booth falls trail

The Booth Falls Trail was recommended to us by our hotel adventure guide. We were fortunate enough to have hotel transportation to and from the trail head. The trip to the falls is only about 4.6 miles round trip, but it is a moderate level hike. Do not expect flat and unchallenging. Hiking takes you through forests as well as meadows. The falls are meant to be viewed from a distance despite seeing people make questionable choices about hiking independently down to the riverbed.Once you get to the falls, the trail continues if you would like more distance.. We ran into a couple who told us that there was a lake a few miles ahead, so we decided to keep hiking. Well, a couple of miles turned into seven miles that alternated between breath taking beauty and grueling stone passages. We kept saying, "it must be right over this hill", but it never was. We began to think this lake in the mountains was an urban legend as the last leg of it was a steep rocky climb with a path difficult to follow. WE ARE SO GLAD WE DID NOT QUIT! It was amazing when we arrived at the lake. It was so exhausting that the whole way up I told my husband that I was going to swim in it. Taking off my shoes and stepping in resulted in an immediate ice cream headache. It was GREAT! However~if you go here, plan in advance. You will need snacks and lots of water. While we had some, it proved not to be enough. If you like to hike~GO!

One of the destinations on this trail is a waterfall, at least part-way up to the lake. It's a precarious view, but one worth looking at if you like watching water falling. The lake is beautiful, and the trail moderately difficult. Bring adequate supplies for a day hike up and back!

Booth Falls is a beautiful trail. You can either hike to the falls and turn back for a quick 4 mile hike or you can trek up to Booth Lake (Best way to do it) for a 12 mile round trip. It's a moderate hike and very enjoyable. Definitely do it again in the summer time.

If you're not used to the elevation get ready for a normally easy 2 miles hike to the waterfall to make you winded. Beautiful views. Nice trail.

This hike is easy to access off the East-Vail exit. It is only a 6 hour hike of you move slowly. If you hike on the regular or semi-regular you are fine with slotting 3 or 4 hours, we usually do it in 2 1/2 & the wife was 7 1/2 months pregnant last time. The incline is decently steep and can suck the air out of you, especially if you are visiting and are not acclimated to the high altitude. The falls are large for this area of the State, but the best views come from down below, where the old trail used to run. Careful for twisted ankles as you will encounter some scree and have 1-2 creek crossings. It's almost impossible to get lost on this trail, so it is great for kids and rookies. Parking at the trailhead can be an issue on busier days.

Awesome views! Amazing beauty. The big waterfall was a bit hard to see, just because how it is in the gorge, but it was still pretty and worth the hike.

We had no idea when we began this hike it would be 6 hours ~ 3 up/3 down!!!! It was shady then wide open with wildflowers everywhere to beautiful waterfalls and it was unforgiving ~ quite an elevation change. When we got to the top and sat down for a quick bite we felt 'eyes on us' and looked up to see we were beginning to be surrounded by mountain goats and I mean BIG mtn goats with big horns ~ nice to see them but we had no idea if they would charge us or not so we quickly wrapped up our food and snapped a few pics before heading back down ...... 3 hours!

We hiked this trail with our kids, 13 and 8 year old. One of the best trails we had so far. It was not an easy hike, it was really challenging but the scenery is worth the trip. The trail takes you through trees, meadows, ridges and of course the falls. Parking lot is small, just for a handful of cars. You can just take a free shuttle ride from/to anywhere in Vail.

This hoe is not for the faint of heart but the reward is worth it. The falls are beautiful, as is the hike up. Remember that hiking down can be as challenging-take your walking sticks if you have them.

This was a really great hike up to the falls. We didn't go all the way to the lake but still enjoyed a challenging trail. We are not seasoned hikers but this trail was perfect for us. Plan to leave early in the morning or get a shuttle if possible. The parking lot is small and fills up very fast. The falls are beautiful and would be perfect for a picnic lunch. Perfect morning activity in Vail.

This is a hard hike, no doubt about it. We hiked to the falls, but the trail continues to the lake, we had a bit of a late start, so didn't want to chance it. It is pretty much uphill to the falls, over rocky patches and a couple of little streams. Maybe this year was an exception, but the wildflowers were unbelievable and there was one section where we walked thru high foliage, like a rhubarb patch! We encountered a few people along the way, but it was pretty deserted when we went. Coming back, was pretty steep in places and had to be careful climbing down. Take water, there is some open terrain, along with shady areas. No bathrooms.

My wife and I made it up to the lake, which was sooooo worth it. The whole trip took us about 7 hours, but that was with generous stops for photos, lunch, and exploring. It's not an easy hike and gets more difficult after the falls. I'm not sure how accurate the map is. The map states that it's 4.5 miles to the lake, but according to my phone it's around six miles.

I had been in Vale for about a day and then decided to go on this hike--the hotel staff warned us that it was the challenging hike among the ones in the area. I'm not sure if it was challenging or the altitude sickness got me--but it took WAY longer than we planned and I would say it was challenging. Everything was beautiful and so different from home--just be careful you have adjusted to the altitude before you go on this. The scenery changes as you go up--very worth it.

Nice hike., beautiful scenery. A little longer than I expected but that was my fault for poor prep. My athletic 7 year old and I made it to falls and back easily.

Great hike! We were a little winded by the altitude at the beginning, but thoroughly enjoyed the changing scenery! Our kids (10, 14, 16) did great!