State: Colorado
Location: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Length, One-Way: 4.8 miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 9000 feet
Maximum Elevation: 11221 feet
Best Season: June to October
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: Heavy
Colorado Whitetail
Trail Information
The Woodland Lake Trail from Hessie to Woodland and Skyscraper Reservoirs follows Jasper and Woodland Creeks through forest, riparian woodland and wet meadows and into alpine tundra. Steep stretches of trail are interspersed with more gently sloped terrain, leading the hiker to Woodland Lake, in a gentle valley and Skyscraper Reservoir, set in a cirque basin below the Continental Divide. The entire Woodland Lake Trail is inside the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
If you choose to skip driving through the water and park on the Fourth of July Road, take the quarter mile long Columbine Trail which starts at the bottom of the first hill, just before the water. It is a recently constructed trail that bypasses the flooded part of the road and comes in at the Hessie Townsite. From the Townsite, the road continues rough and with large mud puddles another quarter mile to the Hessie Trailhead. There is very little parking at the trailhead itself.
From the Trailhead, cross the footbridge and take the Devil’s Thumb Trail, which climbs steeply for about a half-mile on an old road. The Devil’s Thumb Bypass turns right (north) in 0.8 miles, just before the bridge. Either the Devil’s Thumb Trail or the Devil’s Thumb Bypass will get you to the same destination - the distance is a little longer by the Bypass. The bypass trail crosses open meadows to the north of the creek. The main trail follows an old road along the south side of the creek, staying right past junctions with the Lost Lake Trail and King Lake Trail.
It is 1.1 miles from the trailhead to the Lost Lake Trail junction, which is right at the top of a hill. From there it is a flat 0.2 miles to the King Lake Trail junction. The Devil’s Thumb Trail enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness just beyond the King Lake Trail junction. It continues fairly level another 1.0 miles to the Woodland Lake Trail junction. In places, the creek has taken over the trail, so hikers have to follow social paths along the bank. Note that the Devil’s Thumb Bypass rejoins 200 yards beyond the Woodland Lake Trail, so if you take that route, you must turn left (east) to get to the Woodland Lake Trail.
Turn left (west) on the Woodland Lake Trail. It begins by climbing fairly steeply along the creek. Then it levels out and the trail becomes more obviously an old road. Woodland Lake is reached in 2 miles. Continue up the headwall above Woodland Lake another half mile to Skyscraper Reservoir.
During winter, the Woodland Lake Trail becomes the domain of snowshoers.
Directions
From Peak-to-Peak Highway (CO 119/72), turn west on County Road 130, located just south of the center of the town of Nederland and follow signs for Eldora Ski Resort and the town of Eldora. At the fork in the road, keep right, through the town of Eldora. At the end of town, continue westward as the pavement ends, following to the left at the next road fork for Hessie Trailhead.
