Outbound Collective logo

Upper Diamond Lake via Fourth of July Trailhead

Nederland, Colorado

4.8/5
based on 4 reviews

Details

Distance

8.12 miles

Elevation Gain

2037 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Eric Schuette

Upper Diamond Lake offers solitude in a very popular area of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. This is a wonderfully scenic hike that includes several alpine lakes and many options of places to explore: there are several waterfalls, beautiful little streams, and many meadows of flowers along the way.

The trail begins at the 4th of July trailhead, which is located near the Eldora ski area and can be crowded during the summer and weekends. The road is rough in places but passable by any car when dry. From the parking area begin hiking the Arapaho pass trail, which will gently gain elevation through forests with occasional glimpses across the valley. Just after a mile into the hike there will be a trail junction, take the diamond lake trail and begin to descend towards the valley floor.

After 0.5 miles you will cross middle boulder creek, which is beautiful area for photographs, flowers, and small waterfalls. Continue along the trail as you ascend through forest from the valley floor to Diamond lake. Just before diamond lake and approximately 1.8 miles from the trailhead the devil's thumb trail splits to the left. Stay to the right (north/west) and continue to diamond lake. Once at diamond lake (a worthwhile small dayhike in its own right and reportedly good for fishing), continue along the northern shore of the lake on the heavily used trail towards the inlet stream.

Near the inlet stream a small unmarked trail will split to the right and begin ascending the hillside. The trail can be hard to find, if you do not see it, continue to the inlet stream and begin ascending. After several hundred meters the faint trail will become more obvious on the hillside. You will follow this unmaintained trail for the next mile as you pass beautiful meadows of flowers, small tarns, and beautiful mountains. As you reach the top of the ridge separating diamond and upper diamond the trail becomes harder to follow.

From here follow the trail as best you can. However, if you are unable to follow the trail or if you prefer to meander follow the easiest path to the west (uphill). The area consists of wet meadows and some class 2 scrambling over rocks, which range from pebbles to house sized boulders. In approximately 0.5 miles you reach upper diamond lake and your destination.

Notice how alone you feel despite being in the middle of several very popular areas (diamond lake and Arapaho pass) and enjoy every minute of it!! The easiest way to return is to follow the same route back to the trailhead. The more adventurous could continue to climb up to Mt. Jasper but I have not done that route and cannot vouch for its difficulty level

Read More

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app
Download GPX File

Features

Camping
Photography
Hiking
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Forest
Lake
Scenic
Waterfall
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Upper Diamond Lake via Fourth of July Trailhead Reviews

Must get there early or be prepared to wait. They have a good system though, we waited about 45 minutes before we could head up to the trailhead. I really loved all the waterfalls and streams and the lake is beautiful.

Great lake to relax in, with very little crowds!

I’m no hiking pro. Neither is my husband. Apparently our little dog is though. We all loved this hike. When we got to the top and saw a beautiful meadow of wildflowers we were speechless. And when we walked towards the lake, all we could say was, “Wow!” I took several pictures but they honestly do it no justice. We stayed at the campgrounds below but we hope to camp at the top next visit.

Great hiking/camping location. There is some good fishing in the stream and lake. It is very pretty with a fun hike along the way.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Backpack to Caribou Lake

Hike the Arapaho Traverse

Hike to Diamond Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness

Hike South Araphaho Peak

Hike to Arapaho Pass and Lake Dorothy

Hiking the Indian Peaks Wilderness' Lost Lake