Date: July 9, 2023
Location: Silver Dollar Lake, an alpine lake off of Guanella Pass, Colorado.
Elevation: 11,945 feet. (3,640 meters)
Hike in: 1.9 miles. Moderately challenging.
Gear: Sage Dart (3 wt) with the Sage Spectrum LT (aka, the “I got my annual bonus package”); a Simm’s SolarFlex hoodie; Hoka Speedgoat Mid GTX2 boots; an old Patagonia hip pack; REI hiking pants that were too tight and came unzipped a few times (but only when I was walking in front of other people).
Fish caught: Not a damn one.
This weekend, I thought I’d try fly-fishing an alpine lake. Change of pace from my usual go-to at Deckers, which I assumed would be crowded like crazy. I also thought about hitting Cheesman, but I recently bought a 7-foot, 3-weight set up just right for smaller fish in small streams and higher lakes.
I chose Silver Dollar Lake for a simple reason. It’s the closest true alpine lake near me. There are bigger, closer lakes to me, but none of them are above the tree line.
Getting to the trail head: The trailhead for Silver Dollar Lake trail is off of Guanella Pass and can be located on Google maps by searching Silver Dollar Lake trailhead. (It’s just over an hour from my house — which, incidentally, is about the same amount of time it takes me to get to Cheesman or Deckers.) Early in the morning, there is little to no traffic on the Pass when accessing it from Highway 285 in Grant. I’m going to assume there’s more traffic coming from the I-70/Georgetown side simply judging by the huge number of cars already parked at the Guanella Pass summit area. But I can’t imagine the traffic is heavy early in the morning.
Whether you’re coming from I-70 or 285, Guanella Pass is a well-maintained, easy-to-drive paved road. The half mile turnoff from the Pass to the trailhead parking (such as it is) is not. I wouldn’t say you need all-wheel drive to get up there, but it’s a narrow, steep, dirt road with plenty of pot holes and bumps.
Silver Dollar Lake Trail: This is definitely one of those instances where a map makes it look like a quick jaunt from parking area to lake. It is not. The trail head is at about 11,230 feet elevation. That’s almost 6,000 feet higher than Denver. So if you’re not used to altitude, realize the altitude alone is going to be tough for you. I live at 8,500 feet, so the elevation wasn’t an issue.
The elevation gain, on the other hand, definitely kept me honest. It’s over 700 feet of gain in under two miles. (Looking at the map, all the gain is in the first mile and a half.)
On top of that, even in mid July, there are a number of snow fields you’ll come across. They’re fairly short, but at this stage in the summer, they’re slick, dirty, and rotten. Plenty of evidence of people post-holing could be found.
Melting snow also means water. There are a couple of sections of trail which are, in effect, small streams. But they’re not as bad as the areas closer to the lake that are small bogs. What looks like firm mud isn’t always. Sinking in those and getting mud and water inside your boots before you even start fishing isn’t the best way to start the day.
On top of all this, there are a few minor rock scrambles. Unless you’ve got balance issues or vertigo, they shouldn’t be a problem — even if you’re carrying a fully-assembled rod.
Early in the morning, you’ll have the trail mostly to itself. By midmorning, however, it’s fairly busy with hikers of all levels going up to get a look at the lake. That said, while I was going up, I did meet an older couple with fishing rods coming down because they found the trail too challenging.
The fishing: I didn’t catch anything, so not much to report there. I did see a few smaller cutthroats cruising the bank, but I couldn’t interest them in anything. On the surface, I tried Chubby Chernobyl, Amy’s Ant, Hippie Stomper, Parachute Adams. Off a couple those, I tried a mini egg and a flashback emerger. I also tried streaming a Pat’s Rubber Legs. The only thing that got a mild interest were the Chernobyl and the Parachute. The only thing worse than getting skunked, is getting skunked while everyone one around you is catching. So it was a minor (selfish) victory that no one else was catching — including a few folks who’d brought full waders and could get deeper into the lake. One guy I talked to had pulled in a small cutthroat on a Parachute Adams at Murray Lake, which is maybe another quarter mile up (and I do mean up) the trail.
On the upside, I did get to practice my dry-fly casting, which isn’t something I do much when river fishing because I obsess over catching fish and end up nymphing the whole time.
Considerations/Suggestions:
Consider wet wading. You definitely don’t want to hike this trail in waders. I guess you can pack them in, but not sure it’s worth the hassle. I wore Hoka waterproof hiking boots, but they got wet anyway — and so did the socks. Luckily didn’t get blisters on the hike back down. The water in the lake is cold, but other people were swimming in it, so must be tolerable.
Consider packing your rod in. The first mile of the path through the forest is wide enough that you don’t have to worry about catching your rod on anything. But trail above the tree line does require some balancing, scrambling, etc., and having an assembled rod (especially if it’s new and somewhat expensive) doesn’t make that easier. Also, on the hike out, you’re going to be sharing the trail with a few people. Trigger Warning (especially if you got skunked): Every single one of them is going to ask you how you did.
Suggested: packing light. I have a kick-ass LL Bean fly-fishing vest/backpack with a water reservoir. I left that in the vehicle and opted for your basic waist pack. Crammed it with one fly box, tippet, leaders, and other necessities including a peanut-butter sandwich, a bottle of Gatorade and a bottle of water. A fishing shoulder-pack or just a regular old back pack might be a happy medium, especially if you’re packing a rain jacket, etc. (And you might want to do that, since the weather can change fast.)
Suggested: long sleeves, long pants. Sure, t-shirt and shorts might strike you as more comfortable as the sun climbs, but it’s going to be cool in the morning. It’s going to be cool when the sun goes behind a cloud. It’s going to be cool when the wind kicks up. You’re also closer to the sun, so covering up is going to save you from slathering your entire body with sunblock. And it’ll also help protect you from all the damn bugs.
Suggested: pair of dry socks. No explanation necessary.
Suggestion: Move around. Cover the whole lake if you can. And go up to Murray Lake while you’re there. I didn’t because I’m an obsessive idiot. Hell, put in half day here and if you get skunked, go over to Clear Lake. I think they stock that one.
Required: bug spray. Sure, you’re above the tree line. There’s snow on the ground in places. Maybe you don’t run into a lot of bugs while river fishing. Well, guess what. It’s a biting bug paradise up there. Standing water = bugs. And you’re a big, juicy warm-blooded mammal. Even with long sleeves and long pants, the bugs were not deterred. I hosed myself down with Off and that did the trick. I ended up spraying my clothes, too, since the flies seemed to think it wasn’t much of a barrier.
Required: sun block. That’s just a no-brainer. Just putting this here on the off chance you’re moving stuff between packs and forget to put the sunblock in the pack you actually bring like some other idiot I know.
Required: hydration. It’s cool, breezy, and you’re on a lake, so you might not realize how dehydrated you’re getting at that altitude under that sun. Drink up. Note: There are no trees, limited waist-high bushes, and the trail up to Murray Lake gives everyone a perfect view of the lake, so you’ll have to get over shy bladder and worries about indecent exposure.
That’s about all I have at the moment. I wrote this post because when I Googled Silver Dollar Lake fishing, the helpful things I could find were a little old. Hope this helps anyone looking for tips. If you have any questions or suggestions, drop them in the comments.
KEN WHEATON 