Sylvan Lake: The centerpiece of Sylvan Lake State Park is the lake and surrounding area. Sylvan Lake is not large but it is surrounded by mountains and meadows. Conifer and aspen forest surround the beautiful mountain lake. On the hillside on the right is a burn scar from a wildfire earlier this year. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Patterns: A hillside of bare aspen trees create interesting patterns with their white tree trunks and silvery branches. There are numerous aspen stands within Sylvan Lake State Park which makes it a popular area to view colorful foliage in the fall. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Sylvan Lake State Park is located a few miles south of Eagle, Colo. and I-70 in the White River National Forest. The park features stunning scenery and is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.
We had read about this park and the surrounding beauty but we had never visited Sylvan Lake State Park until this month. This time of the year is known as shoulder season because the summer and fall activities have mostly come and gone and the winter snow has not accumulated yet, which leaves a monochromatic landscape with almost no color.
While the beauty of the summer green grasses and wildflowers were gone and the golden glow of the aspens in the fall were no more, the scenery was still awesome. Instead of color, we saw the aspens as white trunks with silvery limbs which created beautiful patterns and designs in the landscape. The bare trees also revealed more of the red rock and soil seen throughout the park.
The centerpiece to the park is Sylvan Lake. While small in size, about 42 acres, the lake offers opportunity for paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, and great fishing. The park’s two campgrounds are also within a short walk of the lake. In addition to camping, the park also offers cabins and yurts for visitors to stay in while visiting the park. Sylvan Lake State Park also features hiking and biking trails around the lake and throughout the park.
If winter sports is your thing, many opportunities await as the park is open year round. Sitting at 8,500 feet in elevation, winter camping and ice fishing are popular at the lake. Also available in the park are cross country skiing, sledding, and snow shoeing.
Within Sylvan Lake State Park is the Upper Brush Creek Schoolhouse which was built in 1915 by settlers in the area and was an active school from 1915-1941. This structure is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A few of the homesteads from that era are also found within the state park.
Now that we have discovered this beautiful park, we already have plans for return trips next summer and fall. We can’t wait to see how the colors of the seasons bring this landscape to life!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Lakes and Aspen: A large stand of aspens reflects in Sylvan Lake. The lake sits at 8,500 feet in elevation making it a cooler place to get outdoors in the summer and a popular destination for winter outdoor activities after the lake freezes and snow covers the landscape. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Homestead: An abandoned homestead is seen near the road in Sylvan Lake State Park. There are a few other homesteads scattered in the Upper Brush Creek valley. This area is about five miles from the lake as you travel through the state park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Schoolhouse: The Upper Brush Creek Schoolhouse is located in the Meadows Day Use Area of Sylvan Lake State Park. The school was active from 1915-1941 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The meadow is used for picnicking and hiking by park visitors. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
