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. 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.
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. 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.
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 late in the summer, so the water level is fairly low. The other show it the first half of the summer or later on good snow years.
In the fall the water is low, but the views are stunning!
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 – $10/vehicle for a 3-day pass or National Parks Pass
Pets allowed – Yes
Trail from 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 – $10 day pass per vehicle or National Parks Pass
Pets allowed – Yes
