Best Trails near Clark, Colorado

Did a 10 mi. loop that included other lakes. Wild flowers in late July & spectacular views of other peaks could not be better.

My experience was very much like the review of Anna Borg.

I hiked the trail on October 30, 2018. Didn't see anyone else out on the trail.

Incredible scenery and a great payoff at the end. The lower part of the trail was a little wet and muddy in a few spots, and the last mile or so was covered in snow and ice, but easily passable.

Did this trail today, 10/27/18, from the slavonia trailhead and loved it! The scenery takes you through tons of aspens (which are still gorgeous bare, but the leaves are gone now), rocky landscapes, lots of river crossings, and WOW that scenery! The last mile up/down to the lake from the largest river crossing is currently icy snow pack mixed with some rocky/muddy terrain, which made our trip take a bit longer and took more energy. Clocked 9.28 miles and 2000+ elevation gain as a heads up as well.

Hiked Hahn’s peak on Oct 8th. Lower trail clear. Upper trail 2-3inches snow. Making climb to top pretty easy. Conditions good. No view due to visibility. We liked the hike and look forward to doing it in the summer!

Tough but soooooo worth it!!!

Great trail minus the horse poo... Lots of elk hunters out currently. Only saw 2 deer on the trail. Lake is gorgeous. Hike the entire loop if possible. I believe the AllTrails mileage is off though. Our gps tracker said 5 miles to the lake from the Gilpin trail.

We went clockwise and was good as the other way would have been much longer in the ascent. Loved this hike but my IPhone clocked 13 miles. It was gorgeous but a few more miles than I expected. Perfect time to hike it. I will go back and probably camp halfway next time. ❤️

We hiked that trail today 9/13 it was an amazing hike, we went counterclockwise and did the entire Loop. Unfortunately we lost a Micro SD card on the trail - it is in a plastic case- if anybody finds it please message me. or call Brian 847-702-9240. Thank you

hiked on Labor Day 9/3/18 with my 16 year old son. Got a later start, arrived at trailhead at 9am. VERY crowded parking wise. But trail was not too crowded. Saw a few groups, all courteous and enjoying the hike. No tough creek crossings. No significant wildlife sightings on this day; however, my wife and I had hiked the Gilpin Lake trail two weeks before and ran into a bear about 45 minutes up from the trailhead. The bear was only about 10 yards from the trail.....never once looked up from his feeding frenzy on the vegetation. Lots of dogs as part of the groups, only about half were leashed, none were trouble. The hike is AWESOME. So glad we went counterclockwise, sure seems to be the easier way to get to the "saddle" south of Gilpin Lake. A GREAT hike, nice day, just a few sprinkles.

The leaves are starting to turn on the way up. The water color of the lake is as blue as Maroon Bells! Beautiful turquoise! Chilly water temp. Will do the full circle next time.

Very nice hike
Beautiful views
The lake is also beautiful
The way in is a steady gradual climb with only a few switchbacks
The first half is shady
Would be a nice trail run for advanced runners

Hiked it today we went counter clockwise. The views when you crest the ridge to see the lake are amazing. I clocked it at 11.6 Miles. I definitely recommend the counter clockwise to enjoy the views of the lakes on your decent. Will do this hike again next time in town.

Holy cow - this has to be the most gorgeous hike I've done yet in Colorado. It has everything you could ever want in terms of scenery: waterfalls, aspen groves, high alpine lakes, and endless mountain meadows. Counter clockwise is definitely the way to go as others have mentioned, as the incline is a bit more gradual, and the descent to Gilpin lake is absolutely breathtaking. We did this hike over Labor Day weekend - the aspens aren't quite yet turning, but there's plenty of beautiful fall colors on the forest floor to be enjoyed. We took a ton of breaks for lunch, snacks, and pictures, and clocked in at 6.5 hours. Cannot recommend this highly enough!

My boyfriend and I were originally planning on hiking Mad Creek Trail yesterday, but realized that we had already hiked that several years ago. We decided to hike something different so continued to drive towards Steamboat Lake. We ended up finding Slavonia Trailhead, and decided that would hike a few hours and then turn around thinking that Gilpin Lake was actually 6 miles one way. Fortunately, another hiker told us that Gilpin Lake was only 4 miles one way, so we charged on. It was well worth it. Crystal clear lake and not too many people at the actual lake. We were sluggish that day, but it took us 4 hours round trip. Not too mention, the best part was that we saw a bear and her cub driving back from the trail towards Steamboat. :)

Prime time right now. Just go, you won't regret it. Spectacular views once you get about 2-3 miles in heading toward Gilpin Lake via Clockwise hike. Did one night, would have loved to have done 2. So much to explore and do including jumping into the lake!

Beautiful hike! This trail has a little bit of everything (streams, animals, lakes, mountains) and the fall colors are amazing right now. I can only imagine what it looked like with all the wildflowers.

I accidentally went clockwise (left at the dorm) and I enjoyed the trail. The first half up to the lake was gradual and I walked around for a bit before proceeding up the switchbacks. The hike up wasn’t that bad because my legs were warmed up. The view of the lake from up top was amazing. The rest of the hike was downhill. Overall the hike wasn’t hard. It’s a long hike so I think that makes the elevation gain easier. I started at 6 and the trailhead was packed when I came down.

Incredible views that are definitely earned! Counterclockwise is the way to go as many others have suggested. Clocked it at 12.2 miles total.

Spectacular!

This hike was not strenuous but it was fun and it did get my heart going when I kicked up the pace. I have to admit- it’s hard to keep pace with the endless beauty this hike brings. I was mesmerized by the wildflowers, trees, mountains, and wildlife all around. The lake at the top was peaceful and I saw a moose and all sorts of smaller creatures all along the way. It took me about 5 hours up and back- but I stopped many times to take it in and get photos. I highly suggest going in the afternoon- there is more wildlife and less people! Enjoy!

Great hike for all, and especially for doggies, as the distance is moderate and there is plenty of water along the way! Our Apple watches had the distance closer to 6.2 miles RT.

Great hike. Agree that this is a moderate hike. Beautiful trail with one good and several minor falls along Gold Creek. Caught 25 brookies on second trip with dry flies. Parachute Adams worked well.

Trail is 3.6 miles round trip, not one way, so half as long and twice as steep as expected. If you can drive to the first, small parking area you can make it to the second, larger one just beyond. The sign is a little ambiguous; see pic. Nice hike, pretty views. I recommend a trekking pole and no children in backpacks, due to steepness.

This is two hikes in one. You start traversing above the glacial valley of the Middle Fork of the Elk through aspens on a smooth dirt trail. Halfway through, you make an abrupt turn into a hanging valley. The trail becomes much rockier and steeper as you switchback through a profusion of granitic dikes. The Aspens give way to subalpine firs. Three Islands Creek cuts through the adjacent granite. After a nasty hour, you arrive at one of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in the state. This is not a long hike, but a steep one and the road to the trail head features all the washboard you could want, but we traverse the state in Prius, so if we make it you can. Don't go. I want it for myself.

Awesome hike! Beautiful the whole way! Not a “difficult” hike—more like a moderate— and the uphills had some nice flattish spots thrown in to give you a break. Wished we could have stayed longer to explore. Would definitely do it again!

Completed this hike in mid-August with a few novice hikers. I was a bit nervous about the elevation gain since the beginners weren’t totally acclimated but they ended up crushing the whole trail right up to the summit! A great hike for everyone.

We started the hike around 8:00am and finished around 12:30. We were in a small SUV and decided to park at the second fork before the main parking area at the trailhead which added around a quarter mile to the hike. Any 4WD vehicle with decent clearance should have no problem getting to the main parking lot. Ideally, I would have preferred to start closer to 6:30 as the greater part of the hike out wasn’t shaded and it ended up getting pretty warm. The trail is short but really steep and the last half mile is up/down some gnarly scree but there’s no scrambling required. Overall, I’d say this trail is more moderate for experienced hikers and difficult but doable for beginners. Beautiful scenery on way up and panoramic views from the top. Highly recommended!

Did this hike for the third time this year. Beautiful every time! Did this on a Monday morning, on the trail by 9, and only saw 6-7 other hikers. No wildlife, perfect weather. A bit hazy toward the West with the wildfires.

Do it counterclockwise, so you crest the ridge and get hit with the amazing view!!

This is a beautiful trail worth the effort to get to the lake. The river and waterfall along the way are beautiful. However this is not an “easy” trail. Especially for visitors not used to Colorado’s elevations. There are switchbacks just before you reach the lake. I had my two sons: 8 and 10 with me. They had to stop for many breaks. We completed the out and back trail in 6 hours. I only saw 2 other children on this hike and we saw about 40-50 people on the trail on peak day - Saturday. Also we did see a black bear cross right in front of us on the way up! We tried to make noise but he just stared at us, so we did not linger we just jogged past him and continued on our way. He just stood there and watched us go by. He was maybe 10 yards from us. I did have snacks in a loksak opsak ( smell/bear proof bag) in my back pack thank goodness. Also after the log crossing make sure you turn right! There is a deceiving trail leading left but don’t go that way you’ll get lost.

NIce hike. the 9 miles of dirt road to and from was a bit much. only a few people out and back. If you aren't from here or acclimated to the elevation the way up can be slower. Ended just over 9900 feet per Garmin.