A blue-disk-marked route maintained by the state, the Lake Colden Trail spans just under two kilometers through what is often considered one of the more scenic corridors of the High Peaks Wilderness. The path serves as a connector in the network of trails radiating from the lake itself, which sits in a glacially carved basin beneath the slopes of Algonquin and the MacIntyre Range. Though short, the trail is reported to traverse terrain that shifts from mixed hardwood to the boreal character typical of the higher elevations, and its relative brevity belies its importance as a link in longer through-hikes deeper into the backcountry.
Lake Colden Trail runs 0.9 miles (1.5 km) with about 150 feet of elevation gain — an easy hike, with a gentle, rolling grade, about 40 minutes on the trail. NYSDEC maintains the route.
Closest parking lots within range, ranked by walking distance. Accessibility flags come from Google verified-data; surface and capacity from OpenStreetMap. Confirm hours and seasonal closures before you go.
+21 more on the map above
Free, takes thirty seconds. Yours forever.
Every page on this site gets better when readers contribute. Mark a peak you’ve climbed, drop a photo, file a field note, or flag a correction — every addition makes the next visitor’s page better.
Sunrise on the dock, a cairn at the summit, a bend on the trail. Your camera roll, our archive.
Add a photo →Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted. We'd rather hear it than miss it.
Suggest an edit →
