Evergreen Lake Trail

Locals in Evergreen, a little town in Colorado’s central mountains, will tell you a lake is their heart and soul. They’ll also tell you Evergreen Lake is not theirs. They must share with the masses who flock from Denver, less than an hour’s drive away.

The 55-acre lake bustles year-round. In summer, people rent boats on the shore or bring their own. People fish when the lake glistens in the sun and when it’s frozen over. Come winter, anglers share space with ice skaters and hockey players.

Yes, there is much activity to observe along the trail that encircles the lake. If you’re lucky, you might hear and/or see elk bugling in the fall. Also on the wild side, a vast array of birds greet trail users. It’s no wonder Evergreen Audubon roosts in the nature center by the water.

Don’t expect serenity. Nonetheless, this Colorado landmark merits admiration from every angle, backdropped by forested slopes that make it so picturesque.

We recently started from the west side of the lake, by the most prominent structure around: the big log cabin that is the lake house. The trail starts on a boardwalk, passing idyllic grasses left waving from the dam and flood that finished in 1928.

The boardwalk meets dirt and the stretch of the loop that is least quiet. It parallels the road and shopping center where you might opt for coffee or lunch.

At the dam, take the steps down to a garden and pond fed by the cascade. A bridge takes you to stairs that lead back to the most enjoyable part of the trail, complemented by rocks and trees and more meadow.

Where you might follow the residential road, be sure to continue on the boardwalk, which spills to the trail leading back to the lake house.

Trip log: 1.3 miles

Getting there: From Denver, go west on Interstate 70. Take exit 252 for Colorado 74 toward Evergreen Parkway. In about 7 miles, go right for Upper Bear Creek Road. Follow to left turn for lake house.

FYI: Closed one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. Dogs on leash. No swimming. Fishing allowed with state license.

SETH BOSTER, THE GAZETTE