Road Trip! Hiking Trinity
Three Great Treks In Rocky Mountain National Park
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
As the summer temperatures in Denver flirt with unbearable, head to the hills.
A great mountain hike must have spectacular views, varied terrain and, ideally, a huge jackpot payoff at the end. One of our national treasures, Rocky Mountain National Park, is a 90-minute drive from Park Hill. But what is the best day-hike there? Here are three candidates — all are strenuous and should take a fit hiker between four to six hours to complete.
Amazing Sky Pond
The hike to Sky Pond sits at the top of most lists of the best hikes in the Park. It provides views of two waterfalls — one of which you have to climb up. You’ll encounter three lakes, including the amazing Sky Pond, which is 10,900 feet in altitude at the base of a series of sharp granite spires that tower another 1,700 vertical feet above the water surface. The hike can be started either at the Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake trailheads in the Bear Lake area of the Park. Reservations are required, unless you get there before 5 a.m. The nine-mile round trek passes the raging Alberta Falls, the beautiful Loch, Timberline Falls, and the Lake of Glass on the way to the ultimate goal of Sky Pond. This out-and-back trail has a total elevation gain of 2,390 feet.
Stunning Chasm Lake
The Chasm Lake trail offers stunning views just below Long’s Peak’s famous sheer 900-foot “Diamond” alpine wall. The trail starts at the Long’s Peak trailhead off Highway 7, some 10 miles south of Estes Park. Hikers visiting Chasm Lake share the first 2.5 miles of the trail with aspiring Long’s Peak summiteers and on weekends the parking lot fills up quickly. After two miles of steady uphill in the forest, hikers pop out above treeline for another uphill mile on the alpine tundra. At Chasm Junction, the trail to Chasm Lake turns left while Long’s Peak hikers aim to the right. Hikers taking the left turn are rewarded with spectacular views down to Peacock Pool and across to Columbine Falls, while directly ahead they see an imposing “Ship’s Prow” formation. Chasm Lake itself is not visible until Mile 4, after a final relatively easy scramble up and over a series of rock ledges. The lake sits in a deep cirque at the base of Mount Lady Washington to the north, and 14,259-foot Long’s Peak to the west. The hike is a nine-mile out-and-back round trip, with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. It starts at an elevation of 9,405 with a highest elevation of 11,823 feet.
Remarkable Mount Ida
Less well-known than Sky Pond and Chasm Lake, the Mount Ida trail is a remarkable hike that makes many “best hikes” lists. The trail starts on the west side of the Continental Divide, 4.2 miles beyond the Alpine Visitor Center off Trail Ridge Road near Milner Pass, and 15.7 miles north of the Grand Lake entrance. Although starting below treeline, this hike quickly moves onto the tundra for a long trek below ridge line. Without any immediate water features, the trail crosses several miles of seemingly-endless fields of wildflowers with unparalleled views to the west of the Never Summer mountain range and down to the valley to the headwaters of the Colorado River. The final mile is up a moderate incline on rocky terrain and the official path is somewhat difficult to follow. But once at the top (12,889 feet in altitude), the 360-degree view is unmatched: Long’s Peak is southeast, Trail Ridge Road is to the north, and Lake Granby is southwest. A thousand feet below is an alpine basin with numerous lakes. If you pack a lunch on this hike, be sure to keep an eye on it as it may fall victim to an aggressive marmot. This hike is a 10-mile round trip out and back, with 2,465 feet of total elevation gain. It’s almost completely sun and wind exposed, so checking the weather is a must before heading out.
