Where to Find Wildflowers in Telluride

The Summertime Hunt For Wildflowers In Telluride

The summer wildflowers in Telluride and all over Colorado are really a sight everyone must-see. But with so many mountain towns with endless trails, not every trail is going to lead you to massive fields of wildflowers. There are many trails that will have a few varieties of wildflowers here and there. But if you do the work and climb some of the highest mountain tops you will be rewarded with trails lined with endless wildflowers in every color.

Telluride is known for many beautiful trails lined with wildflowers. That is why we chose to visit during the peak of the wildflower season in mid- July. July to August is the best time to find summer wildflowers in Colorado. When we arrived in Telluride we were unsure of where to find the best wildflowers so we chose a couple of trails before we found the one trail with the most beautiful display of alpine wildflowers you could ever imagine.

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Which Blue Lake Has The Most Wildflowers

You would think that every trail in Colorado has extraordinary wildflowers. But during our stay, there was only one trail that had our jaws dropped the entire way up. The wildflowers were running from the river all the way to the top of the peaks. Wildflowers in Telluride are something everyone should see when they visit Colorado in the summertime. And if you really want to see a lot of them you will have to hike up to Blue Lake behind Bridal Veil Falls. 

There are three blue lakes that you can hike up to in the San Juan Mountains but the closest one from the town of Telluride is located above Bridal Veil Falls, the tallest waterfall in Colorado. From town, you can drive to the Bridal Veil Falls trailhead and hike up to the waterfall which is about 1.5 miles. From there you can hike up the road to the Blue Lake trailhead.

Find the trail map and more details here.

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How To Get To The Lake

Then from the trailhead, it is 3.3 miles up to the lake. As soon as you start your hike up the mountains you will start to see those alpine wildflowers. The pink Indian paintbrushes immediately caught my attention. But as I continued to make my way up the fields of wildflowers became much lush and colorful. 

When we reached the point where the trail breaks into two directions we decided to take it all the way to blue lake. Saving the sight of silver lake for our next adventure to Telluride. We would have much rather taken the shorter trail to silver lake. But we were determined to see blue lake before the sun went down. 

How To Prepare For The Hike Up

If you research this hike online it says that this hike is good for kids. But don’t be mistaken to think that the trail is easy because of this statement. It is a straight shot up and sits at 12,400 ft, which means it is a 2,000 ft incline. Your legs will feel this one especially because there are very few level points that give your beating heart a break. Make sure you give yourself time to take breaks while hiking up. Or be prepared to get some intense cardio in. 

If you want to make the hike a little easier, you will need a high clearance 4×4 drive vehicle. Then you can drive up to Bridal Veil Falls or the Blue Lakes Trail Head. There is very limited parking but this will cut 1.5 miles up and back off of your hike if you need something easier to handle.

The Scenery That Makes This Hike One of The Most Beautiful Places On Earth

As you start to inch closer to the lake you will start to see old mining buildings. They really add to the scenery and give what feels like an untouched place a sense of mystery. Then you will see something even more mysterious. A large critter that suddenly crosses your path or appears out of the corner of your eye. It was too big to be a cute little pika, so it must be the marmot. He might even start yelling at you with his high pitch squeaks that sound like a fire alarm is going off. But there is no better companion to have high up in the backcountry of Telluride.

Once you get over the shock of your first marmot encounter you will reach the lake just over the hill. It may have taken everything out of you to reach this point. But you made it. Now that you are here you can slowly take in the beauty of water, the large peaks that surround you, and the most magnificent fields of wildflowers in Telluride. The scenery quickly makes you feel small and insignificant. It also makes you realize how much beauty there is to discover on this plant. It would be a shame to waste any of your time and miss beautiful experiences like this one. 

How do we create a life that does not keep us from experiencing the hidden beauty that this world has to offer? Just follow me, the wild, wild dreamer, and I will show you where to go and how to live your very best life.  

Find more of my summer wildflower adventures in Colorado here and get inspired to take your trip to the mountains.