Round Trip Distance: 0.4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 10,403 - 10,490 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Shimmering Point
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic overlook
The Shimmering Point trail is located in the San Isabel National Forest near Leadville, Colorado. The short trail leads out on a ridge that provides scenic views of Turquoise Lake.
Shimmering Point is on the north side of Turquoise Lake, along the Turquoise Lake Road, about 10 miles west of Leadville. The trailhead isn't well known to driving apps. The closest trailhead that driving apps know about is the Timberline Lake (or Timberline Creek) trailhead which is only 2 miles away along the same paved road. Without the aid of a driving app simply follow the signs for Turquoise Lake from Leadville and drive around the north side of the lake until you come to the one in this photo.
The trail starts at the south end of the large parking area which is plenty big enough for vehicles pulling trailers to turn around and park.
From the parking area the trail makes a gradual descent through the conifer forest.
As it progresses the trail follows the crest of the ridge toward the lake.
A small bench provides a good place to relax and enjoy the cool mountain air mingled with the pleasant aroma of pine.
Several places provide good views through the trees of Turquoise Lake. The main body of the lake is about 4.3 miles in length. Mount Sherman ( 14,043 feet ) can be seen in the background along the horizon east of Leadville. In this photo Mount Sherman is the rounded peak to the left of the pointy one that is in the middle. If you are interested in bagging a 14ner Mount Sherman is one of the relatively easier ones. The first time that I hiked up it there was a girl about 5 years old that was wearing a bright yellow Easter dress as though she was out for a walk in the park.
