We completed seven of the top ten hikes within Rocky Mountain National Park. The three we did not attempt were much too long for our abilities. Below is a quick description and picture of each hike. You may click each title or accompanying picture for additional pictures we took while on each hike.
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Loch Vale:
This 6 mile hike is wonderful and so worth the heavy breathing. Alberta Falls is on the way to this scenic spot. Because of the elevation increase, I had to put on my coat.
Nymph/Dream/Emerald Lakes with Bear and Sprague Lakes added on
All told this is about 4.7 miles for all these hikes. The first lake on the hike is Nymph Lake which is beautiful with the lily pads floating on the surface. Dream Lake follows and is a good place to fish. Dream Lake is so clear that you can see the hills above reflected in the water. The destination spot was Emerald Lake. There was still snow in the mountains surrounding this lake.
We also took in Bear Lake and Sprague Lake during this hike. We had to park at Sprague Lake due to the crowds and the trailhead started at Bear Lake. Both are lovely with easy trails and are usually filled with tourists.
This 5.5 mile round trip hike features the beautiful Ouzel Falls. We were so close to the falls we were getting misted. Copeland Falls is the less impressive waterfall on this hike.
2.3 miles one way. This hike features Cub Lake covered in water lilies that were blooming in lovely yellow flowers.
This is a killer 8.5 mile round-trip hike with a 2,360 foot elevation and a scramble to the peak. We almost didn’t get to see the lake as the snowy, narrow path nearly convinced us to stop. Some fellow hikers gave us their grampons and we were off. I am not sure-footed so this was an adrenaline rush that I did not want. Chasm Lake was gorgeous and Scott made a little friend. You can see the clouds in the horizon so we hustled down to avoid the afternoon showers that are very common.
Mills Lake from Glacier Gorge Trail
A 2.8 mile hike to Mills Lake with the backdrop of Longs Peak (the highest peak in the park). On the way Alberta Falls is a nice place for pictures. (Which we saw on the Loch Vale hike).
We capped off our hikes at RMNP with our longest hike yet. The scenery was good but hiking the always rocky terrain of the trails was tough on the body. 9 miles is probably more hike than I want to do for future reference.
One thought on “RMNP: The Hikes”
Beautiful adventure. Ed has health issues so we never did much hiking. I admire your ability to undertake these long hikes. Love the photos.