Silver Dollar Lake Trail

Hiking Silver Dollar lake trail

June 21, 2020

Silver Dollar Lake Trail had its highs and its lows on this day. This was another trailhead that the road was rough, and driving a smaller car would not make it to the trailhead parking lot. There is a paved lot about a mile from the trailhead. We hit the trail mid-day, and the traffic seemed reasonably low, with most people leaving.

Fun Facts

Cost: $0 per person (dogs on leash are welcome)
Elevation: 11,950 Feet
Miles hiked: 4.1 miles round trip
View: Three lakes
Temperature: 64 degrees
Don’t Miss: Silver Dollar Lake (its the second lake you see)
Note: This hike is considered moderate with a fair amount of scramble. Elevation gain is 722 feet.

The first part of the trail was the hardest as it was all uphill until you get to the first lake, lake Naylor. You can curve to the left and stay on the trail or go straight and end up with excellent views of Lake Naylor. We noticed many trees that were down all along the trail as we climbed higher and higher.

Parry’s Primrose - Aster Alpinus - Parry’s Clover - Babiana Angustifolia

We followed a trail high above private lake Naylor to get to Silver Dollar Lake, and on the way, we went through many different obstacles. There was a section with a fair amount of scramble followed by what looked like an avalanche section of deep snow that was luckily packed down enough to walk on.

Fremont’s Leather Flower - Erysimum Humile Flower - Ledge Stonecrop - Baby Monnina Xalapensis

We brought Monroe with us, and she loved every minute of the hike. At one point, she was going so fast she jumped in a puddle of mud, sunk to the bottom, and looked at us in defeat until we pulled her out and moved on. A few small mountain prairie dogs were hanging out on the rocks, but luckily Monroe did not see them.

With all of the snow melting you could hear the waterfall under the large boulders.

After seeing Lake Naylor, the views become more dramatic when we reached Silver Dollar lake.

Silver Dollar Lake

Silver Dollar Lake was so blue once we got close. We spent about five minutes at the lake before a sleet storm was rolling through, and the wind picked up, forcing us to turn back around. There is another lake (Murray Lake) further up the trail, but with the storm coming in, we could not get to it easily.

Across from Lake Naylor was a small waterfall that we could hear on the trail.

Luckily the storm passed, and we were able to stop and take in the views on the way back to the car. Silver Dollar Lake was beautiful, and I would love to go back to experience more of the lake and the lakes above.