Diamond Lake Colorado Hike Guide
Diamond Lake is a heavily trafficked hike located just outside of Nederland, Colorado. This 5ish mile hike starts at the extremely popular 4th of July trailhead and ends at beautiful high alpine lake, Diamond Lake. This hike contains a reverse elevation profile meaning you gain elevation on both the way there and way back to the car. A hike up to this lake is best attempted during a weekday or later afternoon on weekends due to the loads of people that complete it everyday. If attempting during the later fall, winter or early spring – expect a much tougher (or in cases inaccessible) drive to the TH.
Diamond Lake Colorado Quick Facts
Diamond Lake Colorado Rating: ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 5.35 Miles RT
Elevation Start: 10,114ft
Summit: 10,946ft
Total Elevation Gain: 1,250ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 3-4 Hours RT
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 1- What does this mean?
Season: July – October – Expect snow outside of this period
Directions to Diamond Lake
Trailhead: Fourth of July
Getting Here: From Nederland, take Eldorado Avenue for 4.8 miles until you reach the 4th of July Road. Take a right here and continue on this for another 4 miles until the road ends. The parking area is on the right side before the road splits/ends.
Once you are on Eldorado Avenue, the road does turn to dirt and can get a little rough in areas. However, most cars should be able to make it to the trailhead parking lot. If you have a lower clearance car, I would recommend parking in the lower section of the lot or along the road.
You can enter the Fourth of July trailhead into your favorite navigational device.
Parking: There are several options to park for Diamond Lake. At the trailhead itself (a short drive off 4th of July Road) there are about 10-20 spots to park. In addition, there are several more spots along the road to park. The TH does have a few non-plumbing bathrooms.
Fee: There is no fee for this hike as of 2024.
Summary
Dogs: Diamond Lake is a dog friendly hike. However, the trail is narrow and there are usually A LOT of other dogs and people so make sure your dog gets along with others. As always, please pickup after your dog.
Camping: There is no camping along the drive in or at the trailhead. However, if you do want to camp in the area – there are 7 dispersed camping spots at the Lake itself. These are operated on a first come, first serve basis.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike. However, there are loads of other hikes in the area including Arapaho Peaks, Lake Dorothy, Arapaho Pass etc.
Diamond Lake Colorado Hike Route
Trail X Factors: Elevation Gain…Both Ways
Most hikes give you elevation gain one way and elevation loss the other. That is not the case for this hike. Both directions on this hike have some climbing, but as elevation gain on this hike is fairly minimal, it should not kill you.
Hike Tip(s): Although Diamond Lake is the end goal for this hike, be sure to stop at the waterfall that is about a half mile from the end. This waterfall is equally as beautiful and easily missed if you don’t explore a bit off the trail. If you crossed a bridge – you have gone too far but be sure to catch this beautiful spot on the way back.
Best Views: Diamond Lake has a number of spots with good views: at the lake itself, the aforementioned waterfall and early on into the hike. Overall, the best views are at Diamond Lake, but look up along the way as the views are great in this entire area.
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Booths (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Diamond Lake: September 2021
Jackie, Juno and I wanted to tackle another hike up near Nederland so that we had an excuse to visit one of our favorite breweries in Colorado. Our plan was to hit Diamond Lake in the later afternoon so that crowds would die down and we didn’t have to worry about the parking nightmare at the TH. We enjoyed a few brews and arrived at the 4th of July trailhead around 3PM on a Sunday.
The hike up to the lake was extremely straightforward minus one small turn and full of other hikers. We arrived at the lake after an hour or so and enjoyed the stunning beauty of this high alpine lake. On the way back, I stopped for some long exposure shots of the waterfalls before heading back to the car.
We loved this hike overall and have also heard that this one is a great option during wildflower season in the summer. I would highly recommend this hike and would easily repeat it.
