Silver Flat Lake Trail is a lovely hiking trail that begins at Tibble Fork Reservoir and ends at Silver Flat Lake.
This trail is also confusingly called the Silver Lake Flat Trail. Tibble Fork is also the starting point for the Tibble Fork Trail and Tibble Fork Loop Trails. Tibble Fork is beautiful!
Directions
This trail begins where the road continues on to Granite Flat Campground. It is marked with a little sign that says 010.
There is a dirt road that allows vehicles up to Silver Flat Reservoir, but this trail is different and only crosses the road twice. June through September there are many wildflowers along the lines path.
Optional Shortcut
An alternate beginning to this hike is the horse transfer trailhead south of Granite Flat Campground. The road is paved all the way there and you can knock off about a mile from the round trip hike. This spot is also where the trail splits. The base of the split is the parking lot. If you want the easier trail, head on the trail just north of the restrooms, which is the left trail on this map. You will first head left, towards the road (signed as trail #237). The other trail heads up from the middle of the parking lot. Just a few minutes above that part there are the bones of a deceased horse. Little boys would probably think it’s awesome. That trail then goes up and then back down steeply to meet up with the other trail.
Here are some views from the trail that starts by the restrooms.
There are a few splits, but either way works. Silver Lake Flat is ahead to the left, so the left trail is more efficient.
The mountain views along this trail are amazing!
You can also look down a few times and see Tibble Fork below.
This trail is doable with children, but if you have young children the left path is much easier. You could even go up the right path to see the horse bones and then come back to the other path. If you have older kids they could do the steeper section. This trail is pretty rocky, so watch your step so that you don’t slide on the rocks. during the spring and early summer when the lake is full, the trail gets an inch of water on it.
Near the end of the trail you’ll need to cross the stream twice. There are rocks to step on and it’s only a few inches deep.
These photos are wildflowers, aspens and a hummingbird we saw on the trail.
We saw lots of butterflies!
Just before the dam the wildflowers are stunning!
The last hill up the dam is a bit steep, but the views are lovely looking back from the top!
This first photo below was taken later in the summer, so the water level is fairly low. The second shows it the first half of the summer or later on good snow years.
Here are a few with a higher water level.
You can walk around the lake to see different angles. These show how amazing it looks early in the summer.
Trail from Tibble Fork Reservoir
Stats: Distance – 3.6 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1.5-3 hours
Elevation gain – 1122 feet
Difficulty – Moderate
Trail – well maintained trail of dirt and rocks
Bathrooms – Yes, at Tibble Fork Reservoir, Granite Flat Campground and Silver Flat Reservoir
Seasons to hike – May-October (Can snowshoe in winter)
Permits needed – $6 day pass per vehicle or National Parks Pass
Pets allowed – Yes
Trail from the horse transfer station
Stats: Distance – 2.5 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 1-3 hours
Elevation gain – 800 feet
Difficulty – Moderate
Trail – well maintained trail of dirt and rocks
Bathrooms – Yes, at Tibble Fork Reservoir, Granite Flat Campground and Silver Flat Reservoir
Seasons to hike – May-October (Can snowshoe in winter)
Permits needed – $6 day pass per vehicle or National Parks Pass
Pets allowed – Yes
