Rocky Mountain National Park - Hiking trail reports from Rockies

Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

With nearly 360 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain National Park is an absolute hiker’s paradise. Trails range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain peak climbs. The park is also home to elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, eagles, hawks and more than 300 species of birds.

Altitude in Rocky Mountain National Park ranges from 7500 to 14,259 feet and slices through montane, sub-alpine and alpine zones. Hikers coming from lower elevations may experience altitude problems. Symptoms include headaches, shortness of breath, insomnia and rapid heartbeat. After a few days your body will have made some physiological adjustments, but full acclimation may take weeks. To minimize symptoms drink plenty of fluids, avoid alcohol, don't skip meals and get plenty of rest.

Ultraviolet light is much stronger in the mountains. Wear sunscreen, a hat, sun glasses and consider wearing a long sleeved shirt if you are out in the sun for an extended period.

Below are photos and details for some of the best hikes in the park.

Ypsilon Lake

The trail to Ypsilon Lake begins from the Lawn Lake trailhead where hikers share the same path for the first 1.4 miles.

At just over a mile you’ll reach the Roaring River where you’ll witness the destruction from the Lawn Lake Flood (see photo on right). On July 15, 1982, a 26 foot high earthen dam failed, releasing 220 million gallons of water down the Roaring River valley which some witnesses said created a wall of water 25 to 30 feet high.

After killing three campers, the water rushed down Elkhorn Avenue in Estes Park before stopping at Lake Estes. In all, damages to the area totaled roughly $31 million.

At just over 3.5 miles, the trail finally flattens out, peaking at roughly 10,760 feet. After descending a short distance you’ll reach a very beautiful pond known as Chipmunk Lake, which I found to be far more scenic than Ypsilon Lake. From the pond’s shore you’ll have outstanding views of Ypsilon Mountain, including the snow-filled Y-looking couloirs, from which the mountain derives its name (see photo on left below).

After passing the pond, the trail begins to drop again, including a fairly steep decline just before reaching the lake. At 4.5 miles you’ll reach the western shore of Ypsilon Lake. To get the best views of the surrounding mountains, take the social trail to the opposite side of the lake (see photo on right below).

Old Ute Trail

There are two separate, unconnnected sections of the Old Ute Trail. This description covers the section that begins 2 miles above Rainbow Curve on Trail Ridge Road. This is an excellent trail that allows you to enjoy high alpine and tundra scenery without having to do a lot of climbing.

The trail begins from a very small parking area, and is a relatively flat trail, topping out at 11,675 feet.You'll be rewarded with outstanding views along the entire length of the hike.

Once reaching the top, the trail begins to drift downhill. Eventually you’ll see a large rock just off to the side of the trail. This is your destination. From here you’ll have outstanding views of Longs Peak all the way down to Moraine Park and Estes Park. Beyond here, the trail begins to descend rapidly.

The Loch and Sky Pond

The trail to Sky Pond begins from Glacier Gorge Junction, and is a hike with multiple attractions, including, Alberta Falls, The Loch, and the Lake of Glass, before reaching Sky Pond, a spectacular alpine lake at the base of Taylor and Powell Peaks.

At 2.9 miles you’ll reach Loch Vale, better known as The Loch (photo on right). This is a beautiful sub-alpine lake situated at 10,215 feet. Many hikers will make this their final destination, but there’s still much to see on this trail.

Your next destination is the Lake of Glass (photo below). After a fairly steep climb you’ll reach Timberline Falls. Your next objective is to get above the waterfall. This is actually a pretty challenging section for the average day hiker, which includes a scramble up a chute, including portions that require hand holds. I wouldn’t describe this as being dangerous, but certainly will be a little unnerving for some people.

Once at the Lake of Glass, your only 0.4 mile from Sky Pond.

Sky Pond, at 10,905 feet, sits at the bottom of an amphitheatre of sheer cliff walls that box in the lake on three sides, including Cathedral Spires that ring the western shore, making for an incredibly beautiful setting.

From Helene, the trail plunges more than 600 feet over the next mile before reaching Odessa Lake. As you descend, you’ll pass through the ruggedly beautiful Odessa Gorge. Make sure to look across the gorge to see Grace Falls cascading down Notchtop Mountain. From this point you’ll also see your destination long before reaching it.

For more information and photos, please click here.

This particular hike to Odessa Lake begins from the Bear Lake Trailhead in Glacier Gorge, one of most beautiful areas in the park. Although Odessa can be reached from at least three other trailheads, we chose this hike because it includes a couple of other attractions such as Bear Lake, Lake Helene and Grace Falls.

The first destination is located just yards from the parking lot, thus making this area extremely popular. It’s best to arrive here as early as possible to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Bear Lake before the crowds arrive.

Roughly three miles into the hike you’ll reach an altitude of 10,670 feet, marking the highest point on the hike. As you begin descending, look for a cairn on the left side of the trail - roughly 100 yards from the top. This is your only indication of the short side trail to Lake Helene (photo on left), which you definitely don’t want to pass up. Although the Park Service doesn’t officially mark this trail - for whatever reason - Lake Helene makes for a pretty awesome destination in and of itself.

For anyone interested in hiking any of Colorado's "14ers", I highly recommend Gerry Roach's guide book, titled, Colorado's 14ers From Hikes to Climbs. It's generally considered to be the bible for Colorado peak baggers, those people "addicted" to hiking and climbing peaks above fourteen thousand feet in Colorado.

For a guide book for all the trails on longs peak, as well as a climbing history, check out Paul Nesbit's classic; Longs Peak: Its Story and a Climbing Guide.

The trail to Bluebird Lake begins out of the fairly remote Wild Basin area in the southeastern corner of Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail offers several attractions along the way, including Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades, Ouzel Falls and Ouzel Lake, before reaching Bluebird Lake.

After passing the relatively unimpressive Copeland Falls and Calypso Cascades, you'll reach Ouzel Falls roughly 2.8 miles from the trailhead. This is a very beautiful waterfall, and makes for a nice destination by itself.

Above Ouzel Falls you'll begin to see the scars and awesome devastation from the Ouzel Fire in 1978. The lightning-induced fire burned more than a thousand acres, making it the largest fire in Rocky Mountain National Park history.

As you proceed through burn area, the trail starts to become fairly rugged and steeper, with the last quarter of a mile becoming very steep (although nothing technical - see picture on left). There will be a lot of wildflowers to look at as you struggle up the climb.

At just over 6.5 miles and an elevation of 11,020 feet, you'll reach Bluebird Lake. This is yet another incredibly beautiful alpine lake in the Rockies.

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The Keyhole on Longs Peak

Hikers wishing to reach the Keyhole on Longs Peak should plan to arrive at the trailhead as early as possible in order to avoid the usual afternoon thunderstorms. During peak hiking season, you'll want to get there well before 6 a.m. to ensure a parking spot.

The trail begins climbing almost immediately, and never really relents. At roughly 3.4 miles you'll reach the Chasm Lake trail junction. This destination by itself is one of the best hikes in the park.

Almost six miles into the hike you'll reach the infamous Boulder Field, an extremely rugged section of "trail" roughly 2/3 of a mile in length and climbs about 800 feet. This section requires scrambling, rock hopping, use of hand-holds, and a great deal of route finding, to reach the Keyhole, the famous notch on the northwestern flank of Longs Peak (the Keyhole and the Boulder Field can be seen in the photo on the right).

At an elevation of 13,250 feet, the Keyhole provides outstanding views of Powell Peak, McHenry Peak, Glacier Gorge and Black Lake (see photo below). Hikers seeking to summit Longs Peak pass through the Keyhole to reach the west side of the ridge and the final approach to the summit.

Just below the Keyhole is the Agnes Vaille Shelter, built as a memorial after Ms. Vaille died there on January 25, 1925, shortly after becoming the first person to climb the Keyhole Route during the winter.