Trail Information
Trail Name: Big Molas Lake Trail
Location: Silverton, Colorado
Date: July 17, 2016
Time at the Trail Head: 8:00 am
Trail Length: 1.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 55 feet
Elev. at Trail Head: 10,610 feet
# of Hikers Passed: 18
# of Mnt. Bikers Passed: 0
# of Horses Passed: 0
Mosquitoes: 10
Trail Research
I’m not sure why my daughter and I started out in Estes Park, Colorado and decided to drive up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, on our Way to Silverton, Colorado, but it happened just that way. We love the area around Durango and Silverton and we though it would be nice to camp out and hike in the area so, we made the long trip across Colorado.
Drive to the Trail
We started out our day in Estes Park, Colorado. The morning was gorgeous and we stopped for breakfast in Estes Park before hitting the road.
Estes Park is my kid’s favorite place to visit in Colorado, and I think it would be yours also if you visited.
We finally arrived in Colorado Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak and we were in for some incredible views as we headed up the mountain.
It’s a good idea to get there early as a lot of people like to make the drive up Pikes Peak during the summer.
We spent a short time on Pikes Peak before hitting the road again on the way to Silverton. We arrived at the campground late and pitched our tent with high hopes for a beautiful hike in the morning.
We woke up early and the day was beautiful. The mornings are always so peaceful in Colorado, so don’t miss out when you visit.
Our Day on the Trail
We woke up early and the day was beautiful. The mornings are always so peaceful in Colorado, so don’t miss out when you visit.
We didn’t make the entire hike down to the river but we did see some spectacular scenery on the section of the trail we did hike.
The mountains around Molas Lake and Silverton are just majestic.
We didn’t spend a lot of time at Molas Lake on this trip as the monsoon season hit that day and it was nothing but rain in the forecast for the next week, so we set off for northern New Mexico, to the Latir Lakes, north of Red River, as the weather outlook was much better.
My daughter thought that New Mexico was all desert, but she would soon find out that norther New Mexico looks a lot like Colorado.
Trail Recommendations
There are many trails in this area for all experience levels. The Colorado Trail even passes through here on the last section before reaching Durango.
The area is so beautiful and there is something here for everyone to enjoy.
Lessons Learned
We had many years of great fortune with the weather in Colorado but the last few years we have had more rain then we expected, so I would highly recommend a good tent that is sturdy and can handle the sunshine and the rain, plus some great hiking pants and waterproof boots.
- Package length: 26.924 cm
- Package width: 26.67 cm
- Package height: 4.826 cm
- Package quantity: 1
I would love to know if you have had any experience on this trail or have other trails you love to hike. Leave a Comment Below or send me an Email.
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Big Molas Lake Trail
Pros
- Beautiful Lake
- Animas River Near By
- Incredible Mountain Views
- Well Maintained Campground
- Colorado Trail
Cons
- It Can Be a Long Drive to Get Here
hello, it is a great and nice feeling to know that someone will create a great website like this and also create a write up on an article like this. i love the explicit explanation and it is a nice view from the map. i consider this as one of my new locations
You could come back year after year and experience new things and places. I never get tired of visiting this area.
Rick
Other than the fact that this is a hiking trail and also very vast, this Colorado hiking trail is such a beauty that I’m envious. This is really beautiful and surely would be a privilege to hike on this trail. Of a truth, I dont get much time to hike in a year but then, the times I get, I try to make them spectacular and this is simply great to behold. Thanks so much for sharing this
You are welcome. The nice thing is that in addition to hiking, there is so much more to in the southwest corner of Colorado. I think one of the favorites is to ride the Durango Silverton Railroad.
It is truly a spectacular place to visit.
Rick
Sadly I have had no experience of US trails though I would very much like to. What I do want to say is that what you are doing here is tremendous. I am learning a lot about these trails from reading your posts and I am thoroughly enjoying the excellent accompanying photographs.
The descriptions you give are very reminiscent of the tramping (kiwi vernaculars for hiking) trails we have here all across NZ some of which are extremely challenging indeed. Many North Americans come to NZ to enjoy these tramps and I think they are often surprised by the difficulty level of some of the trails that they find here.
Great post thank you.
Hamish 🧐
My son and a few of my friends have often talked about making several trips to New Zealand. You have some incredible mountains there and I can see from a distance that they would be difficult.
Rick
It was a very good one for our first Colorado hike. The altitude was an obstacle, but we managed. The dogs loved it, especially the stream down at the bottom. We took some photos, Would like to do this again when the trail is dry and no snow. Trail is rocky in some areas, but still nice. Very nice views of the mountains. It took me maybe about 4 hours to complete. Good for family outing
It’s great to hear of your personal experience on this trail. Several of us are planning on hiking this area again but when we hike the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango, which is about 483 miles long. I’m not sure we’ll complete it in one summer though.
Rick
Colorado has always been a goal of mine to travel to. I live in Washington State, a place with quite a few beautiful places itself, but nothing can compare to the mountainous trails of Colorado. Big Molas Lake Trail in Silverton, Colorado is on my bucket list now. I can’t read about a trail without wanting to travel it myself.
1.6 miles long at a 55 foot elevation gain doesn’t sound too strenuous; however, I can see how much beautiful nature can fit in that 1.6 miles. All the pictures you shared in this post here are absolutely beautiful and I hope to share my own pics of the same sight. Thank you for sharing this post and opening my eyes to new hiking sites I need to travel to.
I was born in Tacoma, Washington and lived in Oregon and Washington for 20 years before joining the Air Force and leaving for some new adventures. I love the northwest.
We made this a short hike but you can definitely make it a long and strenuous one. The great thing is that you get to see so much beauty without having to travel long distances.
Rick