Those looking for a shorter, easier hike can turn around at this point. Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through road, not only in Colorado, but also in the entire US national park system. See the top Minnesota road trip stops for outdoor adventure including State Parks, scenic drives, waterfalls, and day trips from Minneapolis. Best price and money back guarantee! All rights reserved. If you are coming from sea level, you will feel the effects of the altitude as soon as you do anything strenuous. Best Time to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is open year-round, weather permitting, although the weather can change quickly in the mountains during fall, winter, and spring. If you have more than a few days in RMNP and need some warm-up hikes, good options are Emerald Lake, Deer Mountain, and Twin Sisters. This trailhead is located just north of Estes Park. So, we all could be making a lot of trips out to Colorado over the next few years, depending on Tylers decision. After youve layered up, keep hiking to mile three, where there is a perfect place to rest and catch your breath at the Emerald Lake Overlook, 1,200 up. The Loch Hike details. Its one of the best hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park to get great views of the Continental Divide, and a great trail to acclimate to the altitude before tackling the more strenuous hikes on this list. For those with an interest in historical sites, make sure you visit the Holzwarth Historical Site and learn more about the life of Colorado homesteaders. This summer itinerary works best from Memorial Day through mid-October, when Trail Ridge Road is open. Obviously, there are more than the hikes listed in this blog post, but if you are visiting for the first time, these will keep you plenty busy and give you a taste of the different environments and ecosystems in the Park. Begin here, at Glacier Gorge, and hike for a quarter of a mile over Chaos Creek until you see the trail split. However, if you are doing well on time or only plan to do a very short hike in the morning, going into Estes Park for lunch is not a bad idea. It also makes a nice acclimatization hike if you just arrived in Colorado and want to warm up your legs and cardio system, before tackling hikes like Chasm Lake, Flattop Mountain, or Mt. Rocky Mountain National Park made our list of the best national parks for kids. You can also see all of our articles about Colorado in our Colorado Travel Guide. Emerald Lake hike (passing Bear Lake and Dream Lake) is about 3.5 miles in total and takes 2-3 hours depending on your hiking speed and the number of photo stops. If this sounds like a hike you would like to do, it will take some planning and patience. Rocky MountainNational Park Travel Guide. In this post, learn how to spend one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, with several different suggestions based on travel style and the timing of your visit. This is a great stop to enjoy a short break by the waterfall, or avoid the crowds and push on. Distance: 6.2 miles Difficulty: Moderate Length of Time: 3 to 4 hours Location: The Deer Mountain Trailhead is located on Trail Ridge Road, 3 miles west of the Beaver Meadows entrance. If they are sold out, then you will need to be ready to purchase your permit right at 5 pm the day before. You mention some hikes starting at the ranger station. The hike up Deer Mountain is one of the easier hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park that offers high mountain views. We have not been inside of this caf so I do not know what kind of food is served. Cheers, Julie. Tyler starts college later this year and UC at Boulder is #1 on his list. Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. The Bear Lake Corridor is home to some of the best hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park and typically by 5 am parking is unavailable at any of the trailheads. Discover the best things to do at Lake Como in Montana including the top hikes, where to camp, & more! From here it takes an hour and a half to drive to Estes Park, the gateway into Rocky Mountain National Park. All great (especially sky pond). This is a great hike for almost all ages and ability levels. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This 3.5-mile roundtrip hike fits in a ton of incredible scenery in a short distance. Chasm Lake | Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake is also a great setting for a picnic. If we plan on leaving Denver around 11 and traveling the Trail Ridge road would we only need the regular park pass? Web Visit website. This challenging trail is a fantastic way to get panoramic park views without attempting something quite as hard as Longs Peak. Distance: 15 miles Difficulty: Extremely difficult Length of Time: 10 to 15 hours Location: Longs Peak Trailhead is located at the end of Longs Peak Road. While in Rocky Mountain National Park, please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trails, pack out what you bring to the hiking trails, properly dispose of waste, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife. Learn everything you need to know about the John Muir Trail permit process for 2023. Moraine Park is another popular area that sees quite a bit of traffic too. All of these day hikes are centrally located, so that you can spend less time driving, with many of them accessible via Rocky Mountain National Parks free shuttle. Its important to be prepared, check the forecast ahead of time, and pack extra hiking layers to keep you warm. If you are not acclimated to the higher elevation, its normal to get out of breath very easily. From the summit of Deer Mountain, enjoy views over Moraine Valley and out to Longs Peak and the surrounding mountains. I know some of the trails will be closed due to the 2020 fires, but there are still a lot open. 700 feet (213 m) elevation gain. Note: Many hikes start at or near Bear Lake: Emerald Lake, Lake Haiyaha, Sky Pond, Black Lake, Fern Lake, Flattop Mountain, and Hallett Peak. On this hike, you get to see four very pretty alpine lakes (Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake), over a relatively short distance. Stay to the left and continue on to Alberta Falls, where youll get to hike through an evolving backdrop of beautiful pine forests into the aspen groves. Applies to walk-ins, bicycles, and non-commercial . We spent a total of 10 days in the Park, focusing a majority of our time around Bear Lake, Fern Lake, and Longs Peak on the East side of the Park. Best for: Historic cabins and quiet trails. If you have any questions about the permit, let us know in the comment section below. I have been in RMCP for four days now, and did skypond, emerald lake and Hiayaha, Ute to tombstone, and deer mountain. Our website uses cookies. View from the Alpine Ridge Trail | Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are sixty mountain peaks over 12,000 feet and many of these top out over 13,000 feet. On the hike to Mt. Note: if you plan to hike Sky Pond, it is better to park at the Glacier Gorge parking lot, which is also on Bear Lake Road. This is exactly the information I needed about each hike! best things to do in Rocky Mountain National Park. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon . To get to Sky Pond, you will rock scramble up a waterfall, which can be refreshing when the weather is warm and downright cold in chilly conditions. Youll get to pass by Alberta Falls (one of the most popular and beautiful waterfalls) or stop for a quick break and take in the views. However, snow is possible at both times at higher . For most of this hike you are entirely within a pine forest, so the views are rather lackluster for much of the hike. Begin at Bear Lake Trailhead, and take the Bear Lake Trail through a forested area full of aspens past Bear Lake. When you finally make it to Chasm Lake youll have a full-on view of Longs Peak, and a high alpine lake where you can rest your legs. If this sounds like a hike you would like to do, it will take some planning and patience. If your visit to Rocky Mountain National Park is part of a bigger road trip through Colorado, here is more information for your trip. This one comes in multiple colors and three different sizes and has a carabiner to attach to your pack. You can either hike to Fern Lakes and Odessa Lake as a point-to-point hike, starting at Bear Lake and ending at Moraine Park (or vice versa). Spectacular views of the Never Summer Mountains are only some of the peaks to be seen on this trail. Due to the popularity of the trail, this is a great time to use the shuttle. Are we only allowed to be on the trail ridge road until 3? If you have any questions about how to spend one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, let us know in the comment section below. Its a scenic waterfall thats easily accessible, so be aware that due to its popularity it can get crowded. Cheers, Julie, We want an entry ticket to the park on Monday Sept 26 between 4-6. Today I hiked CCY Chapin to Chiquita to Ypres and summited on Chiquita. In July, we hiked through a snowstorm on the way back from Sky Pond. Its about building relationships with the outdoors and each other. The good thing is that you wont want to rush by these views. Visit our. But don't be intimidated by its height. Enjoy the magnificent views. If you plan to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer, afternoon thunderstorms occur quite frequently. Bear Lake is a well-marked trail and is one of the easiest hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. SCENIC DRIVES IN COLORADO: Pikes Peak, the Million Dollar Highway, and the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway is just a short list of the scenic drives you can do in Colorado. ESTES PARK: In our Guide to Estes Park, learn about where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. But even the most fit, acclimated hikers can feel winded and out-of-breath on this short hike. 1. They are rated easy, moderate or difficult. Im glad we could help! It's an 8.5-mile out-and-back hike that takes you past not one, not two but THREE beautiful mountain lakes AND Alberta Falls to top things off! Will have to pick one for next time Im out west. During the climb up, the trail gets incrementally steeper and youll be taking switchbacks for most of the way. In 2014, I quit my Washington DC job to start Bearfoot Theory, and for the past 9 years Ive been sharing my experiences here on this blog. They are also all under 10 miles, well-signed, and easily done within a day. It's hard to narrow it down, but here are a few ideal day hikes that will give you a great introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park. Look out for cairns here and head directly through the meadow up towards the spot where you can see a waterfall coming out of the rocks from Chasm Lake. Begin at the Ute Crossing Trailhead, where the terrain is rocky and the flora and fauna of the tundra ecosystems are fragile. Make a left turn to follow the road all the way to the trailhead and parking lot. Cheers, Julie, The Rocky mountain national park looks amazing dear. You can also hike to Fern Lake out-and-back from either Bear Lake or Moraine Park. There are fantastic hiking options in the valleytrails at elevations of 8,000 to 9,500 feet. LEARN MORE: How to Hike the Continental Divide Trail to Mt Ida. CCY Route (Chapin-Chiqiuta-Ypsilon route) Bluebird Lake. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. The craggy Teton peaks reach as high as 13,770 feet, forming a bony ridge through Wyoming along the Continental Divide. With lower crowds this time of year, there is no need to get to the Bear Lake Trailhead super early in the morning. Hey Kaeshawn! This is a tough fourteener and many people who attempt it never make it to the summit, turning around early because of storms or the difficult conditions. Distance: 3.4 miles Difficulty: Moderate Length of Time: 2 to 3 hours Location: Lumpy Ridge Trailhead. This is an essential hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Spend several days in the park, hiking the other trails, to acclimate yourself to the higher elevation. Along the way, you will hike through bogs and forests, past Ribbon Falls, and have a great view of Keyboard of the Winds. Jasper Skyline Trail. The best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park without the summer crowds, an open Trail Ridge Road, and a good chance of pleasant weather is in late spring or in the fall. For the full list, read our article about the Best Scenic Drives in Colorado. This was one of our favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park and we highly recommend it. Start your trip off right, with a hike from the Bear Lake trailhead at the end of Bear Lake Road. Suggested Hikes - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado NPS.gov Park Home Plan Your Visit Things To Do Hiking Suggested Hikes Suggested Hikes Last updated: November 13, 2020 Was this page helpful? We hiked to Odessa Lake and Fern Lake as an out-and-back hike from Bear Lake. Here are the best section hikes on the John Muir Trail that require less than a week to complete. You can still get around, but it might be on skis or snowshoes, rather than by vehicle. After 3 pm, you dont need the pass. in advance if you plan to do this itinerary between May 27 and October 10, 2022. Enjoy hand-curated trail maps, along with reviews and photos from nature lovers like you. Yes, the views from the summit are beautiful, but this hike is a bit boring at times since it is a constant uphill climb through a forest. Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is definitely one of the best day hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park - you can see three lakes in about two miles! Mt. How crowded does Rocky Mountain National Park get? Beginning at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, hike in and follow the same guidance as before, where after a quarter of a mile, youll stay left at the fork and head towards Alberta Falls. Sometimes, we just need to start small and do simple walks with our friends to get them stoked on doing more outside. The classic hike for first-timers in Rocky Mountain National Park is a Bear Lake and Emerald Lake combo. The only place that you can get food inside the park is at the Trail Ridge Store, a caf and coffee house that sits next to the Alpine Visitor Center. The Emerald Lake hike is a family friendly hike and it also makes a great intro to hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Views of Peacock Pond with the massive, rocky mountains that form the backdrop, waterfalls, and the chance to see wildlife, almost gave us a sense of dj vu, like we were back in Glacier National Park again. Bear Lake is a beautiful lake that is tucked away in the Rocky Mountains. or a FWD is also fine? I dont know of a travel agency to recommend. I think it is better to drive Trail Ridge Road in the afternoon than visit Bear Lake. All hikes mentioned below are perfect for day hikes. This hike is much different than many other hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. Not only is this a scenic walk around a lake, but this also can be a learning experience. Rocky MountainNational Park Travel Guide. I love how you outlined which hikes to do, based on what you are looking for. Adams Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park has a few shuttle bus routes, but they are only open during peak season. https://bearfoottheory.com/tips-taking-friends-hiking-first-time/. 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