Hiking to Boulder Lake | North Rock Creek Trailhead

After finding a nice dispersed campspot in the Eagles Nest Wilderness and exploring Pitkin Lake and Meridian Peak, next up was hiking to Boulder Lake. We were excited to see more of the beauty within the Eagles Nest Wilderness! We were looking for a chill adventure and hiking to Boulder Lake ended up being just what we were looking for and more.

It was a much shorter, milder hike than we’ve been tackling lately but still incredibly scenic. Even the drive to the trailhead was gorgeous, passing through beautiful yellow leafed aspen groves. And you never know what you’ll encounter on the trail. Our surprise wildlife counter is an experience we’ll never forget! And we couldn’t have anticipated how memorable our surprise wildlife encounter would be!

Quick Info: Hiking to Boulder Lake

Directions: From Silverthorne, follow CO-9 N for about 7.5 miles and then turn left onto CR 1350. After 0.8 miles, continue straight onto CR 1351 and then in 0.5 mile turn left onto CR 1350. In 1.6 miles you will reach the North Rock Creek Trailhead.

Distance: 5.7 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Good to Know: There are numerous dispersed campspots along Rock Creek Road on the way to the trailhead

Our Experience Hiking to Boulder Lake

After a pretty drive on Rock Creek Road, we finally reached the large parking area for North Rock Creek Trailhead. There are a lot of parking spots and a trail map but no restrooms. After checking out the map of the area we finally hit the trail!

Hiking to Boulder Lake begins by following North Rock Trail which quickly enters the Eagles Nest Wilderness. We did this hike on the official last day of summer and the fall colors were in full force! The yellow aspens and tall conifers bordering the trail on both sides made for an incredibly beautiful walk through the woods.

Then, the trail reaches a signed junction where we turned right onto Gore Range Trail to continue hiking to Boulder Lake. From here, the trail through the woods is mellow yet still beautiful!

Although the trail to Boulder Lake is primarily a dirt path, gradually climbing through the woods. The beauty of the path was surprisingly much more diverse and ever changing.

Next, the trail hiking to Boulder Lake reaches a T intersection. Turn left at the T onto Boulder Creek Trail. This is the final stretch! Follow the trail through the woods, pass a beautiful clearing and then there it is – Boulder Lake.

Surprise at Boulder Lake

Boulder Lake is a beautiful sight! The water level seemed low this late in the season and we were surprised to see that there were no boulders. But the setting is absolutely picturesque! Nestled in a vast, open meadow with conifers lining the perimeter and massive granite mountains looming over the whole scene.

Right as we arrived, it started to drizzle. So we found some trees for shelter and took a break for lunch. While we were sitting there, we noticed something walking out across the meadow. As it got nearer we could see that it was a moose! We’ve been hoping to see a moose all summer in Colorado so we were ecstatic. It was so incredible to watch him walk across the beautiful meadow. Then he entered the woods and we felt so honored to have witnessed this amazing creature. That was the highlight of hiking to Boulder Lake. Or so we thought!

After the rain stopped and we finished lunch, we walked down to the shore to check out the lake. Then we looked behind us and there was the moose again! But much closer. We gave him space and got to watch him slowly walk into the lake. It was magical!

Hike it Later – Pin it Now!

We kept walking away from him so as not to push our luck. But we have never seen a moose so close and in such an incredible setting. He made hiking to Boulder Lake an experience we will never forget!

We skipped some rocks, took in the scenery and explore the shoreline before making our way back the way we came. As we were walking along the trail, still giddy from our moose encounter, there he was again! Walking on the trail right in front of us! He looked back at us and realized we were behind him so we stopped to give him time. Then we started walking again – he was gone and we never saw him again.

Hiking to Boulder Lake was a great choice of day hike in the area. The colorful aspen, mellow trail, intensely beautiful scenery and enriching wildlife encounter made for a very memorable last day of summer adventure!

Check out our short video below! And please subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on our latest adventures!

Thanks for Keeping Up with The Lost Longboarder!

We hope you enjoyed our article about hiking to Boulder Lake! There’s nothing like a good adventure. And there’s no shortage of adventure in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. If you would like to see more of our Colorado hiking adventure articles, check out the links below:

• Backpacking Missouri and Fancy Pass
• Beautiful Lonesome Lake
• North Halfmoon Lakes + Mount Massive Backpacking
• Wildflowers and Waterfalls on Rustler Gulch Trail
• Backpacking Oh Be Joyful Trail + Blue Lake

To keep us on the road, we work hard creating our unique hand painted longboards. Check out our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop to see our latest lineup. We also design and screen print our own shirts!

If you want to help support The Lost Longboarder, please click the Amazon link to get to Amazon whenever you’re doing online shopping. It won’t change your shopping experience but you can feel good knowing it’s helping us out a bit!