If looking for an easy, yet high elevation, hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, the fairly level trail to Timberline Pass is a safe bet. Skirting the south side of Tombstone Ridge, the views of Forest Canyon, the Continental Divide, and Longs Peak from this route are spectacular. Though the western section of the Ute …
Continue reading Ute Trail – Tombstone Ridge & Timberline Pass (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
Despite being far less visited than its slightly higher cousin (Alpine Ridge Trail at Alpine VC, 12,005’), Marmot Point (11,909’) is no less spectacular. In fact, because the unpaved, one-way route up Old Fall River Road tends to weed out visitors, the relative solitude of Marmot Point makes this route perhaps a more attractive alternative. …
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As visitors will know, the “hike” to Chasm Falls is not much of a hike at all. Rather, it is a pleasant place to quickly stretch your legs (and get your heart pumping on the return ascent) on the drive up lovely Old Fall River Road. At the bottom of the short trail, visitors can …
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While the views of Horseshoe Falls and lower Fall River Valley are undoubtedly pleasant, perhaps the most intriguing part of this short hike is the story behind it: the gut-wrenching Lawn Lake flood of 1982. On a seemingly auspicious morning in July of that year, the 26-foot high earthen dam spanning the Roaring River several …
Continue reading Alluvial Fan Trail (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
Ouzel Falls is a nice waterfall. But it is the 2.7-mile journey there that makes this hike spectacular. The Wild Basin district, much farther south than the Bear Lake area, is refreshing for its (relative) dearth of crowds, rushing cascades, and majestic views of Longs Peak and Mount Meeker to the north. Ambitious day hikers …
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2-3 hour day hikes are sparse along Trail Ridge Road, which flirts with 11-12,000 feet, in Rocky Mountain National Park. But if you have the comforts of a “chauffeur” of sorts who can drop you off at Alpine Visitor Center and pick you up down the road at Milner Pass, this section of the Ute …
Continue reading Ute Trail – Alpine Visitor Center to Milner Pass (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
The 1.8 mi. (one-way) hike to Emerald Lake is a Rocky Mountain NP classic: excellent mountain views, wildflowers, and flowing rapids, interrupted only by the serenity of three high-altitude lakes (four, if you include Bear). The final leg, from Dream to Emerald Lakes, is particularly spectacular. The downside, of course, is that the relative ease …
Continue reading Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes (Rocky Mountain National Park, CO)
For all its wonders, Rocky Mountain National Park boasts relatively few half-day to day loop hikes, so the Lake Haiyaha loop described here stands out as an exception (for a full-day loop hike, try the Fern-Odessa-Cub Lake loop). In addition to Haiyaha, the loop hits several other notable destinations, including Alberta Falls and Dream, Nymph, …
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Despite constituting the most popular hike in the park, what Alberta Falls lacks in solitude it compensates with beauty. Just 0.8 mi. up the trail, roaring Glacier Creek catapults 25 feet at the falls as it cuts through Glacier Gorge. A leisurely hiker can reach Alberta Falls in about 30-45 minutes, as the 220-foot ascent …
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Many family trips to Rocky Mountain National Park begin with a short jaunt around peaceful Bear Lake, located on an elevated shelf above Glacier Creek at the foot of Flattop Mountain (12,324’) and Hallett Peak (12,713’). It is not often that a pristine body of water nestled up near the timberline is so easily accessible …
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Live and Let Hike 