Best Trails in Rocky Mountain National Park

stunning lake. it's hidden behind some huge boulders and you have to scramble a bit to see the lake. such a gorgeous lake.

Great views, but certainly on the hard side of moderate for Texas people. The stair stepping will get you. Do not underestimate the elevation gain with this one. Easy to navigate trail, well maintained. Also, the chipmunks have been fed by people at the lake and are very bold.

Great views, but certainly on the hard side of moderate for Texas people. The stair stepping will get you. Do not underestimate the elevation gain with this one. Easy to navigate trail, well maintained. Also, the chipmunks have been fed by people at the lake and are very bold.

Did this trail today with my wife. Not a bad climb, we did it without poles or snow spikes.

Great trail. We are here for a week and this was our first warm up hike today. It is snowing, but the trail is in great shape. No accumulations. A little moisture but not slippery. Even with the snow the views were beautiful.

remember to take off your rings when new to this altitude. really high

Did this hike yesterday 5/19. I got to the winter TH at 7am, and there were 2 other cars there. The gate to the summer TH was not open. When I got back down to the Summer TH at 10-ish, the gate had been opened and multiple cars were at the Summer TH. I'm not sure if they'll keep it open going forward or if things will change day to day. It'll definitely be fully open by Memorial Day Weekend though. It was a nice hike. Copeland Falls is raging. Still some snow on Calypso Cascades but they'll be raging in 2-3 weeks I'm sure. Ouzel Falls is looking pretty good, but again will be better by early June. There is some snow on the trail once you get close to the cascades. I had spikes with me but did not use them. There are just a couple spots you'll need to go slow so that you don't slip/fall. But again...more snow headed there this week!

Completed on 5/19. Amazing hike. Micro spikes and trekking poles were all I needed.

loved this hike. beautiful away from crowds.

lovely moderate hike. gets crowded.

good workout. great views.

wonderful hike. great scenery all the way.

beautiful hike. tough workout. lake is amazing. not crowded. bring plenty of water and snacks.

Easy hike up to mountain if the altitude does not bother you (8k). Ascent to mountain top affords great views and is tricky in just a few parts. Be aware that trail markers (white spray painted a arrows) are not visible on the way down from the mountain top. So it may help to make your own markers. If you do descend to another part of the mountain keep the river to your left to head back to trail head.

Tough trek! completed on Thursday and snow shoes were a must! Definitely worth the challenge and not many were up for it that day!

Beautiful trail, not bad at all if you have poles and micospikes (hiked 5/19). Saw a few people who made it up to the Loch withoutanything but there was a lot of slipping and falling involved. First mile of the trail gets crowded, but thins out quickly after the falls.

hiked this morning 5/19. trail is snow free just fast Fern Falls (the falls are really beautiful right now with all the snow melt!) from there pretty packed up to Fern Lake, I had spikes with me but didn’t use them. Fern Lake is still frozen and snow-covered, but absolutely gorgeous. only saw two other people all morning but saw several bull moose both on the way up and back and a small group of cow elk. road is open up to the summer trailhead.

too many people

Too close and too good to not stop and check out. Great view and pic opportunity for everyone.

Awesome hike! Did this on 5/18/19 early in the morning and it was a blast. Some switch backs in the woods and some steep areas where we had to be careful to stay on the path and not slide down in the snow off to the side. Amazing views on the way and an awesome destination. Did it with hiking shoes and we were ok. Would have been nice to have spikes though.

DO IT. Did this hike on 5/18 and started the hike Around 7:30am. Lots of snow, but we did fine with hiking shoes. View of Dream Lake on the way were amazing as well. The weather was amazing and the views were awesome! Stay to the right of dream lake if you want to go to Emerald Lake. If you go to the left (like we accidentally did), you’ll head to Lake Haiyaha. We were super ok with that tho, because it was an incredible hike. We started at 7:30am and got back to our car at about 11:30 (to find the parking lot completely full). But like I said, this included Lake Haiyaha, and with a few breaks here and there to breath the mountain air, enjoy the views and soak in the moments. Looking forward to coming back and doing these hikes again in summer months!

It’s short. It’s easy. It’s beautiful. Just hop over and do it and add to your list of RMNP hikes. Did this hike on 5/18/19. My wife and I (both 25) were pleasantly surprised when we saw the rocky falls. It was fun climbing all over the rocks to get further up the falls. If you don’t want to or aren’t able to climb on the rocks, you can still walk up to it and check it out with a great viewing of your friends and fam climbing/hiking around. I gave this hike 4 stars because it WAS great. We were glad we decided to hit this one short hike as our last hike of the weekend. And I will definitely do it again if I come with new friends or family. Because like I said In the beginning, it was short and easy and fun. So why not.

Nice hike with nice views. Still snow on much of the trail after the 2.5 mile mark, roughly. I used spikes from that point on. I wouldn't recommend going without traction right now, although I did see a few people making their way up without spikes.

We did this full circuit around the lake yesterday and it was amazing. No special shoes required. Ran into lots of mud, snow and water on the back half of the trail. Not very many people at all. Easy hike, great views

Hiked on May 18 early in the morning. A lot of snow above 10,000 feet. It was hard packed today due to the cold temps, but you could see areas where there was post holing. I used spikes but didn’t need snowshoes . It’s a great hike, but longer than the description. 3.9 miles each way from the start of the trailhead and another .4 from the lower parking lot to the start of the trailhead, so its really 8.6 miles total.

Great trail. Moderate, but challenging enough. The steps can be tough on the knees and back, especially on the way down. The views are the main attraction. Awesome views of the Estes valley, Longs Peak and other snow capped peaks. Pretty crowded, but all nice people. Get there early for parking, tho.

Much thanks to the reviews left over the weekend 5/11-5/12 - hiked to Sky Pond 5/14 - bought spikes and trekking poles and only used spikes. As everyone else is saying the earlier the better with snow, becomes slushy and you begin to sink with your steps later in day. Extremely rewarding to go up to Lake of Glass and continuing to Sky Pond. Currently Timberline Falls is covered in snow so you are climbing on snow with no rocks. Was on all 4 and took careful time up solo to ensure I didn’t fall or lose footing.

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Amazing hike with my husband! A lot of uphill but worth it at the top!