With over two thousand lakes throughout Colorado, you can fill every weekend with a new expedition. We are on a mission to profile as many Colorado lake hikes as we can. Our favorites are the high mountain paternoster lakes. These are a series of tiered lakes connected by mountain streams, each lake spilling into the other, creating cascades and waterfalls along the way. Rocky Mountain National Park is full of these. Explore the trail profiles below and come back as we add more lake hikes near Denver.
Eleven Mile State Park Interpretive Trail
Crater Lake Hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness
Silver Dollar and Murray Lakes Trail
Square Top Lakes Trail on Guanella Pass
Manitou Lake Hike Near Colorado Springs
Brainard Lake CMC Cabin Hike
Jasper Lake Hike in Indian Peaks
Long Lake Loop in Indian Peaks
Devils Thumb Lake
Lost Lake Hike Near Nederland
Booth Creek Falls Hike Near Vail
Tarryall Falls Near Jefferson, Colorado
Herman Gulch to Herman Lake Hike
Beaver Loop Hike in Golden Gate Canyon
Mohawk Lakes Hike Near Breckenridge
Diamond Lake Hike
Continental Falls Hike Near Breckenridge
Pear Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Finch Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Lawn Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Bluebird Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Ouzel Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Sandbeach Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Ypsilon Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Lion Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Cub Lake Loop in Rocky Mountain National Park
Lake Helene Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Odessa Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Spruce Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Monarch Lake Loop Hike
Bierstadt Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Cub Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Solitude Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Sprague Lake Loop Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Aaron Johnson has been hiking in Colorado for over 20 years. The owner and editor of Dayhikes Near Denver, Aaron writes every trail profile as a local guide who has hiked hundreds of miles of trails along the Front Range and deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.