Details
Distance
12.14 miles
Elevation Gain
2346 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
This is a new adventure! Be the first to share your experience.
Join a supporting community of travelers and adventurers sharing their photos and local insights.
Added by Outbound
Devil's Thumb Lake Trail is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a lake located near Nederland, Colorado.
Download Outbound mobile app
Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.
Get the appFeatures
Camping
Backpacking
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Forest
Lake
River
Scenic
Wildlife
Waterfalls
Devil's Thumb Lake Trail Reviews
Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!
Leave No Trace
Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
Nearby
King Lake via Hessie Trailhead
The normal route from the east side is via the Hessie trailhead outside Nederland Colorado. From the west it is most often accessed via the short trail from Rollins pass, which is open in the summer. As noted above, it is also a lake and area ripe for creating your own adventure. The description will be based on the normal route but feel free to use your imagination and combine off-trail advent...
Snowshoe Lost Lake
Driving through the towns of Nederlands and Eldora alone is a beautiful experience. Once you come up to Hessie Trailhead, you'll already be in a daze because you'll be staring at Eldora Mountain and will see some ski runs in the distance.Getting to the trailhead early is best. Parking starts along the street next to the trailhead and fills up fast. Once you find a spot, grab your snowshoes and ...
Snowshoe to Jasper Lake
Starting at 9100 feet, the Hessie trailhead is easily accessible by both 2 and 4 wheel drive cars (depending on how far you want to travel down the road). The trail is fairly easy and often packed down snow up to the cut off point to the Devil's Thumb Bypass, which allows a bypass of Lost Lake and a slightly shorter trip. Once the bypass becomes Devil's Thumb Trail again, you are heading up tow...
Hike to the Lost Lakes via the Hessie Trail
Accessed by Hessie Trailhead, Lost Lake is a relatively moderate 4 mile round-trip hike with about 1,000 feet of elevation. The core of the hike is uphill and on a gravel path, 2/3rds of the hike runs parallel to a rushing waterfall.
After parking your car, head towards the Hessie Trailhead. You'll choose the small path on your right which leads you through a small forest to an open clearing ...
Arapaho Pass and Lake Dorothy
Begin by parking at the 4th of July trailhead. This can be reached by conituing past the Eldora ski area and up a rough but passable (for all vehicles) gravel road to the trailhead. The trail is easy to find, and will continue to rise for the next 1.15 miles.
At just over a mile there is a fork for the Arapaho pass/Diamond Lake split. Take the Arapaho pass trail to the left and continue hiking...
Caribou Lake via 4th of July Trailhead
This is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done in Colorado. It is a great trip for photographers, fisherman or anyone who enjoys mountain views, forests filled with wildlife and peaceful meadows.
Distances:
Arapaho Pass: 3.2 miles, Caribou Lake: 4.2 miles, Caribou Pass: 6.4 miles, Meadow Creek Reservoir: 10.7 miles
Caribou Lake can be accessed from the Fourth of July Trailhead wh...
Discover
Community
© 2026 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy