Pushed to Our Limits
We set out to do a pretty moderate hike for our level: a 5 miles, 1,200-foot elevation gain hike to Diamond Lake. We made it to our destination but decided to keep hiking to the upper Diamond Lake based on a recommendation from some other hikers at the (lower) Diamond Lake. They told us that it was worth at least hiking up to see the wildflowers halfway to the next lake, so we continued on the hike. What was planned to be an extra mile to see the flowers turned into us hiking all the way to the Upper Diamond Lake which nearly doubled the mileage and elevation gain from the (lower) Diamond Lake.
Our day started out like any other hiking day - waking up somewhat early and heading to the trailhead. We left by 8:30 and started on the 2-hour trip to the 4th of July Trailhead just outside of Eldora. We had no idea to expect the road to be closed at Nederland Highschool, and we were told the parking lot was full. However, we were told we could wait in line for parking spots that become available as hikers left. Thinking that there would be a wave of early-morning hikers finishing up around now, we decided to get in line. It was around 10 am, and we waited about a half-hour for the 5 cars in front of us to be allowed up to the trailhead before we were allowed to drive up as well. We got to the trailhead much later than we expected - around 11:30 - but I can't complain since we got a parking spot. Overall, that was one of the best parking experiences I've ever had when parking at an incredibly busy trailhead.
It's not often that our hikes take up the entire day. We typically have some time in the evening to do some chores or relax a little bit. And because of this, we had many other plans for our afternoon and evening other than just this hike, but since this hike was a 2 hours drive each way (plus waiting for a parking spot) and hiking for nearly 6 hours, this took up the entire day with us not getting home until 7:30.
So far, I've only complained about this hike. Obviously, if this hike wasn't that great we wouldn't have continued on from the first lake. The weather was a little warm in the 70s but overall that's pretty acceptable for a hike in mid-July. Besides seeing 4 alpine lakes on this hike, we also saw quite a variety of wildflowers flourishing everywhere. It's not really wildflower season anymore so it was nice to see this many wildflowers on a hike. In addition, we saw many cascades and waterfalls much larger than anything we've ever seen in Colorado before. There aren't many waterfalls in Colorado, so to have gotten to see so many - including hiking across one - made this hike pretty special. Additionally, the hike wasn't all that bust considering that we had to wait for parking. We same a few other groups of people from the trailhead to the first lake, but then we saw almost no one beyond that. This is important to how much we like a hike because we hike to get away from people. So this hike checked all of our boxes and then some. There are other hikes in this area that we definitely want to come back and do, but there's a pretty large barrier with the parking situation that we might wait a little bit before attempting another in this area.
Because of how difficult this hike felt, I decided to pull some statistics about our hiking, as well as, my all-time statistics. Comparing this hike to other hikes, I found the following:
- Katie and I have only done 2 other hikes with more elevation gain than this one (Gray Rock: 2,421ft and Crosier Mountain: 2,162ft).
- This is the second longest mileage that Katie and I have ever done during a single hike, only second by a mere 100 feet (0.02mi) to Button Rock Mountain.
- This is the longest time we've spent hiking before.
I'm not quite sure that this being our longest hike is a good thing. That mostly shows that we were slower today than some of the other similar distance and elevation gain hikes. But even If I look at my all-time records, this hike still fairs pretty well as one of the hardest hikes I've ever done:
- 12th for elevation gain.
- 4th for distance.
- 2nd for time.
Although apparently, I've done quite a few more hikes with lots more elevation gain in my life than this one. But it's still impressive based on distance and time.
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Waterfall From Diamond Lake
The hike started out by hiking on the opposite ridge that we were going to. Because of this, we got some great views of the area we were heading to, although we didn't quite know it at the time. This cascade/waterfall is the water runoff from Diamond Lake.
Destination
Since the hike started on the opposite ridge and horseshoed onto the ridge in this photo, we had a good view of our destination. Diamond Lake is at the base of the most pointy mountain just right of center, and Upper Diamond Lake is in the bowl just below Mount Jasper - the peak on left-side of the cloud.
Cascades
About a mile into the hike we came across some cascades that flowed over the trail. The cascades were several hundred feet high at this point and fell fro another several hundred feet. It's mind blowing to me that even in the middle of July there's enough snow melt to create this much running water. The lighting on the cascade was too harsh when I took this photo, but I got a good photo on the way back that's later in this album.
Flowing Water
The water was flowing strong in all of the streams that we crossed.
Meadow of Wildflowers
Right before getting to Diamond Lake there was a gorgeous opening of wildflowers. This is a white Bistort flower.
Elephant Head
This is an Elephant Head flower growing in the large open meadow right before Diamond Lake.
Diamond Lake
We stopped at Diamond lake to eat lunch and relax. Katie even took off her shoes to dip her toes in the cold lake. The wildflower in this photo is an Elephant Head Flower.
Water Runoff
The waterfall in this photo coming off the side of the mountain is from the Upper Diamond Lake.
West End Of the Lake
After eating lunch on the East side of the lake - the far back edge left of center - we hiked around the other side to start heading up to Upper Diamond Lake. After lunch the clouds started to come out providing a little bit of shade.
Wildflowers Part 2
about a half-mile form Diamond Lake heading up to Upper Diamond Lake we found ourselves in a meadow surrounded by wildflowers.
Looking Back
Looking back form the trailhead created a great view of the mountains we were leaving as we hiked further up.
Second Lake
Not too far from Diamond Lake we ran into another smaller lake. This lake doesn't have a name, but we stopped and rested for a few minutes before continuing up the mountain.
Nearly There
Considering we were nearly five miles into the hike I was surprised that I managed to snap a photo of Katie smiling.
Snowy
We were hiking around 11,000 feet in elevation when we came across some snow. It's the middle of July, it was in the mid 70s for temperatures, and yet there was still snow on the ground.
Upper Diamond Lake
We made it to Upper Diamond Lake completely exhausted after hiking 5 miles and climbing nearly 2,000 feet in elevation from the start of the hike. We were completely exhausted but we were only half-way done.
Mount Jasper
Mount Jasper didn't look nearly as tall from Upper Diamond Lake, but we had climbed up almost 2,000 feet from where we started the hike and the top of the mountain is another 1,500feet from where this photo was taken.
Green Mountainside
We started heading back but the photography wasn't over quite yet. The lighting was changing very drastically with all the clouds rolling by, so I stopped to take a photo looking East. The small lake in the photo doesn't have a name, and we didn't get too much closer to it than from where this photo was taken.
Snow Tunnel
We came across a tunnel over the river made of snow. I wonder how much longer this tunnel will be here before it's completely melted.
First Cascades
On the way back from the hike we crossed the first cascades that we hike across. The lighting was much better on the way back since it was nearly 4 pm by the time we got back here.