Silver Dollar Lake Trail #79

There is a lower parking lot just off Guanella Pass Road. 4WD is recommended to make it the trailhead parking lot (I made it up fine in my Subaru Impreza). This is a very popular trail and an early start is recommended for parking convenience. Half of the trail is above treeline; bring adequate clothing and plan for afternoon storms. The first 0.6 miles steadily climbs through a forest of fir trees and the occasional creek crossing that opens to an alpine valley for the next one mile before hitting Silver Dollar Lake. The trail continues steeply uphill for about 0.5 miles to Murray Lake providing fantastic views of the surrounding peaks. You can continue another 0.25 miles around the south side of Murray to trek up the large rock for even better views. Snow is present year-round in sections. Be prepared for a few alpine bog crossings, but most of the trail provides rocks to get through these sections. Both Silver Dollar and Murray provide excellent fishing and both lakes are primarily obstacle-free on the perimeter. This trail is very dog friendly, so keep this in mind if you have a not so friendly dog.