First Time In Rocky Mountain National Park

Written by: Brandon Renbaum

July1st, 2021

Finding The Park

My trip began around 3am on a holiday weekend, driving northwest of Denver to the town of Estes Park, Colorado. I read that if you didn’t get to the park entrance gate by 6am you might be waiting in line for hours just to hit the trailheads. So I took this advice to heart, knowing I would probably get lost anyway.

Since it was dark outside I couldn’t really see my surroundings while driving through Boulder and onwards towards Estes Park. I could barely make out large shadows and figures that looked like tall rocks all around me. I got the sense I was driving through a large canyon towards the end of my trip because I could make out large rock formations on both my driver and passenger sides. This made sense because the road became narrower and darker as I drove through it. It was like being blind folded on your way to a secret wonderland; you just felt that this area you were traveling through was beautiful and different at a purely sensory level, almost like driving on the moon.

Rocky Mountain National Park Map

As my GPS warned me I was entering Allenspark, a town just south of Estes Park, I knew I was getting very close to the park. The sun slowly started to rise as I entered what looked like a completely different world. I saw tall jagged peaks and lush green timber emerge through the morning mist. The sound of birds chirping and crickets buzzing as if they just awoke from a long slumber invaded my ears. Rays of orange, yellow, and gold bounced off these rugged peaks in a way that can only be described as astonishing. I immediately pulled over, got my camera out and started taking pictures of this new world coming to life as it was bathing in the morning sun. Everywhere my eyes gazed seemed to be magical.

As I continued driving towards the park I could see some very large mountains to my left, which I later found out were part of Mt. Meeker and Long’s Peak (a famous 14er here in Colorado). I soon found myself driving down a long road into a mountain valley. This was one of my favorite parts about the drive – descending into the town of Estes Park from Vrain Road. This twisting and winding road is not for the faint of heart, but is definitely one of the prettiest drives I have experienced in Colorado in terms of entering a mountain town. Little houses started popping up in this valley as the town of Estes Park revealed it’s beauty as dawn turned into daylight.

I now had to find the main entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. I had this idea that my GPS would take me to the main entrance and from there everything would be easy, but that was not the case. It took about an hour and a half just to find the correct entrance. My GPS led me to the Wild Basin entrance, which confused me since there was nobody at the gate or any other cars trying to enter in this area. I saw a sign that read “Rocky Mountain National Park: Wild Basin Entrance,” but I didn’t know where that was in the park because I made the mistake of not looking at a map before going. I drove through the entrance and turned back out after about ten minutes as my instincts told me this was not the correct entrance.

I found myself back in Estes Park following multiple signs that would lead me to the park. I finally got it right after passing The Stanley Hotel and following cars that I assumed were just as lost as myself. I got through the main gate without checking in with a ranger since nobody was there at 6:30am when I arrived. I drove through the park and a whole new world opened up to me. I found myself in a valley with beautiful mountains and a small stream meandering through the landscape. An Elk popped out of nowhere and began walking on the road as if he could care less I was entering his home. I stopped again to take pictures and video of this great area that I later learned was called “Horseshoe Curve.”

I continued driving through the park and ran into a fork in the road, but no mention of where I needed to go (Bear Lake Corridor). I turned left and found myself driving up a steep mountain road. I thought to myself, “Damn…I hope this isn’t Trail Ridge Road.” I looked over at my GPS and sure enough I was now climbing one of the highest paved roads in Colorado, something I didn’t want to do on the first day in the park. So I turned around and went the other direction at the crossroads. This brought me deeper into the park and led me to another fork in the road, but the signs were confusing and none mentioned “Bear Lake Corridor.” Bear Lake was where I needed to park as all the popular trail heads started at this point. After making another wrong turn I finally got my bearings and headed in the right direction. I found a sign for “Bear Lake” and just followed it until I hit a ranger check in station. I was no longer alone and knew I was in the right place because cars were beginning to pile in at a steady pace.

Because of Covid the park was requiring a “timed entry pass,” which basically meant you had to purchase your tickets for each day online and had a two hour time limit to enter the park. I just barely made it in the gate at 7am and the ranger handed me a map of the park. Now I was headed in the right direction and could pinpoint a game plan for the remainder of my journey.

First Hike: Dream Lake

I parked in the Bear Lake lot and found myself surrounded by tourists getting geared up for their day in the mountains. As I got my pack out and started adjusting the height of my trekking poles I could hear little kids screaming and crying. I approached the trailhead and looked at the map to see where “Dream Lake” was. A ranger helped guide me in the right direction and said the hike was pretty easy..follow it to Emerald Lake afterwards.

So I started hiking towards Dream Lake with a bunch of tourists. The hike started out in the timber and was nothing special at first. About a mile in the trail started to open up and I could see beautiful, jagged peaks filled with snow. This was early June and there was still snow and ice on the trail. People were slipping left and right because they didn’t bring any crampons with them. This is a typical newbie mistake in hiking and it’s funny to watch. You must have some spikes on you at all times because trails at this elevation still have snow on them, especially in the shaded areas.

Dream Lake: RMNP

I eventually hit Dream Lake, which was an amazing sight to see, but still frozen over. Much of the hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park are geared towards reaching an alpine lake (Emerald Lake, Sky Pond, The Loch). This makes for great pictures and a sense that you are truly experiencing the Colorado lifestyle. Next, we followed Dream Lake to Emerald Lake, which was about a two mile hike from Dream Lake. I remember reaching Emerald Lake and noticing how everyone was sitting on a rock somewhere eating a snack and taking in the view. Huge granite rocks surrounded us as we tried to comprehend what we were seeing. A group of middle aged hikers were commenting about the hike and how this was their eighth time on the trail. This one guy knew exactly where to go and how to prepare for a successful hike. It’s always nice to see a native who knows his stuff and is willing to share his info. At this time I was carrying about 40 pounds of gear in my pack, trying to be prepared for any kind of weather. This was a huge mistake and it gave me horrible back pain for the remainder of the day. I cut the day short because of this and decided I needed to re-prioritize what was going in my pack. Less is more when it comes to packing for a hike. Most people (like myself) don’t need all the things they are carrying. You really only need a raincoat, water, sunscreen, spikes, and some snacks. I prepared myself for the next day where I was going to be hiking from dawn to dusk.

Day Two: Hiking Glacier Gorge Trail head

This day was devoted to real mountain hiking. I got up around 4:30am, brewed a small cup of coffee, hopped in my truck and was off to the races. Again I was greeted with amazing rays of light bouncing off mountain tops and peeping through aspen trees. It looked as if the sky was on fire; colors of red, orange, gold, and yellow invaded my senses. I was barely awake, but enjoyed every second of it.
I ended up parking at the Bear Lake corridor because the Glacier Trailhead parking lot was filled when I arrived shortly after 6am. I had to be on the Glacier Trailhead to hit The Loch and Sky Pond, two famous hikes in the park everyone wants to accomplish. So I waited for a bus to take me to the Glacier Trailhead, which was about a quarter mile down the hill from where I was parked. All of a sudden a ranger came up to me and asked where I was heading. I told him Glacier Trailhead and he just laughed and said I could hike it from where I was standing via the Bear Lake trailhead. He mentioned he was heading that way anyway to see the water levels at Alberta Falls; another attraction on the Glacier Trailhead. I took his advice and just started hiking the Bear Lake trailhead, but veering left instead of right at the start of the trail until I ran into the Glacier Trailhead itself.

Lost Souls On The Trail

The day was overcast and cool when I started. I noticed that this trail was very crowded and had tourists from all over the country and abroad hiking it. I was minding my own business when a tall/skinny Asian teenager started asking me questions about losing his best friend. He was clearly startled and nervous that his friend hadn’t returned to the trailhead after trying to retrieve his wallet back at the parking lot. He started following me and discussing where they agreed to meet up and how he lacks good planning skills. I told this kid his friend was probably fine and that he should continue hiking if he already waited 30 minutes at the agreed meetup point. The poor kid was from Iowa and at the park for two weeks with his friend. He eventually left me alone and found his friend several hours later after tagging along with just about everyone he ran into on the trail. This is the advantage of hiking alone; you can go at your own pace and only have to worry about yourself. The downside is getting lost or severely injured without any help. I bought a Garmin InReach for this purpose as it has an SOS button in case of a dire emergency, but more practically allows your loved ones to track where you are as you hike.

As I continued to hike Glacier Trail I was greeted with several impressive land features. The first was Alberta Falls, which was just a decent sized waterfall with crystal clear water that meandered through, over and around large rocks like butter. At this point the trail started to increase in elevation and turned into an uphill hike through rocky trails and scenic overlooks around every corner. The mountain peaks became more pronounced; filled with snow and sharp jagged edges. It was the picture perfect Colorado environment, the stuff people conjure up in their imagination when they think of the state.

The Loch: Rocky Mountain National Park

My mission was to reach “The Loch,” which was a decent sized alpine lake above the tree line by lunch. I kept hiking and it seemed as though around every corner the scenery changed drastically. There was one section where the trailhead goes directly through a mountain pass and you are surrounded by the most amazing mountains on both sides. It felt like hiking through a canyon and reminded me how lucky I was to be alive. I stopped at least a half a dozen times to take pictures and videos. From that point on it was pretty much uphill and the sun was frying my face until I reached “The Loch.” It took about four hours to reach this magnificent lake called “The Loch.” People were sitting all around the lake grabbing a snack and taking pictures. I took out my Jetboil and heated up some Mountain House rice and chicken. I thought I would just eat lunch, take some pictures and head back home. However, people kept talking about this “Sky Pond” lake a couple of miles up from The Loch. People were saying that the hike up was treacherous and many turned back just trying to reach the lake before it (Glass Lake). So I finished my lunch and thought I might as well keep on trekking since my timed entry pass for the following day wasn’t until 11am and that would be too late to start a hike or find parking. So onward I went…searching for the continuation of the trail towards Sky Pond.

The Loch Vale: RMNP

The thing about finding where the trailhead continues after reaching these big lakes is that it’s not straightforward. The path kind of disappears and you just see footprints in every direction from previous hikers. Even with my GPS I had a hard time finding where the trail continued from The Loch. I ended up following a family who was headed the same way and we all found our way back to the trailhead after twenty minutes of wandering in circles. The scene was something out of a Griswald’s Family Vacation movie.

Approaching Sky Pond: 

The trail started to get less crowded the further I hiked towards Sky Pond. At this point only seasoned hikers were willing to keep pushing. I would pass some young couples and hardy teenagers who would stop me and warn me that there was this one “rough spot” up ahead that was pretty vertical and dangerous. I believed them but figured I could handle it being that I did The Manitou Incline and was no stranger to scrambling steep grades. It was at this point where I got out of the tree line and into alpine territory. I was looking at some of the most amazing rock formations covered with snow in the middle of June. What a great thing to be a part of, I thought to myself…only in Colorado! At this elevation (pushing 10,000 ft above sea level), the trail is all snow and you really need microspikes to safely traverse the terrain. I finally got to the part everyone was talking about and thought..hey, I’ve been through tougher climbs than this. However, when I got closer and saw people falling down this steep incline..I had second thoughts.

From a distance it didn’t look too bad. Yet I saw people stranded at the base, just in limbo deciding whether they should continue or pull back. To make matters worse people were now telling me somebody broke their leg two days ago trying to climb this section. But Coloradans do what Coloradans do and the group I was hiking with grew up in the area and assured me only “tourists get hurt.” So me and this group of teenagers started making our way up the incline, trying not to look back.

The Scramble Up Glass Lake & Sky Pond

Now it’s worth noting that I was carrying at least 30-40 pounds of gear on my back, which was totally the wrong way to hike.This made the ascent brutal. I initially attached the base with fury and just kept running up until I was forced on my hands and knees. This is when the fun started. I now found myself making all sorts of groaning noises and gasping for air as I struggled to find the strength to lift my hind legs and arms forward. When you combine this incline with altitude sickness and 40 pounds on your back, things get crazy. I was dizzy, disoriented, weak, and desperately trying to catch my breath while being dehydrated at the same time. It’s the kind of moment where you actually start laughing to yourself and realize that people back home will never know what this feels and looks like in real time. Well, maybe some…but people from Maryland don’t usually do this kind of thing. It was a surreal experience that made me appreciate how lucky I was to be dangling from this mountain. In pain…yes, but surrounded by the most magnificent place I had ever witnessed. So I did the only thing I could do and got my ass over the incline and just collapsed on a large rock at the summit. A young girl was right behind me and hardly out of breath. She cheered me on and laughed at the same time. I told her I was from the east coast and wasn’t used to the altitude like she was. Her response, “oh yeah…I’m actually from Boston.” We both laughed and continued towards Sky Pond.

Glass Lake

 After Glass Lake I hiked about twenty minutes to get to Sky Pond, which was equally as amazing. The view from the top was just another picture perfect moment. The fun wasn’t completely over because I had to get back down the mountain without injuring myself. I remember going down the Glass Lake incline just holding onto a tree branch and letting my butt slide down the mountain. This was probably the best way to get down; just sit on your ass, put one leg forward and let gravity do the rest since everything was covered in snow. It was basically like using your body as a sled. You have to do the same when going down steep gravel based trails, which basically are just as treacherous as ice.

So after twelve miles of hiking I limped back to my truck and sought to replenish the calories I had lost. When I got back to the lodge one of the owners said, “Why it looks like you had a long day.” I told her where I went and she gave a look of approval as if she was surprised that an out of towner could handle hiking Sky Pond. I spent the remainder of the evening sitting by a fireplace in the lodge’s living room reading a large book devoted to the history of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Apparently a writer named Enos Mills kind of founded the area as he built a homestead in the area around 1884. Could you imagine having this kind of environment in your backyard? Enos pushed the government to preserve the area and its wildlife because he knew it was an American gem. His efforts are why people like myself can enjoy Rocky Mountain National Park.

Day Three: Trail Ridge Road

Day three was a little more laid back. My body was sore from hiking the previous day, but I still wanted to explore parts of Rocky Mountain National Park I had only driven past. I knew driving Trail Ridge Road was a must, but I didn’t want to drive a road that reaches 12,000 ft above sea level and steep drop offs. So I went to the visitors center and asked if any shuttle busses drove up there, which I was confident there would be. Unfortunately, the ranger said no shuttles go up there and it was meant to be driven in your own car. So again I was faced with the do or don’t scenario. I decided to drive up the road and stop when I felt uncomfortable with the elevation. Trail Ridge Road is one of the highest paved roads in the nation and climbs consistently for 48 miles. It has pull offs about every quarter mile so people can stop and take pictures from a balcony like structure made out of stone. I knew avoiding this road would give me great shame.

The first thirty minutes weren’t too scary. The views were breathtaking and just made you appreciate the beauty of America. Lush green hills accompanied by large granite rocks invaded the pupil. I had my camera out for long periods of time at each pull off because I had never been this high up before on a paved road. The road was terrifying to drive because there were steep drop-offs on both sides. It was the kind of drive where you know you shouldn’t look down, but do anyway and freak out about it. My sweaty hands fiercely grasped the steering wheel as I continued my ascent.

Trail Ridge Road

I made it to “Rainbow Curve,” which was about half way down the road. This part of the mountain was considered an “Alpine Tundra,” which basically means an area with no trees that’s high in elevation. People were not supposed to walk in certain areas because the vegetation is very fragile and foot steps can kill certain plants. It was an amazing area to see as tourists littered the mountain, trying to grab some footing as they slid across the mountain in tennis shoes to the nearest lookout post.

I took some good video and photos before heading down the mountain. I’m glad I faced my fears and pushed through, but I just wanted to get off the mountain before the thunderstorms hit. This is another reason why you start hikes early out west; lightning kills many people in The Rockies and almost always occurs towards late afternoon.

Wild Basin Area

I wanted to come full circle on my last day at the park. I decided to check out a trail in The Wild Basin, the area which confused me when my GPS led me to this area on my first day. This part of the park was not even manned by a ranger at the gate so you could get in without a timed entry pass. Not many people came down to this part of the park. It was very wooded and a lot more rugged than the Bear Lake corridor.

I took the Fern Lake trailhead to Finch Lake. The trail started with a steep and steady incline with great views to my left and woods to my right. This continued for about a mile and a half until the trail opened up to a lovely Aspen grove. Bugs were really attacking me at this point in time, but that’s to be expected in more wooded areas. The Aspen Grove continued into a more forested area for another couple of miles. It was interesting to see the landscape continually changing around every turn.

Next, I found myself once again climbing up a small, but steady incline into what looked like back-country mountains. Snow filled peaks glistened through the gaps in the forest. I knew the hike was going to get pretty tough once I got out of this jungle-like area. Sure enough snow and mud covered the entire trail moving forward so I put my micro-spikes on accordingly. I approached a sign that split two ways: “Left for Finch lake” and “Right for Nearest Ranger Station.” I still hadn’t run into anybody yet on this trail since starting at around 7am. Maybe this section is not meant for visitors, I thought to myself. Anyway, I continued through meadowy vistas and narrow openings between rocks and fallen tree branches towards Finch lake.

I continued onward fighting the snow and ice piles along the trail. You have to jump on top of these piles and hope your foot doesn’t get buried as you fall over. Mud was another factor that kept me sliding around from section to section on the trail. I kept checking my GPS to see if I was going in the right direction since I hadn’t seen any signs for several hours. I took out my AllTrails app and it looked as if I was headed in the right direction. There was so much vegetation and brush on this trailhead that it was easy to get off course.

Getting to the lake required going down a steep incline into a water basin area. Climbing over large rocks, boulders, and logs made for an interesting hike. I kept my GPS on and checked my bearing about every fifteen minutes because I surely didn’t want to get lost out in this part of the park. After about 4.5 hours I made it to Finch Lake, where I was greeted by a large group of thirsty insects.

The lake itself was pretty, but nothing like the stuff up on Glacier and Bear trailheads. I cooked some spaghetti and meat sauce on my JetBoil, which actually tasted pretty good. Now I could continue to another lake called Pearl Lake or just head home. I decided to see if I could at least find the trail towards Pearl Lake. So I traced my way around Finch Lake on the perimeter looking for signs of footprints. I found a sign, but it didn’t say anything about Pearl lake. I ended up walking around that sign for fifteen minutes before deciding it was best to go back home.

Conclusion & Reflection

 As I got my gear loaded in the truck I realized that I had been hiking about 12 miles. I had trouble walking and forming thoughts properly, just completely wrecked by mother nature. When arriving at the Allenspark Lodge the owner said I was late and needed me to leave quickly so he could turn over the room. So just like that I hurried to pack up all my belongings and head home. I apologized for causing any inconvenience to the nice folks who ran the lodge and thanked them for a great stay. My trip was now over and I was driving through the same area that caught my imagination in the darkness on that first early morning drive in. It really was an amazing area; canyons, mesas, butes, desert, prairie, mountain streams, all within a couple of miles of each other. It was like combining every landscape Colorado has to offer within four miles. I continued through the outskirts of Boulder, which looked very different. Green rolling hills and farm land surround the northern edges of Boulder. I tried to comprehend what I had seen and experienced the entire drive home.

 As I got my gear loaded in the truck I realized that I had been hiking about 12 miles. I had trouble walking and forming thoughts properly, just completely wrecked by mother nature. When arriving at the Allenspark Lodge the owner said I was late and needed me to leave quickly so he could turn over the room. So just like that I hurried to pack up all my belongings and head home. I apologized for causing any inconvenience to the nice folks who ran the lodge and thanked them for a great stay. My trip was now over and I was driving through the same area that caught my imagination in the darkness on that first early morning drive in. It really was an amazing area; canyons, mesas, butes, desert, prairie, mountain streams, all within a couple of miles of each other. It was like combining every landscape Colorado has to offer within four miles. I continued through the outskirts of Boulder, which looked very different. Green rolling hills and farm land surround the northern edges of Boulder. I tried to  comprehend what I had seen and experienced the entire drive home.

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