Windsor Lake is a 2.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Leadville, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, and fishing. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Incredibly steep but short hike with rewarding views at the top. The road to the trailhead may be inaccessible due to snow, so that's something to consider if you are planning on hiking this during the winter. If the road is inaccessible due to snow, it may tack on an extra 3-4 miles one way.
From the west side of Leadville, on Hwy. 24, take McWethy Dr. N W to Turquois Lake Rd., drive west to Hagerman Pass rd. to the left , and follow it to the trailhead at Hagerman Tunnel.
April 3, 2021The road was closed about 30 minutes out from the trail. We walked about three miles in but didn’t see the trailhead. It was still a great walk - snowshoes were nice but not necessary. Still worth doing!
October 28, 2020Gorgeous hike beginning to end. Wayfinding was a bit of a beast with the snow completely covering the route, but we found our way up and loved every minute of it
October 21, 2020Amazing!! Just amazing. The road up was mostly paved but you do go a little over three miles on gravel (very dry today and my small car made it no problem) trail itself was also dry and easy to follow!
October 16, 2020This is a great hike. Yup it's steep on the way up but the way down goes quickly. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Ghost Town ruins or the old railroad complete with a tunnel! I'm not sure which lake we came to first but it was pretty and then we kept going up past it (it got really steep here for a very short while) and then we came out to where the trail is completely level - this is the old railroad tracks. It offers great views of the lake and if you go left you get to see the tunnel and right a second lake. Very few people out so we had the lake and views to ourselves. Out and back was about 4 miles.
October 12, 2020Short, but steep little hike up to the lake! The lake itself was beautiful and so peaceful. If it weren’t for the wild winds, we would’ve sat a little longer at the top.
October 11, 2020Quick trail to Windsor- steep in places but not bad overall. Kept going to Rainbow Lake and Three Lakes then caught the Native Lake trail back. Stunning scenery- lots of water. Trails are hard to follow past Windsor but easy enough to find your way if you watch the map.
September 28, 2020Short and steep trail to Windsor. Continue left and make your way to Notch Lake and Three Lakes. The trail is harder to follow from there but the views are even better. Notch is emerald green. Continue to the edge of Three Lakes and you’ll overlook a larger lake and have incredible views of the peaks to the east. You may even be able to hook up with Native lake and loop back to the trail heads, but I went back the same way. Amazing, secluded hike!
September 28, 2020September 26, 2020Uphill but fun. Coming down is more work.
September 22, 2020Absolutely loved this trail. Lush, beautiful views, stunning ending, all in all a couple of hours of a fantastic hike. My partner and I shared mini-vows and our wedding bands here after we had to postpone our wedding because of Covid, and we definitely picked the right spot to do it. This will forever be a very meaningful place for us.
September 5, 2020Steep but short. Worth it. Just do it.
August 26, 2020Very steep but short and sweet. The lake is beautiful and the hike is very well worth it!
August 25, 2020Great secluded trail. I can’t wait to do it again.
August 23, 2020As everyone says, this trail is steep but it's also super short. It's just over a mile to get to the lake (there are two, of which Windsor is the second). The trail is well maintained all the way and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It took me about 45 mins to get to the lake and 30 to get back down. I spent about an hour walking the loop around the lake taking photos and admiring it all. Note you will have to rock scramble to fully circle the lake.
August 21, 2020Very steep, but worth the effort!!
August 18, 2020Very steep but ultimately rewarding
August 16, 2020We packed into Windsor for a two night stay with the kids. A relatively easy "steep" hike, given that the trail is well-marked and it's only about a mile into the lake. As many have stated though, it's quite steep for the first 2/3rds of the way, but the views and setting are breathtaking. If you're planning to stay overnight, we recommend staying along the east side of the lake. There are two streams flowing into the lake on that side for purifying water. Bushwhack up the hill from the second stream, and you'll find several great camp sites with views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
August 16, 2020August 11, 2020Don't let the elevation guide fool you, this is pretty up hill until you hit the lakes. That being said, once you're up there the view is spectacular. The trail on the north side of the lake gets a bit tricky. Some wet spots and some spots that require some careful scrambling, but amazing views all around. Took me about 45min to get to the lake, about 60min to go around (stopping for photos) and then about 30min back to the parking lot. Overall about 2.25hrs.
August 11, 2020August 10, 2020Don't be like me - I definitely underestimated how steep it would be. But! As long as you're mentally prepared for that, it's a great hike. Relatively short with an awesome payoff at the end - the lake is gorgeous. Also wasn't very crowded on a Saturday, which is always a big plus. The fork to the left about .4 mi in is really easy to miss, so be sure to be on the lookout for that. Otherwise trail is very straightforward.
July 31, 2020July 30, 2020steep hike but worth it. scrambling required to circumnavigate the lake.
July 29, 2020July 20, 2020Steep trail, but like others have mentioned it was an ‘easy hard’ hike. Beautiful views!
