Mountain climbing close to Winter Park: Lake Evelyn

Colorado is house to greater than 40 wilderness areas. One I’ve not hiked a lot is the Byers Peak Wilderness, so we determined to go to Lake Evelyn.

This is a spot only a few individuals go to. Many of the opinions on AllTrails discuss seeing zero to only a handful of individuals. And virtually all people talks in regards to the highway.

The drive from Winter Park is simply 24 miles, however it takes about 90 minutes as a result of the highway turns to dust, then it will get tough, after which it will get rocky. It is a reasonably drive by the forest and plenty of stunning meadows, however it’s a sluggish drive.

The trailhead has a circle parking zone with room for a number of automobiles. There’s a register, an indication with a pleasant map of the realm and two trails. The left path goes to the St. Louis Divide Trail and Bottle Peak. The proper path goes to Lake Evelyn.

The path begins on an previous tree-lined highway subsequent to Evelyn Creek. As you stroll, search for for a view of the close by mountains.

Deb Stanley

Just underneath 1 / 4 mile from the trailhead is a small, easy-to-miss signal that factors hikers to cross a bridge over the creek.

As you hike the subsequent 1.6 miles, you’ll discover the path has a gradual incline. You’re going to achieve about 900 ft.

For greater than half of that, the path is close to Evelyn Creek. It’s shut sufficient to get pleasure from a number of cascades, however it’s not all the time shut sufficient in your canine to get a drink, so cease while you see a great spot.

The excellent news about this hike is when the path will get a bit of simpler is while you’re close to the lake. There’s a pair switchbacks however the final .75 miles solely positive aspects about 200 ft.

Evelyn Lake is a serene lake surrounded by bushes. You can search for a shady spot or a tree stump to sit down on. On a Friday in July, there have been simply three different individuals on the lake.

Deb Stanley

When you have had a break, you possibly can backtrack to the trailhead or hike additional out to Horseshoe Lake.

Details: The hike to Lake Evelyn is about 5 miles roundtrip with 1,100 ft of elevation achieve.

Note: Be cautious of lifeless bushes within the space. Even although we visited on a peaceful day, we heard a tree fall and located the tree overlaying a part of our path on the way in which down.

If you’ve got any questions, or hike options, electronic mail me at Mountain [email protected] and discover extra nice hikes by following me on Facebook at Facebook.com/DenverHikingExaminer.