DENVER – Rocky Mountain National Park has a lot to offer when it comes to hikes across its 355 miles of walkable terrain.
From waterfalls, lake hikes, to hikes for beginners or hikes where you'll likely be by yourself for most of the trip, check out these seven following suggestions if you're already making plans for the summer.
1. Lake hike: Mills Lake
If you like lakes, you’ll want to make the hike to Mills Lake.
Named after the founder of Rocky Mountain National Park, Enos Mills, the hike to Mills Lake begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead where you’ll hike past waterfalls, streambeds and above a glacially carved gorge to get to this destination. Mills Lake is a crystal-clear alpine lake that is well marked and well used. Once you arrive at Mills Lake, you have the option of continuing up an additional 1.7 miles that are to Black Lake.
2. Waterfall hike: Bridal Veil Falls
If you want to a hike that ends with a spectacular waterfall, you’ll want to hike Bridal Veil Falls.
Beginning at the Cow Creek Trailhead in the northeast corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, the trail follows – you guessed it – Cow Creek, where you’ll stumble upon “an abundance of wildflowers” during the late spring and summer months, according to Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails. Once at the Dark Mountain Trail junction, keep right. You’ll reach a very small waterfall but you should still continue to the right. About 3 miles in, you’ll eventually reach the Bridal Veil Falls, a waterfall that dropsa bout 20 feet off a rock ledge.
The trail is 6 miles round trip and has an elevation of 997 feet.
3. Family hike: The Sprague Lake Loop
If you’re new to hiking or want to get the little ones into hiking so they can start discovering the beauty Colorado has to offer, you’ll want to hike the Sprague Lake Loop.
The 0.8-mile loop trail near Estes Park takes about an average of 16 min. to complete due to its design: It’s pretty much flat throughout and better yet: It’s wheelchair and stroller accessible and has plenty of benches and lookouts, so hikers of all abilities can enjoy the beauty of the lake. The loop is also a great place to see a variety of wildlife, but the National Park Service asks that you keep wildlife wild and do not feed animals you may encounter while there.
4. Least crowded hike: Timber Lake
I can vouch for the…. emptiness of this hike. If you’re looking for a challenging hike that’ll reward you with hours of solitude to contemplate the mysteries of life, head to Timber Lake on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
The hike is about 10.2 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of 2,365 feet, but if you think that’s the challenge, think again: There’s an active landslide in the trail, so if you want to see the lake, you’ll have to go through it. The hike will run parallel to Timber creek where you’ll eventually reach some meadows where elk and moose like to hang out, so keep an eye out as you make the trek.
After ascending through hills, some where you’ll find some shade due to forested areas, you’ll eventually reach Timber Lake. You might want to go here at the height of summer though and not before, because you run the risk of the everything being frozen and cold.
5. The only 14er climb (not a hike!): Longs Peak
No one but experienced and seasoned hikers (or climbers, really) should attempt to hike to Longs Peak, the highest point of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Even if you attempt to hike during the summer, the National Park Service says you should treat it the main route called “The Keyhole” as a winter mountaineering route because it remains snowy, icy, extremely cold and windy throughout June each year.
Extra warm clothes, waterproof layers, extra food and water, a headlamp, a personal first aid kit, and a cell phone are strongly recommended by the NPS. Microspikes, crampons, and an ice axe should also be brought for the trip.
The Keyhole Route is “a climb that crosses enormous sheer vertical rock faces, often with falling rocks, requiring scrambling, where an unroped fall would likely be fatal," the NPS warns.
For information about climbing the Keyhole Route, click here.
6. Dog-friendly hike: Endovalley Road close to Chasm Falls
If you have a dog (and who doesn’t in Colorado?), you can take them along for a hike that gets sort of close to, but not really, to Chasm Falls. If you're taking your dog with you for this hike, you're only allowed to hike with your four-legged friend on Endovalley Road (from the Alluvial Fan parking area to the gate at Old Fall River Road). Past that, unfortunately, you can't continue hiking with your dog nor can you hike up to Chasm Falls with your furry friend. The road reverts to Winter Trail status from Dec. 1 to March 31, so during this time people cannot walk their dogs on Old Fall River Road, according to the NPS.
7. Historic site: Holzwarth Historic Site (Old Homestead Ranch)
History buffs who want to geek out on national park history but want an easy hike along the way should head out to the Holzwarth Historic Site, located on the Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of the park. The actual site is a very quick, half-mile hike. It offers wide, smooth trails and virtually no elevation change – so it’s perfect for people of all hiking abilities as well as families. Another cool thing about this hike is that you’ll eventually cross the Colorado River before rounding a crner into a wooded area on the edge of the valley where the Holzwarth Historic Site is located.
There are tours in the summer. For more info., click here.
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