Lily Pad Lake Colorado Trail Guide
Lily Pad Lake is a popular out and back hike located just outside of Silverthorn, Colorado. The lake’s name comes from the hundreds of lily pads which sit in the lake with the Tenmile Range Mountains in the background. This hike is popular year round, but peaks during the summer months of June, July and August. This hike is family friendly and suitable for all hiking levels.
Lily Pad Lake Quick Facts
Lily Pad Lake Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)
Distance: 3.34 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 9,581 ft
Highest Point: 9,873 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 600 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 2 Hours
Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?
Class: Class 1
Season: Year-Round (Expect snow December – May)
Directions to Lily Pad Lake
Trailhead: Lily Pad Lake
Getting Here: There are two trailheads that provide access to Lily Pad Lake. The one you will see in Google Maps (Lily Pad Lake TH) is from Meadow Creek TH. The more popular TH starts at Ryan Gulch. This post will provide directions to the Ryan Gulch TH: From I-70, exit #205 at Silverthorne and travel north on HWY 9 to the first traffic light, this is Wildernest Road. Take a left onto Wildernest Road, which turns into Ryan Gulch Road. Continue on Ryan Gulch Road up the winding hill past numerous condo complexes. At the top of the hill there is a parking area on the left. The trail starts at the far side of the parking area towards the houses.
Parking: There is a small parking lot that can fit about 20-25 cars, this area will likely get busy on summer weekends. The parking area does not have a bathroom.
Fees: None
Summary
Camping: Dispersed camping is allowed on this hike since it is part of the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area. Campsites must be under 15 people and need to be set-up at least 100 feet away from any lake or stream. Before lighting up a fire at your camp, please check out restrictions from the Forest Service.
Dogs: This is a dog friendly trail and one you can expect to find other dogs on. Dogs must be leashed and of course, please pick up after your dog. There are usually poop bags at the start of the hike.
Make it a Loop: Lily Pad Lake is an out and back hike with the option to extend your hike via a variety of other trails including the Meadow Creek Trail which eventually hooks up with the Continental Trail and brings you up to Eccles Pass. If you decide to do this, your hike will be 8+ hours.
Trail X Factors: Since Lily Pad Lake is accessible year round, the biggest X Factor on the hike is the snow level. Snow will most likely start accumulating on this hike around November/December and will usually last until May or June. The amount of snow the area has will vary from year to year, but since this hike is at such a high elevation, snow lasting through May and Jue is very common. When we visited at the start of May, the trail was socked full of snow from the parking area all the way to the lake. In fact, we only saw the ground about 2-3 spots along the way and near the shore of Lily Pad Lake.
Hike Tip(s): Lily Pad Lake is a popular hike year round. If you want to limit the crowds during your trip, I recommend visiting during non-peak hours. For me, this usually means starting before 7AM or starting after 4PM. In addition to crowds, parking is limited at Lily Pad Lake, so keep that in mind as well when planning your visit.
Best Views: Lily Pad Lake has a couple of great views along the hike. About a ½ mile into the hike, you enter a massive field (decimated by a recent fire) that provides you great views down into Dillon and Silverthorn with the Continental Divide in the background. After this point, you enter the woods for a while, but when you finally re-emerge at Lily Pad Lake you get fantastic views of Uneva Peak over the lake itself.
Lily Pad Lake Trail 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: Microspikes – only needed when there is snow
- Optional: Yaktraks – only needed when there is snow
- Optional: Snowshoes – only needed when there is snow
- *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.
My Trip to Lily Pad Lake: May 2019
Jackie, Juno and I arrived to the trailhead around 3PM on a Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was about half full and we were expecting to see quite a few people along the hike. We asked a group who was just finishing up (carrying their snowshoes), if floatation was necessary and in unison, they said “yes.” 10-4!
We popped on our snowshoes and then hit the trail. The snow was well packed but very soft as we walked up the small hill from the parking lot. We passed another couple with their dog, Juno was excited to play, so we let them hang for a bit before moving on. Although the snow was soft as mashed potatoes, we found that if we stayed on the central packed down portion, we did not sink into it at all. Juno on the other hand did not get this memo and was up to her head in the snow every time she ventured off the trail.
The trail to the lake started in an open field but eventually worked into the thick forest that surrounded the housing complexes in the area. After about 10 minutes of hiking, we passed a sign that told us we had now entered Eagles Nest Wilderness. We continued walking along the sloppy snow trail deeper into the evergreen trees. The trail to this point had been fairly flat, but we started to encounter a few small hills as we made our way closer to Lily Pad Lake.
About 10 minutes before the lake, we passed by the last two hikers we would see all day. They were enjoying the nature of Colorado to the fullest and offered to share some adult beverages with us. Jackie and I had just been at Outer Range, our favorite brewery in the area, so decided, why not? We packed the drinks and kept moving towards the lake. Right before Lily Pad Lake there was a little pond that we initially thought was the lake. We quickly figured it out though and hiked another 2-3 minutes before reaching the final destination of the hike: Lily Pad Lake.
The lake was still 90% frozen over and snow covered but still offered fantastic views of the Ten Mile Range mountains in the distance. Since we were the only hikers at the lake, it was very quiet, peaceful and serene. Jackie, Juno and I enjoyed the views and nature’s peaceful sounds while drinking a mixed vodka drink from the two strangers, Juno of course did not have any.
After about 20 minutes of relaxing and taking pictures, we realized that a small storm was moving in and decided to hit the trail back to the car. The hike back was uneventful and luckily the weather held up for us outside of a few snow showers. Overall, even in winter conditions, we all liked the hike to Lily Pad Lake. We were able to avoid crowds and hike the trail in non-peak season which I am sure positively contributed to our experience. Lily Pad Lake was nice because it was a relatively short hike that is close to town, but after a few minutes of hiking you leave civilization behind and feel immersed in nature.
Leave a comment below or message me on Instagram if you have any questions about this hike!
