Ute Trail (West) | Rocky Mountain National Park Grand Lake, CO | 08/20/20 | 5.11 miles | 231' gain Tori and I decided to take a tourist day in Rocky Mountain National Park. She hadn't spent much time in Rocky and was missing out on the many fun stops along Trail Ridge Road. Our main …
Continue reading RMNP: Ute Trail (West) | Colorado | 08/20/20
Cub Lake Loop | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 07/25/20 | 5.65 miles | 655' gain Something about 2020 and plans just didn't go together. Tori and I planned on hiking Bear Lake to Fern Lake in Rocky, but by 6am the Bear Lake parking lot was already full. We'd brought two …
Mount Ida (12,881') | Rocky Mountain National Park Grand Lake, CO | 06/27/20 | 9.94 miles | 2,358' gain Mount Ida had been on my wish list for years but I just never seemed to make the time for it. I gave it a shot in 2019 but there was still too much snow in …
Continue reading RMNP: Mount Ida (12,881′) | Colorado | 06/27/20
On the first day of Rocky Mountain National Park's (RMNP) new reservation system, I decided to leave work early and check it out for myself. Hundreds of tickets were still available so I had no trouble purchasing one. (Only $2 for me since I have an annual pass.) The National Park had opened a few …
Continue reading RMNP: June Mini-Hikes | Colorado | 06/04/20
Bridal Veil Falls via Cow Creek Trail | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 02/29/20| 6.57 miles | 993' gain Oftentimes I enjoy hiking with people and dogs, but sometimes hiking by myself is just what I need to reset. It'd been a while since I'd hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park and …
Continue reading RMNP: Bridal Veil Falls via Cow Creek Trail | Colorado | 02/29/20
Balanced Rock | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 01/25/20| 8.08 miles | 1,807' gain For my first redemption hike of 2020, I met up with my friend Sarah who will be moving out of state soon. (Note: By redemption hike, I mean a hike that I'd attempted in the past but couldn't …
Kyle and I haven't spent much time in Rocky Mountain National Park in the winter, but it seemed like a great place to spend a beautiful (almost) winter afternoon. I have a long list of hikes that I want to do one day, many of which are in Rocky, and some of which are so …
Continue reading RMNP: Sprague & Bierstadt Lakes | Colorado | 12/01/19
It was Nicholas' last day in Colorado, and while we were both too tired to snag a 14er, his request to hike above treeline could easily be accomplished in a much less exhausting way. We hadn't visited RMNP yet in his 2 week visit, so we opted to tackle some of the easy, high altitude …
Continue reading RMNP: Alpine Mini-Hikes | Colorado | 08/06/19
Gem Lake | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 06/16/19 | 3.44 miles | 1,004' gain My friend Tori and I got together for another Sunday hike. She only has one day off each week and I'm always excited when she chooses to spend that day with me! We had a few other …
Chasm Lake | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 10/28/18 | 9.70 miles | 2,392' gain I needed this hike. I mean, really NEEDED it. Now that alpine winter has descended upon the high country, my opportunities for high-altitude hiking have become limited. Many access roads are gated off for the winter, increasing …
