Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”

-Jack Kerouac

About an hour and a half from Denver, you can find 415 square miles of sprawling snow capped mountains and easy access back country trails at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park has 355 miles of hiking trails that range from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain peak climbs. After speaking briefly with some of the park rangers, we decided to start off on Glacier Gorge Trail to The Loch and Mills Lake, about a 7 mile round trip hike passing Alberta falls (a thundering 30 ft. waterfall).

Mills Lake

Roundtrip Length: 5.3 miles

Highest Elevation: 9940 ft.

Mills lake is a gorgeous destination, and is pretty popular with the a lot of visitors since it is fairly easy to get to. Plenty of people hang out on the rocks here to eat lunch and admire the landscape. The lake is named after Enos Mills, the man commonly referred to as the “father of Rocky Mountain National Park”.

“In years to come when I am asleep beneath the pines, thousands of families will find rest and hope in this park.”

– Enos Mills

Mills Lake to The Loch

If you decide to take this route, you will have to choose Mills Lake after the first fork in the path, and then backtrack to take the Loch route afterwards (the hiking map is at the bottom of this post). The hiking route to the Loch was a little more interesting. Segments of the path become quite steep as it climbs over a couple of short switchbacks through an impressive gorge. Hiking boots come in handy since there are a lot of large rocks throughout the trail.

Reaching the Loch, we were surprised to find there was still a ton of snow to hike over, which proved to be a little slippery for my Nike sneakers.

The Loch

Roundtrip length: 5.7 miles

Highest Elevation: 10, 190 ft

The Loch may look similar to the previous lake, but this subalpine lake is way more secluded, probably due to the more difficult climb. Taylor Peak and Taylor Glacier are both visible from here.
After a short lunch, we continued onto the Bear Lake trail to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lake. This is an easy 4 mile hike.

Dream Lake

Roundtrip Length: 2.2 miles

Highest Elevation: 9910 ft.

If you get a chance to sit and enjoy Dream Lake on your own, take it. These lakes are popular hiking destinations so the opportunity is rare. I found myself sitting at Dream lake for a while, just relaxing on the rocks alone. The scenery was enough entertainment for me. 12,713-foot Hallett Peak and 12,324-foot Flattop Mountain overshadow this lake, making it incredibly pleasing to the eye. I could have spent hours there. In between the two mountains is the Tyndall Gorge, and the Tyndall Glacier.

Emerald Lake

Roundtrip Distance: 3.5 miles

Highest Elevation: 10,110 ft.

Reaching Emerald Lake, 12,713-foot Hallett Peak will be the dominating feature in front of you. On the right, you can see the jagged edges of 12,324-foot Flattop Mountain. Across Emerald lake, you can hear the sound of a waterfall rushing down the gorge between the two mountains, supplied by Tyndall Glacier.

Upper Trail Ridge Road

We finished the day off by driving along Upper Trail Ridge Road, an impressive mountain top road that reaches over 12,000 feet. During the drive, we decided to hike Ute Trail, a 4 mile trek that reaches 11,350 ft to the top of the Alpine tundra. We recommend hopping out of your car to do this one, just watch out for the herds of elk!

The day ended perfectly by stopping to watch the most perfect sunset at the Gore Range overlook:

Tips for hiking Rocky Mountain National Park:

Make sure to wear sunscreen! UV light is stronger in the mountains because there is less atmosphere for the sunlight to pass through. I forgot to do this and got a pretty embarrassing tank top sunburn.

Pack a lot of Water. Although you may not feel thirsty, the “thinner” air at high elevations actually results in increased water evaporation from your lungs.

Plan your trip accordingly. You may want to wait a few days before hiking after you arrive in Colorado, altitude sickness is real.

View the rest of the hiking trails here to decide which one is right for you!