Herman Gulch Trailhead

Kevin Timken

Great hike just before Loveland ski area. Not too steep. About 3.5 miles to the lake

John Bundy

This trail is loaded with views (although, I turned to go on Watrous Gulch to summit Mt Parnassus and then Bard Peak. The trail starts out fairly easy with a couple of slightly steeper inclines. As you continue, it can get a little more strenuous, depending on your conditioning. The trail goes all the way to the saddle between Mt Parnassus and Woods Mountain. From there, the trail fades and you turn right for Parnassus. Periodically, you can see a faint trail, or what seems to be one. Basically, just work your way up to the high point you can see. That will be a false summit. But from there, you will be able to see the true summit. It is consistently steep going up that part. Optional: you can traverse the saddle to Bard Peak. Stay to the right if you want to avoid the ridge. There is a boulder field to cross if you take that route. Again, a trail fades in and out, but it's pretty obvious which direction to go. Also, there is another false summit. But you will notice that when looking over from Parnassus. One final note to consider, I'm not sure if there is a specific route down from Bard Peak. If you know of one, let me know. Otherwise, you will have to cross back over to Parnassus and take the same way down. (Approx. 1 mile between summits)

Sidney DuVarney

Beautiful hike! Large parking lot, but still worth getting there early. On the day of the hike, June 12, 2022 there was still snow on some areas of the trails. The first mile is the steepest, prepare for that! There were a lot of wild flowers, the river on the trail and the tiny streams were really flowing! The lake is beautiful, still icy at the top but amazing view.

Bill T

An excellent hike that is about 45 min from Denver. It starts rocky and uphill for the first half mile. After that it's beautiful meadows, trees and lots of wildflowers in season. The last half mile, above treeline, to the lake is tough because it's all up hill and you are above 11,500. Great hike but it's a Puffer...