Winter in Rocky Mountain NP

1/5/2020 - My first official hike of 2020 is in the books! It was a gorgeous and much needed day out in the wilderness. Estes Park is just over an hours drive from my house. I love that I have a national park practically in my backyard and I definitely put my Parks Pass to good use. It was cold in the park today, with wind (and now I have wind burn on my face!) and scattered rays of sunshine - but when the sun came out, you could feel the warmth on your skin. One of my favorite things about winter hiking is the ability to walk on water, frozen water that is! Seeing the bubbles under the ice, or how the ripples have frozen on a lake, adds to the texture and mystery of water.

I decided to do the Bear Lake trail to Nymph Lake and end at Dream Lake. The interesting thing about winter hiking is that you don’t know if you are actually on a legit trail, or if you are just following someone else’s footprints. At one point, it was realized a wrong turn was made at Nymph Lake…I guess that’s what happens when you go walking in the middle of the lake? However, it made for a fun adventure. I used microspikes for this adventure. While a lot of people were snowshoeing, the path was pretty snow packed and the spikes worked perfectly!

Here are some of my favorite trails in RMNP:

• Emerald Lake Trail - Very Popular!

  • Start at Bear Lake Trailhead -> Nymph Lake -> Dream Lake -> Emerald Lake

    • Just over 3 mile out and back hike. Elevation gain is 708ft

    • Rated as easy to moderate, as there are some steeper inclines

    • During the summer, if you do not get there early enough, you will have to park at designated parking spots and take the shuttle bus in.

• Sky Pond aka “Sharkstooth” - My favorite!

  • You reach Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail

    • Just over 8 miles out and back hike. Elevation gain is almost 2000ft

    • Rated as difficult

      • You will need spikes if the ice hasn’t melted in the summer yet, as you have to climb up a waterfall to reach Sky Pond

    • Pack lots of water and snacks

• Gem Lake Trail

  • This hike technically starts outside of RMNP on Devils Gulch Road (turn onto Lumpy Ridge Road)

    • Highly recommended to get there early for parking in the lot, especially during the summer

  • Just over 3 miles out and back hike. Elevation gain is almost 1000ft

  • Great views of Estes Park

• Trail Ridge Road - during the summer!

  • Beautiful drive along the mountain tops

  • Only open during summer months, check RMNP website for updates on openings/closures

  • No hiking needed, unless you want to get out at stopping points to explore

  • You can take this from Estes Park to Grand Lake / Granby area

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my January 2020 winter hike. They have been cropped and resized to fit this blog . If you are interested in any image for print, canvas, or panel designs, please feel free to contact me!

Enjoy!

-J

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