I consider myself very lucky to live within about two hours of one of the country’s 62 national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park. *Fun fact, Colorado is actually home to 4 National Parks and 42 state parks!* THE MORE YOU KNOW, GUYS 🌈. And, okay, so based on this I guess I’m very, very lucky. One of my goals is to visit them all one day, but I have no timeline as I plan for Colorado to be home for quite some time.
The last time I went to Rocky Mountain National Park I purchased a national parks pass. The annual pass costs $80 and you can purchase it online or at a national park or affiliated area. The pass includes entrance fees to all national parks and federal recreational lands for one personal vehicle (not to exceed 4 adults). When you consider a day pass is $25 and a seven day vehicle pass is $35, $80 a year for unlimited trips seems pretty darn reasonable.
I have no problem driving for hours at a time if there isn’t traffic, so I made this into a day trip. I had a commitment later that evening and left immediately after hiking but if you’re daytripping from the Denver metro area I’d highly suggest avoiding traffic and checking out downtown Estes Park or the Stanley- but that’s a post for another day 🙂.
Unfortunately, national parks don’t allow dogs, so the ladies had to stay home for this one. Honestly, and this may be a bad mom admission, sometimes it’s nice to have it be just me. I don’t get a whole lot of alone time and this way I can focus fully on the experience, my surroundings, and taking capturing photos. Although I miss my furry companions, sometimes wrangling two dogs can be a little much (let alone two dogs and a small human, WOOF 🤪).
I had planned on doing a 5 mile hike that included the following lakes: Bear, Emerald, Dream, Nymph, and Tyndall Glacier. AllTrails has it rated as moderate with 1095 feet of elevation gain. I was really excited and anxious to get back to Rocky Mountain National Park as the last time I was there I completed my 52nd hike of 2019, Sky Pond. This was a HUGE accomplishment for me, but I still have mixed feelings about Sky Pond. The actual hike was amazing and I felt really accomplished afterwards, but I didn’t get to experience Sky Pond in the way that I wanted because the very top had such brutal winds that I felt my safety was at risk...so instead of celebrating at the top, I immediately started my descent.
Well, the nature gods apparently have some sort of qualm with me being on their turf at Rocky Mountain because, once again, wind had a significant impact on my hike. I am very diligent about checking the weather and avalanche forecasts and nothing in the forecast showed wind or inclement conditions. But, nature is unpredictable and things once again didn’t go according to plan. Safety first, always.
When I arrived at the Bear Lake parking lot there was plenty of parking left. The two times I’ve been to Rocky Mountain National Park this year there’s been ample parking in this lot. I started off my hike (with spikes!) and set out for Nymph Lake. It‘s a 1.2 mile hike from the trail head and it’s a relatively easy. Right now you honestly can’t even tell there’s a lake and there isn’t much to look at. Not only is it frozen over but the top is completely snow-covered. I stopped and took a few pictures and quickly set out for Dream Lake. It’s about 2 miles or so from the trailhead and has absolutely spectacular views once you pass Nymph Lake. I started taking pictures almost immediately as the incline began.
Seriously, there are plenty of scenic areas and spectacular views to take in. The trail was snow packed, but narrow and may be a bit difficult for little ones or those who aren’t used to hiking. And PLEASE, don’t go to a national park in the winter wearing tennis shoes...or dress shoes. It is unwise and you’re putting your and others safety at risk.
As I made my way towards Dream Lake the path opened up and it was clear the weather was very different at the lake. The winds in this area were whipping and seemed to be turning around. I was determined to see the lake and set out onto the ice. I walked around for a bit and got some photographs but it was clear after about five minutes that I would not be carrying onto the next lakes or getting the experience I set out for. I couldn’t find any semblance of a trail and I quite honestly do not enjoy hiking in the wind. It’s not my jam and why do something I do for fun if I’m not having any?
I was honestly pretty bummed when I started to head back but I knew it was the smart decision. As I descended I was hoping to have a snack at a large rock overlooking a scenic area but there were about six people there. I chose to walk down a little further, took a turn and had a beautiful area all to myself. I goofed around and did some yoga, ate my protein bar, and ended up having an absolutely great time (people probably think I’m bonkers sometimes 😂.
For me, two miles is not nearly enough when I’m solo and as I walked back I headed to Bear Lake. It is very easily accessible and there were a lot of people there which wasn’t the experience I was looking for. I was debating what to do and when I looked to the left there were signs for additional trails. I had seen Alberta Falls before when I did Sky Pond but didn’t actually check it out so I decided to hike the Alberta Falls Trail which is 1.6 miles and rated as easy on AllTrails.
I‘d done this trail before when hiking to Sky Pond, but I didn’t actually experience the falls during that hike. It’s completely frozen over right now and I was able to be alone at the top for nearly forty five minutes after a group of snowshoers descended once I arrived. Pretty neat.
If you’ve never experienced a waterfall in the winter, it’s truly amazing. You can hear the water rushing underneath the frozen ice which is calming in a way I can’t describe. Because I was alone I just sat on a rock and meditated for a while on top of the falls. This is a huge reason why I hike and even though I didn’t get to finish the trail I wanted to I still cleared my mind and had an absolutely beautiful experience in nature.
I will finish that trail and plan to head back to Rocky Mountain National Park soon. Hopefully it won’t be as windy, but if it is, I’m sure I’ll still find some way to make a memorable day out of it. Happy hiking, everybody 🥾✌🏼🏔.
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