(For 2017, I have a goal of getting through all 60 trails in the book “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles Denver Edition.” You’ll see these posts all year-long. You can find a lot of info on each of the trails in the book, but I’ll highlight some things each time in addition to including my experience and opinion on the trail. The number below is associated with how they are labeled in the book if you have it.)

Trail #20 – Evergreen: Evergreen Lake
Completed: 1/11/17 | Mode: Walk (with Ben)
Location: Evergreen – Evergreen Pkwy and Bear Creek Rd
Distance: 1.28 (This is in the book. Part of the trail was closed the day we did it. We ended up doing a double out and back getting in about 2 miles total.)
Difficulty: Super easy (although, very icy this time of year)
Surface: Hard packed Dirt
Exposure: Half in shade

My Experience:
After dragging the sick boyfriend off of the couch, we made our way to Evergreen Lake. I promise I’m not mean, I was just trying to get him moving and get some fresh air! Evergreen Lake was perfect and a short hike around a beautiful frozen lake is just what the doctor ordered. We didn’t get to do the exact trail from the book (a 1.2-mile loop) because the part by the road was closed (I’m guessing this is due to snow fall and the plows covering the trail). We ended up doing a double out and back. The best part of this trail was the beautiful “waterfall” of the water cascading out of the dam. We weren’t expecting it as it as we came around the corner.

Pros:
-Flat
-Partly shady
-Beautiful surrounding area

Cons:
-Short

Tips:
-Bring the ice skates (or rent them); there’s a fun outdoor ice rink in the winter!
-The trail can get icy in the winter where the sun doesn’t shine

Overall:
I really liked our outing at the lake, it was a nice way to get out of the house. However, I wouldn’t go out of my way here just to get a run in. I would take people from out-of-town here to get a great glimpse at mountain living without driving too far.