Hiking Reports

Also, see the index of recent hikes

Alberta Falls
This is one of the easiest and most delightful hikes in RMNP. It's short, not strenuous, and is very beautiful. The only downside is that it's usually very crowded and it's hard to find parking at the Glacier Gorge parking lot. We once hiked up to Alberta in a heavy snowfall and it was magical!

11/18/96. While my son Tony and his friend Karen were here, we decided to give snowshoeing a try. The week before, we'd hiked up to Emerald Lake and the trail was totally snow covered, but pretty well packed. Then a few days later we walked around Bear Lake in about 18" of snow. We saw quite a few people on snowshoes and it looked like fun.

We rented snowshoes in Estes (after a 30 second "lesson") and headed in to Rocky Mountain National Park. Though it was raining in town, by the time we got to the Glacier Gorge trailhead (~9200ft) it was snowing pretty hard and was about 30 degrees. We put our snowshoes on (Mike and Tony had a Tubbs model and Karen had a Redfeather brand) and got onto the trail which had about 15" of mostly fresh snow on it.

You just walk! It was so easy and natural. The snowshoes are very light and you just float on top of the snow. We were quite amazed at how easy and fun it was. We hiked all the way up to Alberta Falls, which of course was frozen solid. Though I've been to the Falls several times, it was the first time I stood there without hearing the rushing water. We walked up the snow-covered rocks to the right of the falls. After a few minutes, we went on up beyond the Falls, just enjoying the beauty and solitude. We went as far as the trail junction where you can go to the Boulderfield or on to Mills Lake and the Loch. We stood there for a few minutes and munched on some chocolate chip cookies, then headed back down. It snowed on us (probably an inch an hour) the whole time, and we only saw one other person (also on shoeshoes) the whole time we were out.

We weren't sore, it was easy on the legs and knees, and it's probably easier than hiking. The whole experience was really great and one I want to repeat often! I think I can see myself owning a pair of snowshoes!

11/21/96 - Went snowshoeing again. Conditions were not as good as the first time; more crunchy/packed snow. Had a nice little picnic of hot coffee, warm runzas, and Russian Tea cookies.

Bear Lake
This is another very easy and very popular (and thus very crowded hike). Bear Lake is also the starting point for many other excellent hikes (Alberta Falls, Nymph/Dream/Emerald, Bierstadt, Flattop). Much of the trail is wheelchair accessible. Be sure to pick up the nature guide booklet at the ranger station and note the signs around the lake referring to the booklet. The parking lot here is pretty large but still fills up early in the day. There are restrooms and a water fountain. The road to Bear Lake is kept open year-round, even though the lake is frozen over in winter. It attracts a lot of cross-country skiers, snow-shoers, tubers, etc. Bear Lake is a must-see no matter what time of year it is.

Bierstadt Lake
Bierstadt is a nice hike from Bear Lake. It's tougher than the elevation gains might suggest because it goes up and down a lot. A neat variation on this hike is to start at Bear Lake and come down to the Bierstadt trail head. The views looking towards Longs Peak and Glacier Gorge are simply awesome. You can leave a car there, or in the summer, take a shuttle bus back to your car at Bear Lake.

Black Lake
This is a fairly challenging hike, but well worth it (it's rated "moderate"). When I hiked it in early July (in conjunction with Mills Lake), the last 30 minutes were spent hiking in the snow. Since it's a longer hike, it isn't all that crowded. Parking's a problem, since it begins at Glacier Gorge TH, but just plan on using the shuttle bus (or arrive very early).

Bridal Veil Falls
This is an easy hike just north of the Lumpy Ridge area. The Falls is kind of small, but worth seeing. This hike seems easier than its elevation gain would suggest, except for the last 1/8 of mile or so, which is rather stair-steppy. I did this from the Cow Creek TH (off McGraw Ranch Rd, which is off Devil's Gulch Road). You get to see a lot of unused buildings and cabins from the former McGraw Ranch, which used to be a dude ranch but is now owned by RMNP. There's a lot of aspen along the way, so this should be pretty nice in the fall.

Chasm Lake
This was an awesome hike! You get well above treeline hiking through the alpine tundra and you're almost halfway to Longs Peak (distance/elevation-wise, probably not effort-wise). The last bit, above Peacock Pool is just incredibly beautiful. Chasm Lake itself sits at the bottom of Longs Peak below the Diamond, which shoots straight up about 1500 ft. This is a fairly crowded hike, partly because of the popularity of Chasm and because some of the trail is shared with the crowds headed to Longs Peak. I saw a marmot near the top. Got hailed on. Was lucky enough (because of the hail) to be the only person at Chasm for about 30 minutes. Parking's a problem at the Longs Peak Area, where this hike begins, so plan on arriving very early (people hiking to Longs Peak often hit the trail as early as 2 or 3am!).

Crosier Mountain
This isn't in RMNP, but it's a fun hike. I did it because my son Tony came out in Nov '95 when RMNP was closed by the stupid government shutdown. It's on National Forest land, so mountain bikes and pets are allowed on the trail (as are horses). The bikes weren't a problem, but there are some pretty serious ruts in some parts of the trail. The last turn to the summit is marked by a huge rock cairn (which we somehow missed!) and the last section is very steep. Great views from the summit, though! It wasn't very crowded when we did it, even when this was one of the few hikes you could do at the time. This hike starts in Glen Haven (on Devil's Gulch Road).

Cub Lake
Cub is a nice and easy little hike. The trail winds through a lot of aspen, so it would be beautiful in the fall. Rather than come back down the way I came, I elected to go on and loop around via The Pool and back to the Fern Lake TH. It's all pretty much downhill until you get to the Pool, and then it's almost level back to the Fern Lake TH. If you leave your car at the Cub Lake TH, you'll have an extra mile or so to walk along the road. You might try to catch the shuttle bus, too.

Deer Mountain
I really enjoyed this one. The views of Estes Park and the mountains of RMNP are spectacular. It's also a relatively easy hike (rated moderate). Don't be alarmed when the trail seems to flatten out in kind of a sandy area. Just keep going until you see a huge cairn marking the turn to the summit trail.

Dream Lake
This is another very popular and easy hike, and is usually crowded. The massive Hallett Peak towers over the Lake and the effect is just breathtaking. Go on to Emerald Lake, it's not much farther and it isn't that hard. My grandson (about 3 years old at the time) hiked from Dream to Emerald. I've been several times, and the best time seems to be late in the day. Leaves from Bear Lake.

Emerald Lake
Easy. The first time I did Emerald was in the spring and the trail was snow-covered and the lake was still frozen over. I'll never forget it -- I was so busy watching my footing on the trail that I was just suddenly on the edge of the lake; when I looked up and saw Hallett, I just involuntarily said, "Unnnhhh." Gorgeous. I've been up to Emerald twice after about 6pm, and have managed to be practically alone. Once on the way back from Emerald, we saw an ermine/weasel scrambling along the rocks near the trail. Did this one again on 11/11/96 with Tony and Karen.

Estes Cone
This is another moderately rated hike. It would be easy, except the last half mile goes up about 750 feet on an unmaintained (but fairly well cairn-marked) trail. You have some neat views of Longs Peak (3.5 miles distant) on the way, and the views from the Cone are really great.

11/1/96 - Did Estes Cone a second time with Ernie. We trekked through a lot of snow, but it was still a great hike. Very windy on the summit. We ate excellent bacon and cheese cornbread muffins, and coconut cream chocolate chip pie (sort of like a Cherokee Chew) with had coffee. More photos.

Eugenia Mine
This old abandoned mine area is on the way to Estes Cone. It's next to a stream and makes a nice place to take a break on your way. Ernie showed me an old steel boiler and mine tailings I missed on my previous visit. When you see the kind of effort it took to establish a mine in the mountains, you realize how truly motivated and determined these early miners were!

Fern Falls
This is a very pretty Falls. I saw it coming down from Odessa Lake (leaving from Bear Lake).

Fern Lake
Like Fern Falls, I saw Fern Lake coming down from Odessa Lake (leaving from Bear Lake). It's very pretty, and would be a reasonably challenging hike coming from the Fern Lake TH (it's pretty challenging coming from Bear Lake, too).

Flattop Mountain
10/11/96 - See Hallett Peak

Gem Lake
I've done Gem Lake so many times I've lost count (at least 20, I'd say). It's a tiny little lake, but the hike to it, and the rocks around it make it something very special. It was my first real hike after moving to Estes Park. Though rated easy, it can be tough in places for newbies, especially the last half, which is very stair-like. It has some very nice views of Estes Park and the mountains, especially if you scramble/climb the rocks east of, and overlooking the lake.

Lake Haiyaha
9/14/96. I've seen the trail split off to Haiyaha on the many times I've been to Dream and Emerald Lakes but didn't get around to going to Haiyaha until Sep '96. The views on the way up are really awesome, probably better than the ones on the way to Dream/Emerald. The views of Hallett aren't as good, but this small lake has its own things to offer. Not as crowded as the trail to Emerald, either; only slightly less easy. My hiking guides tell me that haiyaha is an Indian word for big rocks, and there are many boulders to scramble over around the lake's edge. Snowshoe trip to Haiyaha.

Hallett Peak
10/11/96 - I did Flattop Mountain and Hallett Peak together, as Hallett is only another half mile and another 500 foot gain. I had planned on doing this hike earlier in the year as a training hike for Longs Peak, but never got to it until now. This hike is rated difficult, and I certainly agree with that rating; I wouldn't recommend it as a first hike unless you're in good shape and well-acclimated to hiking above 10,000 feet (Hallett is 12,713 feet). My friend Ernie says, "It's the toughest 4+ mile hike in the Park."

I started at 7:45am (at Bear Lake) and was in fine form in the first 100 yards: I was running my mental checklist and I missed the trail leaving Bear Lake for Flattop. Duh. Started climbing pretty quickly. Took a break at the Dream Lake view and another at the Emerald Lake view. Once I started getting above treeline, the wind got pretty bad. I'd guess from treeline to the "summit" of Flattop, the wind must have averaged 30mph and it was only in the mid-30s (F). And blowing hard right in my face while you're climbing. Yuck. About halfway between treeline and the summit, I saw a lone cow elk bouncing along on the tundra. Don't know what she was doing there. Heard the bark/whistle/chirp of many pikas on the way up, but didn't actually see that many. There was some snow and ice on parts of the trail, but nothing problematic.

When the trail finally leveled off, it was clear that I was on the huge flat summit of Flattop. There's a trail junction that goes on down to the Western slope and Grand Lake, which you can see from the junction. After a short break during which I added gloves and a windbreaker layer and took a few pictures, I headed on to Hallett Peak. Although you have to pick your way over rocks and boulders most of the way, the "trail" is well marked with cairns. All this time, the wind is still brutal, often upsetting my balance as I scrambled on the rocks. I could see the silhouette of another hiker going up the summit of Hallett (which is not the distinctive sharp-edged summit you see in all the Bear/Dream/Emerald Lake photos). The real summit is higher and is hidden from the Bear Lake view. I strayed off the trail once to get a better view over the edge of the Tyndall Glacier and was just awestruck. You don't see many "Extremely Dangerous" signs in RMNP, but one was posted here.

I continued on to Hallett and found myself cresting the summit at 11:20am before I was really expecting it. Fortunately there are two or three rock wind shelters and I quickly sat down on the east side of one to add a Polartec layer now that I was stopping to eat my lunch. The views from Hallett are simply stunning. You can see out to the plains, Estes Park, a great view of the "back" side of Longs Peak, plus you can see Grand Lake and the other mountains south and west of the Park. Embarrasingly, I realized that I had an appointment at 2:00pm and there was no way I'd be able to make it back for it, so I took out my cell phone and called home to cancel. Glad there was no one else there to see me conducting business on the summit! After taking pictures and finishing my lunch, I reluctantly left the summit. I could see a group of three other hikers standing on the Flattop summit, perhaps trying to decide if they wanted to tackle Hallett. They didn't. Their loss. As walked past the Flattop summit, I saw some goofy fellow almost to the summit: he had no jacket, no hat, no pack, and had a pint of bottled water less than half full! I was still wearing two outer layers and gloves and had finished off almost 2 quarts of water (and hadn't peed all day)! My new Vasque boots were doing well. No blisters at all during the ten mile hike. The rest of the hike was uneventful and I was back at the car in the Bear Lake lot at about 2:45pm. This was really a great hike. If you plan to do Flattop, include Hallet Peak, as it's well worth it.

Lake Helene
2/7/97. See trip report.

Lily Mountain
10/5/96. I did this one on the spur of the moment. Hit the trail at 4:20pm. Though only 1.5 miles to the summit, the last third is pretty steep. There's a fun scramble up rocks to the summit. The summit views are awesome, similar to Estes Cone, but easier to achieve. 360 degree views. With binoculars I was able to see someone moving around on Estes Cone. Coming down, I startled a trio of mule deer bucks who in turn startled me as they hurtled down the mountain. Probably the only thing I didn't like (and it's a nit) is that almost the 1st third of the hike you can hear traffic noise on Highway 7. This hike is in Roosevelt National Forest, so it's a good one to bring your dog on (I saw several).

The Loch
This is a pretty easy, but very rewarding hike from Glacier Gorge. Very beautiful lake. Fantastic in winter. I once had Loch Vale and The Loch confused. In reality, the Loch Vale Trail, which follows Icy Brook, is what you hike on to reach The Loch (Scottish for "lake").

Mills Lake
This hike reminded me a lot of the hike to The Loch. Pretty easy and very beautiful. It was so easy that I decided to go on to Black Lake, which turned out to be a lot of work because much of the trail was snow-covered. It was worth it, though. I've been told to climb on up on the shelf overlooking Black, and next time I go, I will. Report from my full-moon nighttime hike to Mills Lake and beyond. Mills Lake with Darci & Darren. With George & Margaret.

Nymph Lake
Very easy. Very pretty. Just a quick stop on the way to Dream and Emerald Lakes. I read somewhere that "nymph" comes from the Latin name for the lily pads you see on the lake.

Odessa Lake
This was another really awesome hike (from Bear Lake). You climb way up before you head down 600 ft or so to Odessa, so I elected to turn the hike into a loop by going on to Fern Lake, Fern Falls, and The Pool. Almost missed the (last) shuttle bus that took me back to my car at the shuttle parking area!

The Pool
Another very popular hike since the trail is pretty much flat. The Pool is a very pretty spot on the Big Thompson. Kind of a hot hike. Note that you can also get to the Pool from a loop via Cub Lake.

Twin Sisters
An awesome hike which I did twice in the space of 3 days because we had someone visiting after I first did it. Not too tough, although once you get above treeline the air seems to get pretty thin. I saw mule deer bucks on the trail both times, and marmots and pikas on the summit. The views from the Twins are simply fantastic! You can see 360 degrees: the Tahosa valley, Longs Peak (with 10x binoculars you can barely make out climbers on the Diamond and people on the summit), the mountains of RMNP, Estes Park, the eastern plains, the Denver area (you can see downtown with binoculars), Pike's Peak (I'm pretty sure!), and Indian Peaks. Twin Sisters has two peaks, and I was told that the western one was the "real" peak, but when I got up there, the eastern one looked taller, so I scrambled up it, too. The small building made of stacked stone is a radio repeater. Did Twins just a few days later with Bonnie.