Lily Pad Lake Trail Head — Attraction in Four Corners States

A few families with younger kids (5-10) were there, among other adult hikers. So it was not the toughest hike, BUT it did have ups and downs, sometimes crossing over the small brooks and a few large streams over the bridge. It goes up to 9,900 ft to 10,000 ft, so you need to be reasonably comfortable to walk in thin air AND good hiking shoes. The Lakes were absolutely worth it. When I was there (1st week of June), the yellow water lilies buds were just about starting to open, and within a matter of 20 minutes or so, they were almost ready to pop open. (Water lilies bloom each day, and the speed of their petals opening up is almost visible in naked eyes). Too bad I missed the flowers! I was not impressed with the people who were letting their dogs go loose and having them jump into the lake, AND the kids who were throwing stones in the water. Fragile eco system needs to be maintained in all aspects. Also, on our way up to the Lake, I saw a single mini Colorado orchid (yes, there are about 25 types of rare orchids in Colorado) on the side of the road, so I took some pictures with delight - literally about 2-3 inches tall. Sadly, someone took the flower, and I found the discarded flower on my way down. The Park management should post more signs to keep all the natural environment healthy. The Park Rangers were trying to clear the hiking path of the fallen trees (at their pace, it will take 5 years!). Oh, and did I say we saw two young moose calves at the very beginning of the trail? It was...

Bring some oxgyn if your visiting from sea level because this seemingly easy hike is quite high and low on air. Regardless it was worth it because it was amazingly beautiful.

Wild flowers at your feet and and sky-reaching Aspen's above your head. Good thing you had to stop to stop and catch your breath or you might miss the breath taking views of Lake Dillion. I could have stayed there all day if it weren't for my little fisherman son wanting to find Lilly Pad Pond to to try out his new fishing pole.

Finding the pond was like finding the gold at the end of the rainbow especially at the time of day we went up. It was a majical little place that had yellow roses growing out of Lilly pads as I head my son explain to someone else after returning down the mountain.

I am very happy to have found this beautiful peaceful place. The trail does have a lot of loose rocks so wear the right shoes or you will get a close up view of the...

This is a slightly challenging hike depending upon recent weather. Some areas may be washed out. We had to climb along a fallen tree at one point and there were a lot of watery areas. There are a lot of deadfall as well. It could be potentially dangerous but many of them have been fully cut down to avoid risk. This is also a very popular trail so you can expect to see a lot of people. I personally like trails that are a little less well-known because it feels weird to be hiking with hundreds of people around. But I still love the area and I will be back again. It's great exercise and I love the ruggedness of the trail when it is a little bit flooded actually. I don't like trails that are too simple. The only thing that made it less appealing for me was the multitudes of people, it felt like going to Estes Park and there are tons of people everywhere it's just weird I guess. I usually go to nature to get away from...