Hiking Sand Lake Trail in Flat Tops Wilderness | Pretty and Peaceful

Hiking Sand Lake Trail is a great opportunity to check out several little lakes in the Flat Tops Wilderness. This hike is relatively short, mellow and accessible making it a good little day hike. This lightly trafficked hike leads through the trees reaching four pretty little Colorado lakes. And the trailhead is located near Sheriffs Reservoir so as a bonus, you get to check out the scenic reservoir in addition to the other lakes on the trail. Check it out!

Must see in the area: Hiking Devil’s Causeway Mosquito Lake Loop

Quick Info: Hiking Sand Lake Trail

Distance: 4 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Directions: Click here to get directions to Sand Lake Trailhead.

Our Experience Hiking Sand Lake Trail

With rain in the forecast, we decided to forego the longer peak hike we had planned and decided on hiking Sand Lake Trail instead. It was much closer to our camp spot on the nearby forest road and we had a much better chance of finishing up before the rain.

The Sand Lake trailhead is located off Forest Road 959 with a pull off for parking just before reaching Sheriffs Reservoir. At the pull off, there is an information board as well as a hiker registry. The Sand Lake Trail begins just across the road.

We began hiking Sand Lake Trail on the other side of the road where it leads to and crosses over a small bridge over the spillway. The trail then follows along the raised bank of Sheriff’s Reservoir.

We thought that Sheriff’s Reservoir was really pretty and scenic! Once we reached the other side of the reservoir, there was a flooded clearing and then the trail heads into the woods.

This segment of hiking Sand Lake Trail consists of a gradual climb through the conifers. We encountered a water crossing with good log placement for keeping our feet dry. Then the climb continues. Next we reached a collection of snow melt almost convincing enough to be a lake.

After another brief stretch of hiking through the woods, we reached what we thought was Sand Lake. But two weeks later, we found out that we had only made it to Spring Lake. More on that below.

Liking this Article? Pin it!

As we were approaching Spring Lake, we also got a glimpse from the trail of Camel Lake across the way. It looked as though it could have been another snow melt “lake”.

Spring Lake is a pretty little lake surrounded by grass and conifers. The lake didn’t seem too deep but the color of the water was pretty neat. We were sitting there enjoying the silent, scenic landscape when all of a sudden we got bombarded by ungodly swarms of mosquitoes. They found us, and they were hungry! So we stole some last looks and hit the trail running. Breathing carefully as to not inhale the mosquitoes. There were really that many haha.

They followed us into the woods for a bit but we’d left the worst of it behind. We just followed the trail
back the way we came back to the parking area. This is where we made a mistake.

We now know that we should have continued hiking Sand Lake Trail a bit further and we would have gotten to see two more lakes – Crater Lake and the real Sand Lake. We had no idea that there were four lakes on this trail! Guess that happens when you make last minute hiking changes.

So if you decide to hike Sand Lake Trail, definitely continue past Spring Lake to see the others. And if you’d like to find out more details about reaching these other lakes, check out this helpful blog post.

Hiking Sand Lake Trail to Spring Lake was a short and enjoyable adventure (with the exception of the mosquitoes). We were here in early June so hopefully the mosquito condition lets up soon. I don’t know anything about fishing but it looks like a really scenic and relaxing spot to cast a line.

Thanks for Keeping Up with The Lost Longboarder!

We live on the road full time and love exploring new places! If you’d like to read about more of our hiking adventures, check out the links below:

• Barton Creek Cave Adventure
• Hiking Red Mountain Trail
• Valley of Fire State Park
• Hiking to Boulder Lake

When we’re not adventuring, we’re working on our hand painted Lost Coast Longboarding longboards!
To check out our latest lineup, head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop. We also design and
screen print our own t-shirts!

And if you’d like to show your support for The Lost Longboarder another way – whenever you shop
on Amazon, just use our Amazon link to get to Amazon. Then shop as you normally would! It won’t
change your shopping experience but it helps us out a bit. We appreciate it!