Get Outside! Hiking Herman Gulch

Basics:
Distance: 7 Miles RT
Elevation Gain: 1,600+ feet
Location: I-70 near the Loveland Ski Area (directions below)
Trailhead: bathrooms, signs, lots of parking
Dogs: Allowed on leash

Tired of the stair master? This hike will get your legs and lungs burning.

Herman Gulch is easy to find. You've probably driven by dozens of times and didn't even know it. You take Interstate 70 to exit 218. There's nothing at exit 218 except the trailhead.

Even on a weekday I found more than a dozen people in the parking lot packing up to hike at 8 a.m.

Now I should admit this was my third time to Herman's Gulch. Years ago I came with a boyfriend and his dog, and we only did part of the trail so his dog could play in the water. The second time I came with a group of friends after work and we ran out of daylight. This time, I was going to make it all the way to the lake!

I found my hiking partners for the day from "The Denver Trailheads" on meetup.com. After they all arrived, minus one, it was time to hike. The trail is pretty moderate during the first quarter mile to the trail split.

The sign here says Watrous Gulch and Bard Creek trails to the right. Herman Lake and Jones Pass to the left. The sign says it's 3.75 miles to the lake from the trail split. I think the sign is old, because the Forest Service Web page said the entire hike to Herman Gulch is 3.5 miles each way. My GPS agreed with the 3.5 mile distance.

After this turn, the trail turns into an old sawmill road and it's steep. Let's just say when the road gets close to a stream with several cascades, I had no problem stopping to take an occasional picture.

After the steady climb on the road, the trail enters a meadow with a beautiful stream on the left and a thick forest on the right. Even in August we found ourselves hiking through several muddy sections. The trail is pretty rocky with lots of tree roots, so wear good boots for this hike.

The meadow is known for its beautiful array of wildflowers in July. In late August, we found the flowers had faded quite a bit, likely because of a high country snowstorm the week before.

As you hike through the meadow and forest area, you'll catch glimpses of a ridge of mountain peaks up ahead. Herman Lake sits just below that ridge.

You'll know you're getting close to the lake when the trail switchbacks above treeline and starts getting steep again. Take a break occasionally and look both up and down the valley. The views here are incredible. You may even spot Gray's and Torrey's peaks behind you.

About a half mile from the lake, there's another trail split. Here the sign directs hikers to either Herman Lake or Jones Pass. While most of our group did the final push to the lake, Frank took the split to Jones Pass and onto Pettingell Peak, a 13er above the lake.

The trail to Herman Lake is very scenic, and it is very steep. It finally evens out as you hike the last distance to the lake. There's a small pond in this area, but it was almost dry by the end of August.

Herman Lake is surprisingly green. It was so crystal clear that I felt like I could walk across the rocks on the lake bed. There are also lots of rocks surrounding the lake for a picnic lunch. One of my hiking partners, Monica, found a rock big enough for our group to sit together. From our peaceful spot you could see a little island of rocks, moss and small alpine flowers in the lake. A light breeze on a hot summer day made our hour long break even better.

At Herman Lake, it's easy to see a trail continuing on. We hiked over to the outlet of the lake, which makes for a nice cascade. It appears there's much more to hike in this area, maybe even a trail to the peaks, but we decided to hang out at the lake instead.

On the hike down, we took it a bit easy, especially since it so steep in some areas. Frank managed to catch us again on his way down from the 13er. He said he had come across a group of wild goats on the trail. We saw a few people here and there, but no animals.

I welcome your questions, comments and especially your hiking trail suggestions, email me at: deb_stanley@kmgh.com.

Directions: Take I-70 West from Denver. Take exit 218, turn right and make another quick right into the parking lot. It's hard to get lost, since there's nothing else at this exit.

Previous hiking reports:
Rocky Mountain National Park:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Granite Falls

2008: Get Outside! Climbing Twin Sisters

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Bierstadt Lake

2007: Get Outside! Hiking to Chasm Lake

2007: Get Outside! Lulu City & Little Yellowstone

2007: Get Outside! Hiking The Loch, Andrew's Glacier

2007: Get Outside! Hiking to Sandbeach Lake

Indian Peaks/James Peak Wilderness:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Forest Lakes

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Arapaho Lakes

2007: Get Outside! Hiking to Mitchell & Blue Lakes

2007: Get Outside! Hiking The James Peak Area

2007: Get Outside! Hiking to Heart Lake

Boulder:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Caribou Ranch

2008: Get Outside! Circling Heil Valley Ranch

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Forsythe Canyon To Waterfall

2008: Get Outside! Climbing South Boulder Peak

2008: Get Outside! Hiking The Boulder Flatirons

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Walker Ranch

2007: Get Outside! To The Top Of Bear Peak

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Rabbit Mountain

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Bald Mountain

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Betasso Preserve

2007: Get Outside! Circling Wonderland Lake

Golden area:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking To Forgotten Valley

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Chimney Gulch

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Apex Park

Northern Colorado:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Devil's Backbone

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Lake Agnes

Summit & Eagle Counties:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Booth Falls

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Missouri Lakes

2007: Get Outside! Hiking Mohawk Lakes & Continental Falls

I-70 area:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Chicago Lakes

2008: Get Outside! Climbing Chief Mountain

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Elk Meadow

Grand County:

2008: Get Outside! Hiking St Louis Lake

2008: Get Outside! Hiking To A Waterfall At Snow Mountain Ranch

2008: Get Outside! Hiking Granby Ranch

Other:

2008: Get Outside! Exploring Fulford Cave

2007: Get Outside! Our Favorite Hikes

2007: Get Outside! Our Favorite Bike Rides