Lost Lake via Hessie Trail

Nice hike, steep and rocks are a little slippery, but really not bad. Gorgeous views and quiet at the lake. I don’t know who lost it, but we found it

Great hike. Pretty easy but tons to see. Didn’t realize there were a few waterfalls as you hiked along the stream. Great place for a picnic at the lake. Plan to come back and snowshoe this one.

Definitely take the time to veer left towards the river and explore along the waterfalls. It’s beautiful.

Awesome camping area 2 miles from parking. Get there early as non 4wheel drive parking is limited. Easy trail to navigate if you pay attention. Several waterfalls on the way up if you open your ears. 9 campsites at the lake that are first come first serve basis. All are nice but some better than others. There are several cool trails above the lake that you can explore old mines and get an awesome view of devils thumb. Pack your fly pole as you can slay fish up there in the morning or evening. Permit not required as you are not in Indian Peaks Wilderness

short and sweet, if you follow the river instead of the main trail, you'll be treated to a old log cabin and beautiful waterfalls. The main trail is a twisted ankle waiting to happen. The lake is pretty but fairly non descript. Filled with little Brook trout.

Great little hike with beautiful views! A waterfall gushes noisily by you once you’re halfway up, and wildflowers are abundant at this time of the year. It has a good amount of shade as well. The only disadvantage is parking at the trailhead. This is a VERY busy trail, and parking is a nightmare. We added a mile each way to our hike because of the parking situation. I would try and take a 4WD with high clearance to allow for parking closer to the trailhead - Basically you can go down a narrow rocky road (read the directions on other hikes in this app, that start at Hessie trail head - King Lake, Jasper Lake). If your car can make it through that path (which also has water year around, so you are driving through a small stream), your hike will be shorter. Else, your best bet with parking is somewhere in the town of Eldora. Good luck and enjoy the hike!

Absolutely beautiful hike. I went in May and there was still plenty of snow and ice, but returning in July that was all gone and replaced with plenty of green trees and wildflowers. The hike itself is fairly short and easy, but there are plenty of other trails that branch off if you're looking for a little more.

Absolutely loved the scenery on this trail and hearing the river most of the way. It's also pleasantly shady. There are a few water crossings (bridges and on rocks) and wildflowers galore. The views are magnificent. Lost Lake itself is very pretty and still. As other reviewers have said, this trail is VERY rocky. VERY ROCKY. Poles would be helpful if you worry about stability. We managed to hike it okay with our 2 year old in a backpack, but poles would have been helpful. It is lots of uphill with few breaks. Still a very lovely trail. Parking is difficult. I recommend arriving around 2:30 pm. When we left at 3:15, there were many available parking spots. When we arrived at noon, many people were waiting for parking spots.

More difficult than I expected but doable. Lake at the top is spectacular. My dog loved it

Nice hike. Lake is a good oasis. Back country camp sites along the way and around the lake.

It was a nice hike along a creek. The views at the lake were nice. No big views of the range. biggest downside is is the rocky trail. Lots of loose rocks the first 2/3 of the way. Look at the pictures.

We brought our dog on this hike no problem, he’s a boxer lab and loved it. We’ve taken him in February and now and same trail. Nice distance, steady climb, and beautiful lake at the end.

Hike was hard with all the rocks it was almost unenjoyable. We brought our dogs like we do on most hikes but I didn’t think it would be that rocky. Almost the entire trail is rocks. I would NOT recommend being your dogs if you want to go on this trail. You are able to bring dogs and that’s your choice but both of our dogs ripped their paw pads and we even took them off the rocks a lot and let them walk in the grass but I think that’s pretty terrible of a trail and someone not get rid of the rocks or take a good majority of the rocks out. I’m glad we didn’t have our kids and the dogs that would have been a nightmare with trying to keep both dogs and kids safe. Too much of a headache. If you go go by yourself or with other adults.

Fun hike. Rocky trail. We used trekking poles which helped my weak ankles. Don't miss the big falls at the top of the hill! They aren't marked but you can hear them! Remember the lower the better the view with waterfalls. We took the trail around the lake. It gave us different vantage points.

Very pretty. Great views. You get to follow a creek most of the way. Lake is beautiful at the top. Lots of shade along the way.

My wife and I were looking for an easy trail after doing sanitas and a little sore from a cycle ride a day earlier. We were surprised to see it was moderate because it was even more enjoyable than sanitas. The views for people coming from the Midwest are unreal. From the waterfalls to lost lake. So well worth the 3-4 hours spent there. We got there on a Thursday around 9:30 thinking parking was going to be easy. Not so much. Had to park in the paved road about three quarters a mile down. I’m glad we stuck it out. Recommend to anyone who never has really been a a real hike. Very safe and fun.

I did this hike last Monday (6/25) with one of my coworkers, and it was a great little trek just an hour and a half outside of Denver!

We started our hike around 8 am and returned to the trailhead around 11 am. It was a beautiful, cloudless day and we enjoyed 80 degrees and sunshine all the way up to the lake!

The trail is not very well marked and it is easy to get lost if you do not have the All Trails map pulled up on your phone. And although we did get a bit lost about a mile in, we stumbled upon two magnificent waterfalls that made it all worth while!

This is a relatively easy trek that can be completed by any/all hikers in somewhat decent shape. There were a ton of people on the trail, especially for a Monday, so make sure you get started early!

I will definitely be returning to this area, as there are an abundance of incredible hikes all within a few miles of this trailhead!

Nice trail and nice views as recommended by a local friend. Easy to navigate

A nice, easy trail. Pleasantly follows water for much of the hike. Seems like this would be a great spot for easy backpacking - short hike in and nice sites at the lake.

Got there at 7AM and there was zero parking left. A nightmare and rough roads to turn around on. Hopefully can try at a later date.

Fantastic! Did it at about 7pm got back to the trailhead by 820pm. It rained all the way, but the entire trail is pretty well covered.

The wildflowers are out and the creek is high right now!

Very nice hike.
Decent variety - good portion of trail you are walking along a stream. In June, this was a lot of rushing water. Not the little trickles I'm used to in CO mountains. Three bridges in total. Some pure woodsy areas, other wide open views of wooded mountain tops, and of course the lake at the end offering a white capped mountain view on one side.

Fairly easy trail as well. Going to the lake it is a slow and steady incline. Nothing strenuous. No up and downs or zig zags. Going back, you get the downhill.

Suggest putting booties on your pups for this hike - the trail is filled with those smallish jagged rocks at the beginning portion. I had not and my poor pup was limping slightly at the end from a few cuts.

Preface: newbie CO hiker. Great trail overall with fabulous views and great midpoint at Lost Lake. My husbands comment - lovely. Most of the terrain was rocky and hard to get solid toe off on the way up (also hard on my pups paws). The uphills were heart pumping. The almost constant sight & sound of water was refreshing. Some parts shaded and others not. We starting hiking at 9:30a and finished by 12:00... parking was filled at noon (and there’s a good amount).

It was a beautiful hike. So worth it. Family and Pet friendly. You need to get early (no later than 8am) for two reasons, 1st parking is limited, second, the hot temperatures can be detrimental for young children and pets. I got there at 7:30am and left at 12:30pm. The amount of people starting the hike at that hour of the day frustrated me and as I got closer to the end of my hike and saw more and more people just getting there with little children, even babies and pets. I ended up talking to some of them , advising them and letting them Know is not recommended to start a hike that late. The risk of heat exhaustion increases exponentially. The danger of Thunderstorms pass 12 pm is a possibility as well. I understand that you want to enjoy a great time with your family. But exposing your kids to extreme heat that adds up to the long hike, defeats the purpose and your children will prefer to stay home playing games on their tablets and phones rather than going outdoors enjoying nature. I saw them so unhappy and uncomfortable some not wearing any head coverage nor sunscreen, whining and some were just only 5 minutes into the hike. Dogs are the other innocent victims, they wont cry or whine, they will pant uncontrollably and can collapse. You don't need to be an Einstein to figure this out and plan the perfect hike, just a little of common sense will do. And please pick up you poop bags!! It is such a beautiful place to enjoy nature, so please plan smart and you will have the best time ever . Sorry for venting , but I found it necessary because I care about children, pets and families. PS I met amazing and responsible people like an adorable Mom with his baby boy and many pet owners along the hike early in the morning

On weekends in the summer, park at the Nederland park m ride and take the free Hessie shuttle. It adds .5 a mile to your hike but well worth avoiding Parking hassles. Great trail with lots of shade.

Beautiful! If you love water featured in your hikes, this one is stunning and most enjoyable. Best to get there early as it does get quite busy as the morning goes on.
Well marked and just a lot of fun. Good for solo or family hikes.

Love this hike, did it 6-7-18. Trail challenged you a bit but did not kill you. The view was amazing and the river running next to the trail made it just that much better. It is running full steam right now and was fantastic to see. Took a wrong turn while hiking around the lake and ended up going up for a bit and had a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding area. So worth the adventure up. All around a great day hike. Appears parking could be rough on weekends but during week was no problem.

6.2.18 Excellent hike with beautiful wildflowers and a breathtaking lake. Path to the lake was completely clear, although the path around the lake had some deep snow patches, but doable in hiking boots. Arrive early, there were lots of other hikers and fishers. We arrived to the parking lot around 8am (on a Saturday) and about 3/4 spots were already taken.

Fantastic trail, beautiful meadows and wild flowers. Hard enough to make you feel like you've earned the reward at the end, but easy enough that most people will be able to do it. He views at Lost Lake are fantastic. Definitely walk around the whole lake, counterclockwise will save the best views for he end! Oh, and when you hear a roaring waterfall on your left, definitely veer off Rail and take a look. You'll be glad you did. Happy Hiking!