprises of a steep hard start followed by a flat to medium middle with great views and meadows then a brutal steep bit up to the lake at the end.
This was our first hike of the holiday and if like us you are not used the altitude it can cause catch you out. It starts at 10000 and kicks up to 12000 so an approximate 40% less oxygen than at sea level. We both felt that part of it for sure and had to pace ourselves accordingly. Don't let it put you off just be aware that if you are a lowlander like me it will be a little bit tougher if you are not yet acclimatized.
It's a lovely trail. One of my favorites! The first and last mile are very steep, and parking is a challenge because of the popularity. Views are wonderful, lake is beautiful, and dogs are welcome. It all adds up to a great hike except for parking.
Snowshoed up to about 11,700 today, clocking 6.3 miles. Stunning trail! My friend and I started just after sunrise, breaking trail all day in a solid 6-12 inches of fresh snow. Because of that, we moved pretty slowly and it felt like three times as much elevation gain as it was today (about 1400 feet). We didn't go up to the lake and instead followed the creek up to a gorgeous but windy vantage point for lunch. We saw some large slab avalanche debris (in one of my photos) on an East facing slope just a ridge away from Herman Lake that likely ran sometime this weekend. It might be a good idea to stay off of the Southeast facing slopes leading up to the lake in winter. Great views, though, go make use of our trench (though it was filling back up with snow as we descended, so it might be a bit weak now). Didn't see anyone else on the trail all day!
