Rocky Mountain NP – Bear Lake Area
Located on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park the Bear Lake Area is the one of the most popular areas to visit with several waterfalls, alpine lakes, and mountain climbs. This is where some of the most highly rated hikes in the state are located.
Glacier Basin Campground
Nestled in a high-elevation meadow at the base of Emerald Mountain, the campground offers views of several other peaks.
Campground Views & Visitors
Bridge over Glacier Creek
The entrance to Glacier Basin Campground contains a bridge over Glacier Creek which never ceases to provide an incredible color palate and potential wildlife views.
Bierstadt Lake via Bear Lake Trailhead
Due to one of us being dehydrated and not sleeping well, we scrap our planned hike and instead opt for an easier one. We choose the Bierstadt Lake Trail but in reverse. Instead of walking up the trail we ride the park bus from the Park-N-Ride across from the campground up to the Bear Lake Trailhead and walk back to the campground.
Bear Lake
Upon exiting the bus, we head up the Bear Lake Trail and get some really nice pictures of Bear Lake from the viewpoints along the shoreline.
Bierstadt Lake
After a very pleasant walk through the forest, we reach Bierstadt Lake which is unfortunately dry. However, it does provide an incredible view of several peaks along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains.
Sprague Lake
As we continue down the trail it becomes very rocky and difficult to navigate but it does reveal good views of Sprague Lake and Glacier Campground.
After an enjoyable hike we’re back at the camper in time for lunch and spend the afternoon relaxing around camp.
Mills Lake Trail
This morning everyone is hydrated, well rested and there’s no rain in the forecast. So, we decide to do the hike we’d originally planned for yesterday: Mills Lake.
This trail loosely follows Glacier & Tyndall Creek and will: take us by Alberta Falls, provide an incredible view down the valley, get us up close and personal with Glacier Knobs, take us over Icy Brook, and past Cascade Falls, before reaching Mills Lake.
We made two deviations from the trail linked above. We started at Bear Lake Trailhead to eliminate the uphill climb from Glacier Gorge and on the way back we went a few minutes down North Longs Peak Trail to see an amazing cascade.
Tyndall & Glacier Creek Views
We begin the trail with view of Tyndall & Cascade Creek as we head up the hill toward East Glacier Knobs.
Alberta Falls
This 30-foot waterfall is easily accessible from either the Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge Trailheads and it’s definitely worth the hike.
If you would like to see and hear Alberta Falls for yourself, please click on this link to be taken to our YouTube page.
Valley Overlook
Glacier Knobs
Glacier Falls
Icy Brook
Mills Lake
Known for stunning views of Longs Peak and the “Keyboard of the Winds” this sub-alpine lake is named after park founder Enos Mills.
Glacier Creek Cascade
This is the cascade we go a short way down North Longs Peak Trail to see. It is definitely worth the few minutes it takes to get here.
Wildlife
Along the trail we run into a small herd of Elk containing a young Bull with several Cows, a squirrel busy gathering nuts for the winter, a lone Elk Cow, and many varieties of birds, only one of which decides to pose for a photograph.
What an amazing hike!
Estes Park
Once we reach camp, we’re all really hungry so we decide to head into Estes Park for an early dinner and some ice cream. Don’t judge! We’ve earned it. We choose Antlers Rooftop Tavern for dinner and Pines & Cones Ice Cream for dessert. The food and service are excellent at both and we especially appreciate that Pines & Cones goes the extra mile for those with food allergies. They not only have options for all different types of allergies but also have specific procedures for handling that food.
Elk
It’s early fall which is time for the Elk Rut and as we hoped, on the way home we see a herd of Elk in Moraine Park. Moraine Park is one of the best places to see herds of Elk and the bulls fighting each other for the right to mate with the cows. We’re a little early to see any fighting but we do catch sight of a herd meandering across the park and a lone bull resting in the shade resting up for his evening sparring matches.
Campground Walk
This morning the weather is supposed to be rainy on and off all day, so we decide to walk around the campground in the morning and then go into town to do laundry and shopping in the afternoon. To make our campground walk a little different we follow a gated dirt road off of Loop A up into the hills which gives us a great view up towards Bear Lake.
And on the way home from town near the park entrance, we see Elk in two different meadows which of course is creating traffic jams and extending the normal wait time to enter to the park.
Sprague Lake
The weather is better today with clear skies in the morning and rain expected in the afternoon. So, in order to avoid the Labor Day weekend crowds, we opt to take the Glacier Basin East Portal Trail to the Sprague Lake Loop.
Glacier Basin East Portal Trail Views
This connector trail leads directly from Glacier Basin Campground to Sprague Lake. The trail surface is natural and well maintained with only a small portion allowing horses from the nearby stables.
Sprague Lake Views
The loop around the lake is very easy an provides some really nice views.
Four Lakes on One Trail
This morning we are braving the Labor Day crowds at the Bear Lake Trailhead to visit four high-altitude lakes. We’re doing the Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha Lakes Trail that combines Colorado’s #1 & #4 most popular hikes (according to AllTrails).
Nymph Lake
Nymph Lake is known for the lily pads that typically fill the lake during the summer. There’s a lot of them here today but it’s definitely not covered.
Dream Lake
Emerald Lake
Tyndall Creek Cascades
Along the trail we see Tyndall Creek many times and a few of the views provide descent cascades.
Trail Overlooks
There are two overlooks along the trail from Dream Lake to Lake Haiyaha. The first allows us to clearly see: Dream Lake, Nymph Lake, Sprague Lake, all the way to Glacier Basin Campground, and beyond.
The second provides an incredible view up the canyon between the Glacier Knobs.
Lake Haiyaha
This lake is surrounded by boulders that we are required to scramble over before we can get a view of the lake. It’s slow going but definitely worth it. The water is so clear!
We didn’t see any animals today but with the number of people around that’s really not surprising.
Glacier Creek Trail
Today we decide to ride the bus up to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and walk back to the campground via the Glacier Creek Trail.
The trail begins with waterfall views along Tyndall Creek.
And then turns south to follow Glacier Creek where we get another incredible waterfall view via a trail bridge over the creek.
To see and hear a video of the falls, click here.
The rest of this part of the trail is through dense woods but we do find a hidden lake that is covered in lily pads.
At the trail junction for Sprague Lake and Bierstadt Lake, we choose to remain on the Glacier Creek Trail which turns out to be a mistake. This is the same route the Sprague Lake Stables uses for their trail rides.
Elk at Sprague Lake
This afternoon is beautiful and we don’t want to waste it so we decide to walk back to Sprague Lake. We’re very glad we did because on the southwest side we find a family of Elk resting in the grass. There’s a really young bull, a cow, and a calf that the ranger estimates is approximately 4-5 months old. The calf is so small that we don’t even see it until we on the observation platform right above it.
Bear Lake
The campground closes for the season today and everyone has to be out by noon. So, we pack up and then head across the street to the Park & Ride lot where we find an open RV spot. From here we ride the bus up to Bear Lake and walk the nature trail around the lake taking pictures as we go. These are some of the best shots.
Bierstadt TH to Park & Ride
On the way back to the Park & Ride we decide we’d like to walk a little longer so we exit the bus and take a trail from Bierstadt to the Park & Ride lot.
The trail is obviously not well used but it’s very peaceful and the ups and downs provide a good workout.
Links to our other Rocky Mountain blogs:
- Rocky Mountain NP – Grand Lake Area
- State Forest State Park (adjacent to NW side of Rocky Mountain National Park)
Next Stop… Rocky Mountain National Park – Moraine Elk Rut
