Looking for a nice hike near Denver International Airport we happened to find Barr Lake State Park. It has an 8.8 mile loop around the lake as well as some short trail loops along the way. It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel on Tower Road.
Out and back on the loop trail
Trailhead Elevation: 5,102 ft.
Distance: 5.97 mi.
Elevation Gain: 52 ft.
Start Time: 9:54am
End Time: 12:17pm
Trip Report:
We parked at the Nature Center at Barr Lake and quickly found the loop trail nearby. There is a decent signage to point hikers and wanderers in the right direction. We decided to see if we could make out to the Rookery Gazebo. We were thinking about 5 miles. On the hike out we passed the "Niedrach Trail" loop and the Fox Meadow Trail loop and decided to walk each on the hike out. The trail was essentially a flat double track dirt road. There was very little sun cover out there so we covered best we could. It was in the 60s so we were staying comfortable for the most part. The views were beautiful looking over the lake and also seeing the Front Range mountains in the background.
We reached the Gazebo Boardwalk at 1.4 miles out. The boardwalk itself is 0.2 miles out into the lake and we headed out there for a beautiful spot to see the lake and the wildlife. Lots of fish and some pelicans and small birds to be seen. From the Gazebo Boardwalk the hike out to the Rookery seemed endless. The sun was really beating down on us. The Rookery Gazebo arrived another 1.22 miles past the Boardwalk for a 2.6 miles total from the Nature Center. Unfortunately we didn't see any eagles this day. We did see a doe deer and two fawns along the path during our hike which was a nice treat.
On the hike back in we hit the Fox Meadow Trail which got you down closer to the water. We checked out a hunting blind which had an old bird's nest and a new and growing wasp nest in it. Close to the Nature Center we hopped on the Niedrach Trail loop which was several boardwalks getting out into the edge of the lake again. We noticed it seemed the lake water was down a few feet from what looked like previous highs.
Track:
I have a track and waypoints from the activity all contained in the embedded Google Map. Check it out and use at your own risk.
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