Booth Lake Vail, Colorado Hike Guide
Booth Lake is a popular out and back hike located in Vail, Colorado. Nearly 10 miles round trip, this hike’s halfway point is a beautiful high elevation lake that sits on the doorstep of the Gore Range. Although the hike is a bit lengthy, it is a good option for beginner hikers, families and those visiting Vail. The trail up to Booth Lake consists mostly of packed dirt so it can get muddy in the spring while the snow is still melting.
Booth Lake Quick Facts
Booth Lake Trail Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 9.8 miles RT
Elevation Start: 8,444 ft
Booth Lake Elevation : 11,244 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 3,100 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 4-5 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 2 – What does this mean?
Season: July – October
Directions to Booth Lake
Trailhead: Booth Falls
Getting Here: Booth Lake is accessed via the Booth Falls trailhead and parking area. To get to Booth Falls TH, take exit 180 off I-70 and turn on Frontage Road. Follow this for about a mile until you reach Booth Falls Road on your right. Continue on the road for about a quarter mile until it ends and there is a very small parking lot. Please note that this trailhead is not open year round and can have seasonal closures. See parking section below for additional information.
Parking: Booth Falls trailhead has a small parking lot that can fit about 10-12 cars. One side of the lot has a sign for 3 hour parking while the other has a sign for parking 11AM – 7PM. Parking is free and there are no restrooms at the lot but whoever drew the lines for the lot was clearly on Jenny Craig because they are very slim spots. If this lot is full, you can park along Frontage Road which is about a 5-10 minute walk from the trailhead. Technically speaking, if you are going to camp up near Booth Lake (or anywhere in the area) you are supposed to park down at Frontage Road. There are a few porta-potties at the TH. *Please note: This lot is subject to seasonal closures read more information here.
Fee: As of 2021, there is no fee to hike Booth Lake.
Summary
Dogs: The hike up to Booth Lake is dog friendly. Expect other people and dogs along the way as this hike is fairly popular.
Camping: If you would like to camp on the way up to or near Booth Lake, that is an option. Once you get about a 1/2 mile from the camp, there are several open fields to pitch a tent. The areas to camp near Booth Lake offer slightly better views, but are also incredibly bare in regards to resources (lack of cover from weather, lack of firewood etc.) If you plan on making a fire, follow leave no trace and be sure to check the current fire restrictions for summit county.
Make it a Loop: Booth Lake is an out and back hike, but there are several other worthy sites along the way including Booth Falls. If you are feeling ambitious, once you get to Booth Lake, you can summit a variety of Gore Range Peaks including The Fly. Although many of these summits do not have an official trail, they are a short hike up the massive bowl that surrounds Booth Lake.
Trail X Factors: Beauty
The hike up to Booth Lake is absolutely beautiful. When you start the hike, you are near the most crowded area of Vail, but within minutes of ascending, will leave it all behind for the serene wilderness. Booth Falls, which is a very popular destination for those visiting the Vail area is one of the many cool spots to check out on your way up to Booth Lake. If you stop and enjoy the falls, you will notice that your hike after the waterfall will be significantly less crowded. Once you leave Booth Falls, you will enter spanning forests, fields and see another handful of smaller waterfalls before you reach Booth Lake. In the summer, the area around the lake is covered with colorful wildflowers and of course you have the jagged Gore Range peaks in the background.
Hike Tips(s): Booth Falls trail can get pretty busy on a weekend. Since there is limited parking (especially for spots that allow parking over 3 hours), I would recommend getting to the trailhead early to save yourself the extra walk up from Frontage road. If you are into fishing, bring your rod up to Booth Lake as there are fish in the small high alpine lake.
Best Views: The scenery at Booth Lake is stunning, from mountains to streams to wildflowers. Take your filters if you enjoy long exposure shooting because there is a waterfall about ¼ mile south of Booth Lake and of course Booth Falls about 2 miles from the parking area. Even though this hike is longer, you will be glad you added the extra weight to your pack to bring all of your camera gear.
Booth Lake Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to to Booth Lake: August 2016
My trip to Booth Lake was part of a larger hike up to The Fly. But hey, who doesn’t like a hike where you can get two reviews out of it? Jackie and I hit the road Friday afternoon after work (along with every other resident of Colorado) and arrived at the Booth Falls parking lot around 6:30PM. Our plan was to hike to Booth Lake on Friday night and spend the night there before our we set out to hike The Fly Saturday morning. When we arrived, there were a couple of other cars in the lot and we quickly realized we were not supposed to park here overnight. Quick side note about me: I tend to not follow the rules, especially with parking signs. This has gotten be in trouble over and over again over the years, but once again I decided to roll the dice and leave the car in a spot where it was quite notably not supposed to be.
We hit the trail and saw a few groups of people who were most likely heading down from Booth Falls, a huge waterfall along the trail (hike post coming in the future). We hiked for a few hours until the sun went down, but I really wanted to camp near the lake. The information I had printed out online turned out to be completely incorrect so after an hour or so of hiking in the dark, we found a suitable place to camp and spent the night there. We enjoyed the quite night under a star-filled sky. Although it was not camping near the lake, I was very content with the impromptu spot we had chosen.
In the morning, we left our tent and one bag and proceeded to make our way towards Booth Lake. It turned out we were actually pretty close to the lake (about .4 miles). We stopped right before the lake to snap some pictures at a small waterfall and continued to Booth Lake to eat breakfast. The lake was absolutely stunning. The water was crystal clear and the small island in the middle of it seemed like a perfect place to live the rest of my days as a hermit in the woods. Booth Lake was stunning, but we had larger fish to fry and eventually made our way up towards The Fly.
After summiting The Fly, we stopped back at Booth Lake to pump water for the hike down. I had briefly forgotten about my illegal park job and started to imagine rounding the the last switchback and seeing my car had vanished. Needless to say, this made me a bit anxious. Suddenly, a loud “OW!” interrupted my lovely thoughts and I turned around to see Jackie on the ground holding her ankle. Somehow she had managed to roll her ankle and was writhing in pain. Jackie is a lot of things, but stubborn is at the top of that list. I offered to make her a splint, but the pride stubbornness inside of her told me, “I am fine”. I proceeded to take her overnight bag and we slowly made our way down the trail. I wish I could tell you that we were close to the car, but we still had over a mile to go. After several sarcastic conversations with other hikers about why I was carrying two backpacks, we finally arrived to the parking lot. Words could not describe how happy I was to see my car and without a ticket. Chicka Chicka, yeah!
Booth Lake is a bit lengthy for a high elevation lake, but the beauty of it makes this hike absolutely worth it. Even with the bad memories of injury surrounding our hike, I will certainly be back to The Gore Range and hope that another trip to Booth Lake is in my future.
