Fourth of July Trail

Hiking the Fourth of July Trail in Nederland

June 13, 2020

I hiked Fourth of July trail with Whitney, a girl I had met that morning. Fourth of July trail was not on our agenda. We initially intended to hike Lost Lake, but when we arrived, there was zero parking. We asked the rangers that were on-site where the closest hikes were around the Nederland area, and they pointed to a rocky road that veered to the right. We thought it was a service drive until they had said it was the Fourth of July trail, and it was better than the Lost Lake trail. So off we drove.

Fun Facts

Cost: $0 per person (dogs on leash are welcome)
Elevation: 10,940 Feet
Miles hiked: 5.3 miles round trip
View: Many waterfalls and Diamond Lake
Temperature: 60 degrees
Don’t Miss: Diamond Lake
Note: This hike is considered moderate with a few switchbacks. Elevation gain is 1,200 feet.

The drive up to the trailhead was rough, most small cars would have difficulty driving the road, but some did make it. Parking was plentiful since most people headed to the Lost Lake trail and didn't know this trail was so close. After parking, we had to walk up the road to the trailhead a little way, and on the way, we passed something that looked like a shrine in the middle of a boulder field. I still cannot figure out what it was.

There were many waterfalls you pass through as well as bridged pathways to walk on throughout the trail. At one point, the trail breaks off into different trails, one to go up and one to go to Diamond Lake.

The flowers were just starting to bloom and were far and few between along the trail.
American Globeflower - Low Beardtounge - Yellow Avalanche Lilly - California Phacelia

We were unable to reach Diamond lake due to the deep snow. We attempted to travel across the snow, but we kept falling through and ended up pretty wet, so we turned around and stopped for a snack close to the larger waterfall before traveling back to the car.

This is one trail that I would do again, especially to reach Diamond Lake. The views were fantastic from every angle and the traffic was fairly light.