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 On
a crisp winter day, Longs Peak, its white
summit jutting into a deep blue sky, symbolizes Rocky
Mountain National Park. The park beckons to all those
who are hikers at heart to come and enjoy. Rocky Mountain
is a dayhiking park par excellence. Most of the trails
are less than ten miles and have easily accessable trailheads.
If it's a multi-day backpacking trip you want, string
a few of the trails together for a tailor-made trek.
These are some of the more popular
hikes in the park.
- Chasm Lake
- This 8.4 mile round trip hike is rather strenuous
as you climb over 2,000 feet to reach your destination.
Much of the hike is above the timberline giving
you a great view of the park. You start your hike
at the Long's Peak Ranger Station. Two miles later,
you rise above the timberline and continue over
a few false summits. After the last summit, your
eyes will behold an unbelievable majesty dominated
by the Diamond.
- Black Lake - This moderate,
8.4 mile round trip hike takes you to the final
jewel along the Glacier Gorge. Starting at Glacier
Gorge Junction, you follow Glacier Creek through
strands of Aspen and over boardwalks in marshy areas.
You often feel that the mountain walls are closing
in on you as you walk up the narrow canyon.
- Old Ute Trail - This 6 mile
trail goes from Trail Ridge Road to Upper Beaver
Meadows. This moderate hike is one of your few chances
to hike downhill for a day. Tombstone Ridge is one
of the stretches along the Continental Divide that
the Ute Indians used as a highway to travel from
village to another.
- Flat Top Mountain - This
8 mile round trip hike is rather strenuous as you
climb nearly 3,000 feet. Starting in the conifer
forest around Bear Lake, you will steadily climb
through the varioous ecological zones until you
reach the alpine tundra. After the terrain opens
up after a couple miles, you can look almost straight
down into Emerald Lake a few thoushand feet below
the trail. You will continue to climb until you
reach an enormous plateau on an elevation where
you think the Gods live.
- Strom Pass & Estes Cone
- This moderate, 6.6 mile hike is a great hike to
warm up an d get acclimatized to the altitudes of
Rocky Mountain. Starting at the Long's Peak Ranger
Station, you will follow the Chasm Lake trail for
a third of a mile then branch off to climb nearly
1,000 feet in 2.5 miles. The trail splits here going
right to climb another 750 feet to Estes Cone and
further up to enjoy the Cone's panorama of the Twin
Sisters, Mount Meeker and Long's Peak.
Winter
brings deep snows to the western side of
Rocky Mountain National Park. Lighter snowfall on the
eastern side on lower elevations leaves trails open
for hiking. Trail below 8,700 feet offer those traveling
without skis or snowshoes diverse opportunities. These
are some of the more accessible winter hikes.
- The Pool
- This easy, 5 mile round trip hike begins at the
road closure on Moraine Park Road past Cub Lake
Trailhead. From there, follow the signs to Fern
Lake Trailhead and continue up the trail following
the Big Thompson River. While hikin ghtis relatively
flat trail, look for beaver-cut aspen, frozen waterfalls
on the cliffs and the Arch Rocks.
- Cub Lake - This moderate,
4.6 mile round trip hike takes you from the willow
thickets along the Big Thompson River upward through
pine and aspen trees. You will pass a varied landscape
of moraines, cliffs, streams and ponds. Ice and
snow can make the last mile difficult, and you may
need skis or snowshoes to complete the trail.
- Chasm Falls - This moderate,
5 mile round trip hike starts at the West Alluvial
Fan parking lot. From the parking lot, you will
pass the remains of the cabins used by the prison
laborers who built Old Fall River Road at the beginning
of the century. When you reach Chasm Falls, you
will see beautiful, but dangerous, ic formations.
Use caution when negotiating this area.
- Gem Lake - This moderate,
3.2 mile round trip hike starts at the MacGregor
Ranch parking lot. From the parking lot you will
hike past an outcroping of 1.8 billion-year-old
granite. This has been sculpted by and chemical
erosion into a backbone-like ridge. Signs of this
erosion-pillars, pothoiles, and balanced rocks-appear
half way to Gem Lake. You will also see spectacular
views of Estes Valley, the Continental Divide and
a curious balanced rock called Paul Bunyan's Boot.
- Deer Mountain - This strenuous,
6 mile round trip hike up Deer Mountain takes you
through a stand of ponderosa pine and upward past
lodgepole pine, aspen and limber pine to the summit
plateau. While there is little snow on the lower
trail, expect packed and drifted snow on the switchbacks.
Snow cover on the summit can be three to five feet
deep so make sure you bring snowshoes or skis.
- Upper Beaver Meadows - This
easy, 3-4 mile round trip hike has two routes. One
route takes you along the road on the north side
of Beaver Creek. The second route follows the trail
that crosses the stream and runs on the south side
of the meadow at the base of the moraine. The trail
meets the road at the parking lot at the west end
of the meadow. Hiking along the trail you might
see elk bedding down among the trees near the trees
or along the stream.
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