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.
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KEN WHEATON 