The East Inlet Trail to Adams Falls is nice easy hike. You get beautiful views of Grand Lake as you…read morehike it. East Inlet Trail is considered part of Rocky Mountain National Park even though the Grand Lake area is outside of the park. There is a park ranger that stands at the beginning of the trail and checks for your parks pass and timed entry reservation. A timed entry is required during summer peak seasons. East Inlet Trail provides access to a series of lakes to the east of Grand Lake that are anywhere from five to ten miles away. Lone Pine Lake, Lake Verna and Spirit Lake are some of these lakes. The hike to Adams Falls is 0.6 miles round trip. The short hike takes you to an overlook at the top of the falls. This impressive waterfall drops roughly 55 feet through a narrow rock gorge. Adams Falls is worth checking out if you are in the Grand Lake area.

A great place to stop to see the scenery just after you pass the hairpin curve going up. the view…read moreis spectacular. There is also a place where you can climb up and get an even better view.

After a full day of driving on Old Falls River Road and Trail Ridge Road, this was a nice stop to…read moremake to look back and recap my day. I drove the full loop around this park and made several stops along the way. Here at Many Parks Curve, you get a full panoramic overview of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a very beautiful view. I had some cloud coverage which always makes photos look better. They call it "Many Parks" because Moraine Park, Upper Beaver Meadows and Horseshoe Park are all visible at this viewpoint with Deer Mountain and Longs Peak in the background. I could even see parts of Estes Park. It is such a breathtaking view and one of my favorite viewpoints. I stood here for some time and took it all in. There is parking near the viewpoint and an overflow lot on the other side of the road. The viewpoint itself is located at a sharp turn on Trail Ridge Road. There is a long platform to walk on that has a guardrail. Keep an eye out for cars going around the curve as you cross the road.

Love Skunk Canyon for easy close hikes! This is a collection of a trailhead and large grassy…read morecanyon. It's more a large gully than canyon, but has a ton of nature and wildlife. The trailhead is not great but not terrible. There's room for three cars of Vassar drive. You can street park, park at Ncar, or bike in like I do. There's a lot of branching trails here, and you can make some easy loops of around one to three miles. I would estimate around 500 ft of gain to connect to the Mesa trail above. About an hour hiking or half hour run. There's a ton of trees, flowers, birds and views! The lower trails are mostly sunny and open, and can bake up very hot in summer. The upper parts are treed and much cooler when the wind comes in. Enjoy connections on the Mesa Trail, or get to Woods Quarry and down for a loop!

This is a backdoor entry to the Flatiron Mountains. It is a gradual climb and not a very difficult…read moretrail. It has very little shade so plan accordingly. No parking lot, just park along the residential neighborhood.

I enjoyed seeing this incredible mountain during my time here at Rocky Mountain National Park. At…read more14,259 feet, Longs Peak is the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park. This flat-topped monarch can be seen from almost anywhere in the park. It is popular for its 15-mile hike that takes between 10 and 15 hours to complete. It is a complicated and challenging hike to do. I did drive up to the trailhead to get a feel for a future hike someday. Longs Peak Trailhead is about a 9 mile drive west of Highway 7. When weather conditions are favorable, many climb to Longs Peak's summit via the Keyhole Route. Here you will experience steep cliffs, narrow ledges and loose rock. There are other more technical climbs on Longs Peak in addition to the the Keyhole Route. The East Face of the mountain is steep and is known as "The Diamond" because of it shape. It is world-famous for its Alpine climb. Deaths on Longs Peak are an annual occurrence. This hike is definitely not for beginner hikers. Longs Peak is near another high mountain called Mount Meeker. The two mountains are sometimes referred to as the Twin Peaks. If you do not want to do the challenge to the summit, there are some less-involved hikes on the peak that are easier. If you just want a nice view of Longs Peak from afar, there are some pullouts on scenic Highway 7 that give you great views of this incredible mountain. There are a couple of full campgrounds near Meeker Park if you want to camp overnight. Popular nature photographer Ansel Adams photographed this mountain in 1941. Longs Peak is named for explorer Stephen Harriman Long who claims to be the first to discover this mountain.

Longs peak is notorious for being the most fatal 14er due to the exposure and risk of fatal falls…read more That being said, it was much easier than I thought-this was the most well maintained and well marked trail from start to finish that I've ever been on. Now this review is coming from a seasoned hiker. I'm crazy about 14ers and on my journey to do them all. I've recently moved onto to some of the harder peaks, with this being my 39th summit. I took all of the precautions recommended: I packed lots of food & water, started at 2am, checked the weather etc. I felt that I could have started later as it was only 8 hours of hiking at a brisk pace. I hiked under a full moon and watched the sunrise as I ascended the keyhole. The only part where you have to route find is the Boulder field and it was quite manageable, even in the dark. The rocks are large and stable and a nice perk is the bathrooms that have a great view. There also happens to be a storm shelter to the left of the keyhole if you find yourself in a pinch. The narrows and class 3 sections were actually very fun. You have a decent amount of climbing but there are nice little yellow & red dots on the rocks to guide you. The exposure is considerable so do what you can not to fall. I noticed lots of hikers without a helmet on which surprised me...it's a long way down so I would highly recommend wearing one for the last few sections and especially for the last climb up the rock wall. The summit is beautiful and catching the sunrise on my way made the lack of sleep and hours hiking in the dark worth every minute. The summit is HUGE! Lots of areas to explore and take in the vistas. Round trip was only 5K elevation and 15.5 miles. It sounds like a lot, but up until the Boulder field is quite easy and gradual. The park rangers at the trail head were lovely and more nice bathrooms await. I appreciated the smooth drive up the the parking lot and had no problem finding parking at 2am on a Wednesday. You don't need a park pass or timed entry if you go before 9am (?) and you should definitely start before then!

This is a super lovely and quiet trail. Lion Gulch Trailhead is located on Hwy. 36. Thirteen miles…read morewest of Lyons and 8 miles east of Estes Park. From Estes Park travel to the 8-mile marker on Hwy. 36. It has a smaller parking lot probably could hold 10 cars. It starts off with a pretty steep climb, but there is a fair amount of shade and some water crossings along the way. This is a great trail in my opinion if you have dogs especially on the warmer sunny days. There is a bathroom at the beginning of the trail but there is not however any trash cans, so when you go you need to go with the intention of packing out all the bring you in. Including your dog poop. I can't remember if there were dog poop bags at the trail head so if you have a dog be sure to pack some with you (and then take them out with you) There are lots and lots of ways to go on teh trail and a variety of old homesteads to see. It is really quite cool. There are signs with some of the history along the route as well. Right now about half the trail is covered in ice, so if you dont have yak traks or spikes it would be best to not go until later as there are parts that are a sheet of ice.

WOW! WOW! WOW! This was one of the hikes we took while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park last…read moresummer. It was a great way to end our day right before sunset. We had originally planned to hike a much longer hike with several lakes along the way, but time got away from us so we back tracked and headed here. So happy we did. Mill Lake is an alpine lake and it sits at an elevation of 9,940 feet. It is known for the magnificent views of the Glacier Gorge. Monstrous granite peaks with a stunning lake what's not to like? The distance is a little over 5 miles round trip and elevation gain is approximately 700 to 800 feet. You will pass a couple of other waterfalls along the way which are worth a stop and a pic. You will feel the altitude so pace yourself. When you arrive at the lake you are totally mesmerized with the surrounding beauty and peaceful feeling. We were the only ones there so we really enjoyed our time here. I still think about this place as it left quite an impression on me. I highly recommend should you find yourself here in this outstanding national park. Remember to pack in, pack out and LEAVE NO TRACE.

Getting to the trail head is becoming a workout itself. However, once you are here, you forget all…read moreyour troubles. Inhaling the aroma of pine needles, sight and sound of nature touching your senses. This is wjat it is all about. It is short hike from TH but still gives you ample opportunity to get some cramps, shortness of breath from gaining some altitude and best of all, saying hellos to strangers you meet on tje trail. Amazing views!

It's always a pleasant surprise when you're able to experience the most gorgeous views without the…read moreexertion found with a typical hike. But that's exactly what we experience at Coyote Valley Trail - it's more of a leisurely walk that really showcases all of the beauty held within Rocky Mountain National Park. Your hike will take you through the valley, and you'll see boundless greenery and plenty of trees with the Colorado River running to the side. While we didn't see many animals, we did read that this is a great place for animal sightings. We did catch some moose tracks, though. About 2 miles roundtrip, there's plenty of info plaques, benches, and little scenic stops to enjoy as you meander. While there are some good mud puddles and dips toward the end of the hike, at least the first half would be easily done with a stroller - perfect for families. Lots of mosquitos in the parking lot and at the beginning of the trail - highly recommend you bring some bug spray. While many people enter the park through the Beaver Meadows entrance, Coyote Valley is actually close to the Grand Lakes entrance. This trail was not busy (nor was this entrance) during our visit. So it's possible not as many people come this way, and this beautiful hike is a bit more of a hidden gem.

This is such a pretty area. The short one mile nature trail offers sweeping views of the Kawuneeche…read moreValley and the Never Summer Mountains. Even though I didn't see any, there are all sorts of wildlife in this grassy area. Moose and elk are common in Coyote Valley. If you want to sit and enjoy this area, there are picnic tables and benches along the trail. The Coyote Valley Trailhead is located about five miles north of the Grand Lake Entrance. The Colorado River runs along this trail. The source of the Colorado River begins at La Poudre Pass Lake in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park and is not too far from here. It was cool to see this little stream and know that it travels all the way to the Gulf of California and is the same waters that carved out the Grand Canyon.

This is one of the best easy trails in RMNP; off the beaten path, scenic, easy, with a great…read moredestination!! Access the trailhead at the very end of the road in Morraine Park. The trail is about 1.7 miles of easy sandy hiking along the headwaters of the Big Thompson river. Many folk hike in to fish here! There are aspen, big giant boulders (look up! They have fallen from 1000' up- scary!!), a babbling brooks, pine trees, and finally at the end, The Pool! We usually see an elk or deer along this path. The hike to the pool does not disappoint!!