Loved this trail! Have lived in colorado for over 40 years now and i did not know this trail…read moreexisted. Crosier mountain trail is around 40 minutes from fort collins. Go up highway 34 and then towards drake. There is a small dirt parking lot with what looks like a locked gate. there are no signs that this is a trail. However if you go through the gate and walk up the hill a bit then you will see the trail sign. The trail round trip is 10.2 miles. We only did 5.5 miles today because of time constraints, but definitely want to go back. The trail starts off in the open and then gets you back into a wooded area. The views are pretty stunning and there were some fall colors popping in various parts of the hike. There is a lot of elevation gain. I believe i saw the trail has over 3000 feet of elevation gain from start to finish. In the first 2.5 miles we did 1500 feet of elevation gain. Parts are fairly rocky. But the trail is clear and well worn. Dogs are allowed but need to be leashed. It says that mountain bikers are also able to use the trail as well. The sign did say that rattle snakes can still be in this area so be on the look out if you go up. I loved that we were out for a couple of hours and didn't run into a soul. that is my kind of hiking experience.

This place is absolutely stunning!! You have to go if you are in the Colorado area!!…read more We got in around noon and went to Bear lake and Alberta falls! Both were incredible. We also drove around a bit and it was just dream like! There are sooo many elk! Drive slow and watch for wild life!! Hiking can be difficult even on the well maintained paths. Make sure you wear solid footwear! Take lots of pictures and know your cell phone service may not work inside the park. Always remember to carry out what you carry in! That includes things like banana peels and orange rinds! Don't leave anything behind! Enjoy this absolutely gorgeous national park!!

The views are spectacular from every angle throughout the park!…read more Rocky Mountain National Park was established on January 26, 1915 and was dedicated on Sept. 4, 1915. We had already planned to come here on Oct. 1, 2025 which coincided with the first day of the Federal Government Shutdown. We arrived before anyone was at the Entrance Station to take entrance fees & reservations. We later exited & reentered the park and there was a guy at the entrance booth. He didn't seem to know what was going on and the fees/reservations were not collected. I had gone online to recreation.gov and made a reservation for a timed entry to the park. There was a $2 fee. There are 2 reservation options: Timed Entry with or without Bear Lake Road Reservation. First wildlife we saw were the Mule Deer. During our visit here, we heard Elk bugling, saw Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, chipmunks, & birds. Trail Ridge Road is a major road which is also part of US Highway 34. It takes you up to the Alpine Tundra and is the highest continuous paved road in North America. Some of the stops are: Fairview Curve, Medicine Bow Curve, Lava Cliffs, Rock Cut, Forest Canyon, & Many Parks Curve. With the different elevations in the park, the terrain also changes! I was amazed with how the landscape was so vast & stunning from the grassy meadows to the Alpine Tundra! Trail of Aspens - there's a plaque with information about it at Hollowell Park. Look in the distance above the sign and you'll see them. Going in the Autumn time, it was so easy to see them as they were changing colors! Sprague Lake - saw lots of Trout in the shallow water before reaching the lake itself. Took the Trail Ridge Road up to the Alpine Tundra area where the Alpine Visitor Center is. This visitor center is the highest one in the National Park System at 11,796 feet. It was closed, but the Trail Ridge Store with a coffee stand next door was open. The elevation here can bring on altitude sickness. The elevation reaches over 12,000ft. Everyone should be careful and drink plenty of water. We live at Sea Level in Los Angeles and acclimating to the elevation helped somewhat. We still had a bit of trouble catching our breath. Coming back down, we stopped by the Sheep Lakes Information Station. I think we were too early to see the sheep. We didn't see any Bighorn Sheep there. Alluvial Fan - Pretty cool area! There was a Lawn Lake flood on July 15, 1982. An alluvial fan is basically a fan-shaped deposit of sediment. There's a bridge across Roaring River near the base of the Alluvial Fan. You can walk up a little bit for a view of the water falling or a selfie with the river in the background. We spent about 8 hours in the park. Most of it was driving and taking in the sights. No hiking for us, but we did get out and do some of the short walks out to see things. Our last stop was at the Fall River Visitor Center. It is located just outside of the park. Lucky for us that this is run in a partnership with the NPS & by the Rocky Mountain Conservatory and was open! We were able to see the exhibits and use the park stamp for my parks passport book. Next door is a store that we also visited and took advantage of their restroom before heading into the town for dinner. I hope to make it back again! Seeing the wildlife and the tundra area were highlights.

8.12.2025 I arrived at 7am on the dot to hike gem lake. I'm so thankful that I arrived early to…read moreavoid the crowds, and when I arrived to the lake I had the place to myself, the water was like glass and the sun was still not high in the sky which provided the most beautiful reflections off the lake which made for some wonderful photos. In all I enjoyed this hike very much, everything about it was very enjoyable. On the hike down I encountered a lot of people headed up at the 8 o'clock hour. So I feel I timed my hike perfectly.

Gem Lake Trail is a relatively short hike at 3.4 miles round trip. The parking lot allows for…read moreplenty of parking. This hike has a 830 feet elevation gain meaning that the 1.7 miles up the trail has a steady incline. The 1.7 miles down is all downhill. Once you reach the top, you will see Gem Lake. The last bit leading up to Gem Lake is a little steeper than the rest of the trail. Gem Lake is a rather small lake, although beautiful. There is also a bathroom near the top, although can't comment on the restroom since I didn't use it. The views are gorgeous. We went around 2:30pm and there is always a chance of showers around that time in June. I would recommend going earlier in the day if possible to capture the reflection in the lake more and to avoid possibly getting rained on. Highly recommend this trail.

Super easy hike with some decent views. I wanted more of a challenge, but still had a good time…read more There is a lot of traffic on these trails and a lot of kids were there...not an issue, but it was busier than a lot of the hikes I do. Parking is $10 though!

Make it a destination when in NoCo....the place is just a beautiful place, close to town, and…read morestands out as must not miss !! Great place for a short hike, or use their amenities to start your longer adventure.

When you start this hike from the parking lot know that you're starting at the Roosevelt side where…read moreyou can bring your four legged buddy. Watch for the sign that tells you you are entering RMNP the first sign is a No Travel Zone. This is where your four legged buddy can't go any further. No dogs allowed anywhere in RMNP. Starting June 1 or 4th? Day Hikers are required to get a permit. As far as I know this is temporary just to ease the amount of visitors for obvious reasons. Length: 18.4 miles RT Elevation Gain: 3,330 ft Route: Out & Back Lost Lake is rated as moderate in AllTrails. I don't think so. For day hikers without a heavy backpack maybe. But the length of the hike and add downed trees and snow covered trail and off trail adventure it really turns out a difficult trail. I've been here about four times and I'm making this my last time. This is a 9.2 miles fairly isolated lake. This past weekend we were the only souls that was determined to reach the lake. Runners and say hikers turned around because of the reasons mentioned above. Rain was a constant this weekend. Heavy downpours. At this point sometimes I wonder why don't I just stop doing this? It's very hard on your body and even harder when the backpacking food that we chosen to bring with us failed miserably! But we love backpacking. Can't stop. Won't stop. We've seen incredible sunrise, awe inspiring sunsets and jaw dropping frozen lakes and so much more! No frozen lake this trip but still pretty. Lots of grey clouds.

Nice hike near the town. Moderate in difficulty and shaded in some areas. Not much parking so get…read morethere early. Beautiful view of the falls at the top.

This is a great trail but the location shown here for it is wrong. The trail is in Rocky Mountain…read moreNational Park on the edge of Estes Park. This map is a small community 12 miles east of Estes Park. Please use google to find the real location of this trail!

Things are changing here after 100 years. Chautauqua Auditorium is being renovated and winterized…read more It had been needed before this as another concert venue in Boulder would have been appreciated sooner but once Boulder won Sundance it became a necessity. But when you come in the summer it will still look the same. A removable heated tent will be erected inside and heated by geothermal heat from underneath that will be transferred underground from the dining hall kitchen's surplus stored energy. So modern in such an old structure. So when you visit this spring there is a lot of truck traffic and digging and detours around the building but you can see from the last picture, the green and the view of the Flatirons are undisturbed.

Overall, it was a refreshing late October hike on the Flatiron Loop trail! Since we were first time…read morevisitors, we asked for a trail recommendation at the ranger station that fit in with our plans, so something in the 2-hr range. They suggested going in a counterclockwise direction which got the elevation gain done sooner and would finish with a more gradual descent. Being a sea-level creature, I did have to catch my breath a few times on the way up. Now, at the uppermost part of the loop after a bunch of stone steps, there were some all-rock areas where hunching down with a hand or two on the rock helped with balance. Afterward we noted signs on the trail allowing horses. They must have goat like abilities for those rocky parts, I thought. If you like seeing people, there were plenty during the early afternoon hours, sometimes making passing on narrow trail sections a little tricky. We got lucky with parking, going around the large grassy area only once. On the way out, we thanked the ranger for the great recommendation, gave up our parking spot to the next lucky person and went on our way, with plenty of time for our next activity.

Alberta Falls was our "pivot" hike after our afternoon was derailed by a rainstorm. But it…read moredefinitely didn't feel like a pivot when we reached the falls! Absolutely gorgeous and beautiful, we ended up staying nearly an hour just relaxing and enjoying the rushing water. Located on Bear Lake Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, you will need a separate reservation from the park's reservation to enter the road. The hike itself is about 1.6 miles roundtrip and was a relatively easy hike. Plenty of spots to sit on rocks and simply enjoy nature. We didn't have any issues parking in the trailhead parking lot, but we came in late afternoon. Bear Lake is definitely busy earlier in the day. If there's no parking, they do have lots further away and shuttles to take you to the trailhead. Highly recommend this hike. You will not be disappointed.

This is a pretty hike to a gorgeous waterfall that isn't too difficult. The hike to Alberta Falls…read moreis 1.6-miles round trip with 160 feet of elevation gain. After spending the day at Bear Lake and doing the hike to Emerald Lake, I decided to do this hike as well. Mostly because I didn't want to deal with the timed entry situation to get into Bear Lake on another day. The hike to Alberta Falls begins at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. While on this hike, you will enjoy aspen groves and a mixed pine forest with some mountainous views along the way. You can hear Alberta Falls as you approach it. Alberta Falls is a 30-foot waterfall that pours into Glacier Creek. Alberta Falls is one of the most visited sections of Rocky Mountain National Park. You can access it by driving down Bear Lake Road after entering the Beaver Meadows Entrance. To access Bear Lake Road, you must book a timed entry reservation in advance. This is because of the popularity of this area. The trailhead begins at the beginning of the Bear Lake Trailhead. If you don't want to wait for a parking spot to open up, you can ride the free shuttle to the trailhead. Alberta Falls is named after Alberta Sprague, the wife of Abner Sprague. He was one of the first settlers in the Estes Park area before it became Rocky Mountain National Park. Sprague Lake is located off Bear Lake Road and is named for Abner Sprague.

This is one of the best easy trails in RMNP; off the beaten path, scenic, easy, with a great…read moredestination!! Access the trailhead at the very end of the road in Morraine Park. The trail is about 1.7 miles of easy sandy hiking along the headwaters of the Big Thompson river. Many folk hike in to fish here! There are aspen, big giant boulders (look up! They have fallen from 1000' up- scary!!), a babbling brooks, pine trees, and finally at the end, The Pool! We usually see an elk or deer along this path. The hike to the pool does not disappoint!!