My experience includes years of maintaining wilderness trails both as a wilderness ranger with the United States Forest Service and as a member of the Friends of the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area.
Below is an easy hike for beginners that is located on Buffalo Mountain between Silverthorne and Frisco that takes visitors to Lily Pad Lakes.
PO Box 3431
Copper Mountain, CO 80443
[email protected]
Trailhead 39�37.140� N, 106�06.630� W
Destination 39�36.030� N, 106�06.962� W
Hours 1
Miles 2
Nestled among a dense lodgepole pine forest at the southeast edge of the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area, the Lily Pad Lake Trail offers easy access to great views of the Blue River Valley surrounding Dillon Reservoir. With an elevation gain of only 200 feet and length of 2 miles, Lily Pad Lake Trail is a welcome path for a family trek in hiking boots, snowshoes, or cross-country skis. No mountain biking is permitted and pets should be leashed beyond the wilderness boundary.
The trailhead begins on the eastern face of Buffalo Mountain in the Wildernest development, a few miles above Silverthorne. In order to reach the trailhead area by public transit, hop on a Wildernest Summit Stage from the bus transfer station near the Silverthorne Post Office, west of Highway 9 north at Third Street.
By personal vehicle, take the Silverthorne exit from I-70 and turn left at the first intersection on Highway 9 north of the freeway. Begin traveling west along Wildernest Road, the frontage access wrapped around the base of Buffalo Mountain. Follow the switchbacks by turning right onto Ryan Gulch Road. Proceed through the Wildernest condominium for 3.6 miles to the shared parking pad for the Buffalo Mountain Trail and Lily Pad Lake Trail.
The lower trailhead is the entry to the Buffalo Mountain Trail that climbs 3,000 feet to the northwest to reach the summit of Buffalo Mountain. Up the road a hundred steps, beyond the Summit Stage bus stop, is the gated Forest Service Road that serves as the trailhead for the Lily Pad Lake Trail.
The Lily Pad Lake Trail, 39�37.140� N, 106�06.630� W, at 9,830 feet, follows the topography to the south. About forty minutes, the Lily Pad Lake Trail meets the Salt Lick Trail, 39�36.327� N, 106�06.815� W, at 10,010 feet, where the trail turns to the right and follows a water diversion ditch. The trail continues through a wetland area where moose are frequently sighted. In a bit over an hour, the trail reaches fraternal twin ponds, Upper Lily Pad Lake and Lower Lily Pad Lake, before descending to the Meadow Creek Trailhead near Frisco.
Upper Lily Pad Lake is a shallow pond covered in yellow water lilies in summer and frequented by ducks. Across a small earthen berm, Lower Lily Pad Lake, 39�36.030� N, 106�06.962� W, provides a view of the north end of the Tenmile Range above the lodgepole forest. To the north, the summit of Buffalo Mountain rises above the shoreline.
Beyond the beaver dam that helps close the outlet to the lake, the trail drops through open meadows and aspen glens filled with wildflowers in summer. An alternative adventure continues south to the junction with the Meadow Creek Trail and descends into Frisco. A short walk along a gravel frontage road leads across the freeway overpass to the Summit Stage transfer center in Frisco, where a free bus to Silverthorne can be found.
