Lost Lake via Hessie Trail is a 4.4 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Nederland, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and backpacking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
backpacking
camping
hiking
snowshoeing
forest
lake
river
views
bugs
muddy
rocky
snow
NOTE: It has been reported that the road to the trailhead is currently closed due to COVID-19. So you have to walk ~4 miles on the road to get to the trailhead. Please see the park's website for up to date information.
Great, beautiful trail. They were monitoring the amount of cars going up to the trailhead when we got there at 9:30am on a Sunday, but they let us wait at the high school until there was room at the trailhead.
awesome trail. fun to walk and great view. some part of trails needs more trail marks. got off track couple times.
Great hike. Got to the trail head parking at 7:00 am. Some snow the last 1/2 mile but easy. A lot of people heading up when we were heading down. The road was closed into town when we left at 11. That adds 4 miles if you start at the HS.
Just finished hike and while it is quite beautiful there were so many dogs not on leashes and we saw three not so smart individuals pulling their dogs one of which was tiny through the water which is quite high on road to walk through. I actually spoke up and explained that there was a trail and these individuals just said “yea”. Come on people. Love your pup enough to know when to leave them home. They have no voice of their own. Lots of dog poop bags as well. Otherwise trail was really nice. Did need spikes for very short period
Awesome hike! Prepare for spring runoff conditions! Very wet and quite a bit of snow
JJ Jacquay recorded Lost Lake via Hessie Trail
5/27/20- started at midday and the first mile was dry. The rest of the trail was either under water or slush. Definitely recommend waterproof shoes for this one. I used poles the last mile and was glad I had them but they weren’t necessary. Definitely don’t need traction or floatation on this one. Trail was super crowded for a Wednesday so if you are looking for solitude this isn’t the one for you. Parking was a cluster per usual. Saw a moose in the beaver ponds at the trailhead but none on the trail.
Great hike up to lost lake. Still a bit of snow on the trail but it’s well packed. I brought crampons but didn’t really need them. Overall fairly quiet and even got to see a moose at the end!
Absolutely gorgeous but VERY busy. Would recommend crampons just because it would make crossing the snow patches easier and faster. BUT highly recommended. Parking is a pain though and residents can be angry due to how popular it is
Gorgeous winter wonderland hike. Everything was very frost bitten when we arrived. Tried to keep going past the lake but the snow pack was too deep and it was hard to stay on trail. Up to the lake is packed enough but trail spikes wouldn’t hurt especially in the afternoon when the pack turns to slush. There’s also some areas very wet with snow melt running down the trail. It required some stone hopping and mindfulness. Water proof hiking boots would be good on this one. It’s worthwhile though. Parking is alongside road. No parking lots. When we left at 10:30, sheriff had road into Eldora closed and it looked like one in and one out. Very few people at 7 when we started. The drive out and back is gorgeous. Be prepared for a little road construction, though.
Allison Sitler recorded Lost Lake via Hessie Trail
Saw 3 moose today!! Started snowing on us near the lake but definitely worth it!
Jen ..
Arrived about noon on a v busy holiday weekend. The trail head parking was full so the sheriffs made some folks park about 3miles away. (adding a whopping 6+ miles to your hike) Or you can wait for them to wave you thru after folks leave which might take a few minutes or an hour. The trail itself is beautiful and relatively easy. The last half mile can be quite difficult at this time without yak trks, super icy and slushy snow on the ground still. Once you get to the lake, views are best on the campsite side.
Fantastic views! Went Memorial Day weekend and the falls on the way to the lake were incredible! Great bang for your buck.
Went 05/22 at 8am and there was plenty of parking. There were some parts that were super icy and slippery; I was glad I brought my trekking poles. I recommend bringing spikes if you can but not required- just be careful. Beautiful hike and lake is so peaceful.
Gorgeous hike and well worth it. Parts of the trail are quite snowy and I was happy to have had my spikes, but other members of my party did okay without them. Because of snow melt, parts of the path are flooded and require rock hopping. The sheriff closed off the road to the nearby town and we ended up walking ~4 miles on the road to get to the trailhead, but the walk itself was quite beautiful.
