Trailhead elevation: 8,860 feet, Distance: 1.4 miles one-way, Lake elevation: 9,416 feet
I bought a National Parks pass when I was at the Grand Canyon, so Rocky Mountain National Park had been on our radar for a while. It took about two hours to drive there and this time we were going to camp overnight. School had gone back into session but it didn’t seem to slow down the tourists (price you pay for visiting a world class park at any time of the year).
Our original plan was to go to the Bear Creek trailhead but by the time we had picked a campsite and made it to the park it was in full swing. Brian drove us up to the top, miles and miles before learning we had to turn back because all of the lots were full. Even though I had a pass it was still inconvenient, but we weren’t out any admission fee; I wondered about the poor folks who paid a daily fee that day.
Back down toward the entrance we found one small spot on the side of the road, near the Bierstadt Lake trailhead. “Well let’s check it out.”
The trail was a fun climb and well-maintained. It definitely got the heart pumping and required breaks here and there. There were a lot of people on it, either going up or coming back down. Everyone was real nice and the biggest obstacles on the climb up were in avoiding all the horse manure along the trail. As the trail climbed higher and higher I couldn’t imagine taking horses up there but it was clear that plenty people did.
At the first ridge clearing we started getting some incredible views…
And for the umpteenth time I said a not-so-small thank you to everyone and everything that had brought me here. A few facts about theses climbs: 1) Photos can never do justice and 2) There is no way to climb to these things and not feel like you’re really truly living.
As we climbed higher we started noticing more and more damage by the pine beetles…
But it was still a lovely hike and after about 1 1/2 miles we made it to the lake…
As the clouds rolled in we decided to head back down…
On the descent I slipped off of a toppled rock and shredded my ankle enough to almost see little cartoon birds flying around my head. I’d still be having trouble with it weeks later. But I made it down under my own steam and then we checked out Storm Pass for a few…
There was so much more to see but the crowds were still going strong and the clouds were coming in. We all agreed off-season (if there is such a thing at RMNP) would be the way to go.
On the drive back to camp we turned on to our wooded road and were lucky enough to see a herd of elk…
I’d later have my first experience with a bear-proof box and we’d all have the honor of trying to sleep through unremitting cries by a neighboring kid, but the hike itself was good fun!