Hessie Trailhead - Nederland, Colorado

Norma G.

Will

Nice trail just outside of the Denver area. Parking is limited so you may need to park alongside the road. Elevation gain is moderate with some steep rocky parts, but overall a moderately easy hike.

Rebecca J.

Beautiful Hike. Completed on June 18. Amazing views all the way up. The creek was very high and fast when we went so the waterfalls and rapids along the way were fantastic. The trail was very cleared all the way up to Lost Lake. There was a moose less than 20' from the trail. Parking was easy but the road can be a bit narrow when passing other cars so be careful!

Greg M.

Had a lovely hike during the week in early June. Weather was quite different to Denver so was glad we had packed some warmer items.
Walked up to lost lake which is stunning.
The trail had some large puddles in places but and a bit of snow the higher we got.
Didn’t need spikes but we shared our hiking sticks and that was useful for balance when crossing the puddles.
There were some clean honey pots at the parking area.
Took about 2.5 hours to lost lake and back at a moderate pace.
Enjoyed seeing a lone deer.
Looking forward to returning and exploring the other lakes.

Cody C.

I got to the trailhead at 2:20pm on a Monday afternoon and there were spots available.
The trail is well-maintained and provides access to multiple paths into the wilderness. I did the Lost Lake trail. It took just under an hour at a good pace to get to the lake. The water was a good temp and the trail and area wasn’t busy.
There wasn’t a ton of shade at that time of day early on in the trail so protection should be considered. Lots of moisture so plenty of wildflowers but bring bug spray.

Katie F. J.

Really awesome hike up to a frozen lake. We snowshoed up in late January and it was perfect. We did Lost Lake Trail which ended up being about 4 miles round trip. The hike is pretty much all uphill to the lake with a good stretch of flat at the very beginning. Views are gorgeous. We went on a Friday afternoon and parking was wide open. But I can see how it might be pretty packed on the weekends, it seemed like a heavily trafficked trail in general with all the packed down snow.
Highly recommend it!

Jeffrey V.

Hiked up to Lost Lake via the Hessie Trail. The lake was stunning! Crystal clear reflection of the surrounding landscape and sky. Not too crowded of a trail, but parking was tight. Get there early. Also, be prepared for lots of dog waste along the trails. People just leave their bags sitting on the side of the trail.

Kettering

Hessie Trailhead is only accessible by high clearance 4x4 vehicles but there is street parking available a 1/2 mile before the trailhead for us lowriders. This only adds an extra half mile to your hike, no matter which trail you are exploring.

I hiked to Lost lake on this trip. The lake was a solid sheet of ice in early December. There were many footprints leading to the center of the lake. The views from the lake and throughout the hike are awesome!

It is a 2.5 mile hike to the lake from where most people will park (1/2 before Hessie Trailhead) making it a 5 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of around 900 ft. The trail is very easy to follow as there are signs throughout. The terrain is Rocky but should be manageable for most skill levels. I would rate the trail somewhere between 'easy' and 'medium' difficulty. There is also a trail that will take you around the lake but from what I can tell, it is not a connecting loop trail.

There are longer, much more strenuous lake and summit trails that can be explored from Hessie Trailhead. 90% of the trail is either ice or snow. Make sure to bring your shoe spikes and bear spray. There were very few people on the trail, making it a very peaceful hike. I would highly recommend this one.