Our original goal for our 2015 vacation was Glacier National Park, but early on in our planning we realized Glacier was just too big an area to visit in just a weeklong trip. We turned our focus to Rocky, in part because of its easy access and direct flights from Knoxville to Denver. That’s not to imply that Rocky is a second class destination, it still one of the finest hiking areas in the NPS system. Jean had visited the park once with her family, and I had been there twice before on short peak bagging visits.
2015 was a really busy year for both of us, so we decided to make the trip as simple as possible. Like our last vacation to Oregon and Washington in 2013, we decided to skip any backpacking, and just took gear for day hikes. We also decided to stay the entire week in Estes Park, booking an apparent record 8 nights in a row at the America’s Best Value Inn on US 34.
8-1-15
Cub Lake Loop, 6.2 miles
We
took a United flight from Knoxville to Denver and rented a car from the
disorganized folks at Thrifty. We drove to Estes Park and got to our room about
2PM for a quick rest. Next, we stopped at the VC for some hiking ideas before
hitting the Cub Lake TH. We hiked a loop to west including Cub Lake, The Pool,
and the Fern Lake Trailhead. Right away we knew we were in luck with the
wildflowers in full bloom. The tight rocky gorge around the Fern Lake Trail was
amazing. After the green tunnels of the Smokies, we appreciated the towering
peaks and almost nonstop views. We finished the loop about 7PM mountain. time,
and found out that Estes Park was a real zoo on Saturday evenings.
8-2-15,
Bear Lake Loop, 8.1 miles and
Deer near Cub Lake.
Bear
Lake to Bierstadt, 4.2 miles
Jean
has had problems in the past with altitude sickness, so we decided to stay low and
string together some of the prettiest destinations in our day hikers guide.
Rocky has a convenient free trailhead shuttle, so we rode it to Glacier Gorge
and did a loop with Alberta Falls, Mills Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, and
around Bear Lake. We had a nice surprise at Lake Haiyaya, we pulled out our
Trails Illustrated Map and found we were at the exact spot where the cover
picture had been taken. Rocky is a popular park, but even so, Dream Lake was as
crowded a backcountry spot as I’ve seen.
We
took the shuttle back into town to grab an afternoon nap, then shuttled back
out to Bear Lake for the shorter one way hike to Bierstadt Lake. We thought the
route was poorly signed but maybe that was why the trails were so nice and
quiet. This was the park’s 100th anniversary which may have caused
some of the congestion. Conditions included heavy rain in June and early July
with great flowers and lush forests. Temperatures were ~80F during the day and ~50F
in the AM. We hiked mostly in shorts and tee shirts throughout the trip.
Lake Haiyaya.
8-3-15,
Alpine Ridge and Rock Cut 1.8 miles
Alberta Falls.
Lulu
City and Little Yellowstone. 9.0 miles
To
give Jean a little bit of altitude exposure we decided to drive over Trail
Ridge Road and try a hike on the west side of the park. On the drive we stopped
at the Alpine VC and walked the short, paved trail, which was enough to give
Jean a mild headache. Then we hiked to the old mining town of Lulu City and
added on a trip north to the Little Yellowstone Trail, both low elevation enough
that her headache abated. The trail was in great shape, and we enjoyed
exploring the ruins around the Shipley Cabins. We decided on any later visits
to spend more time on the less crowded west side. On the return we stopped
again at Alpine VC, and made the mistake of buying lunch at the crowded
cafeteria, yuck. Next, we hiked the paved interpretive trail at Rock Cut where
we saw some bighorn sheep. Drove back to Estes Park on US 34 for variety.
Jean on the trail to Lulu City.
8-4-15,
Ute Trails West and East, 8.4 and 4.0 miles
Bighorn sheep on the Ute Trail.
Hoping
that Jean was better used to the altitude, we planned to hike the Ute Trail
west of the Alpine VC. It was windy in town, so we packed warm gear and found
it to be gusty and 41F at the VC. I wore a hooded fleece top with mittens and
long pants all day long. The first 1.25 miles was so windy we hardly noticed
all the blooming flowers, but beyond two small ponds the trail was more
sheltered. Even below tree line in the spruce and fir we were getting good
views. This was perhaps the most scenic trail of the trip so far, and a nice
easy grade, at least until the steep drop down to Milner Pass.
We
ate a snack at the VC on the way back then drove out to the east section of the
Ute Trail. We hadn’t counted on the return of the wind, which was ferocious. We
struggled out to the end of the gentle alpine section at about two miles. Going
back against the wind was even tougher, we were jostled around enough that
sometimes even our booted feet were being blown off course.
Wild Flowers along the Ute Trail.
8-5-15,
Deer Mtn. Loop, 11.1 miles
Fighting the wind on the Ute Trail.
At
10,013’ Deer Mountain isn’t a giant of the range, but it’s a great, relatively
overlooked hike. Despite having the longest mileage of any single hike on our
trip, we picked it for an easy day, as we ended up doing the full loop. We
especially enjoyed the summit views stretching from the Twin Sisters to the
Mummy Range, and the open forest o
Jean and I on the summit of Deer Mtn.
n the lower section, reminiscent of the Black
Hills. On the return drive we discovered a low tire on the rental car and spent
2 hours at the Big O in Estes Park. After dinner, we found a town greenway in
back of our hotel and got in a 1.5 mile walk around Estes Lake.
8-6-15,
Flattop Mountain, 8.8 miles
Mt. Ypsilon from Deer Mtn.
Deer
Mtn was our warmup for the climb to 12,324’ Flattop Mountain, the highest peak in
the park with an official trail, excluding Longs Peak. I had climbed Flattop in
1989 on a visit to the park with my folks. We were too early for the Bear Lake
shuttle, and pulled into the TH at 6:30 with ~20 cars already there. Shorts and
t-shirts and 55F at the start. The trail was rocky, and I was glad to have my
pole. We got above tree line near Emerald Lake Overlook. We put on heavier
clothes here to break the wind. Jean had some altitude issues near the top (~8:50)
and we were glad to find some partial shelter for lunch with a view of Tyndall
Glacier. We were back down to the trailhead at noon with enough energy to walk
the far side of the Bear Lake Loop. On the return Sprague Lake parking was
full. We also walked the Alluvial Fan Trail, and another 1.5 mi on the Estes
Lake Trail. We’d been eating dinner mostly at Subway or from the Safeway,
but decided to head for the new restaurant near the Fall River VC, Great idea,
good food and no crowds.
Morning light ascending Flattop.
8-7-15,
Twin Sisters Peak, 6.9 miles
Jean and I on Flattop Mountain.
Beaver
Mountain Loop, 5.9 miles
Twin
Sisters Peak had been on my list since my first visits to the park in the
1980s. the peaks sit just east of the main range across from Longs, and are renowned
for their early morning views of the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Just after
spotting some elk and just before the start of the switchbacks we hit our first
surprise, a huge landslide scar 50-100’ across remaining from the 2013 floods.
The summit is crowded with towers, but the views of Longs, the Continental Divide
and the Mummy Range are fantastic.
Back
at the trailhead we elected to hike around Lily Lake (2.4 miles). Part
way around, a photographer waved us over for a look at a pair of moose grazing
along the lake. Grazing might be too polite a term, these guys were demolishing
a grove of small aspen.
Jean
was looking for some hangout time, so we headed over to the Beaver Meadows
Campground. She stayed at the Picnic Area, and I ran a loop around the Lower
Ute and Beaver Mountain trails. It had been a long time since I’d run at that
elevation, so the climbs were slow, but I was able to stride out on some of the
gentler terrain. We ate again at the restaurant near the US 34 entrance.
On the top of Twin Sisters. 
Landslide scar on Twin Sisters.
8-8-15, Ouzel Lake, 10.3 miles
Moose at Lily Lake.
With
time running short, we headed over to the Wild Basin area. We checked out
Copeland, Calypso, and Ouzel falls and some of the backcountry sites. The
weather was chilly again, so we didn’t linger long at Ouzel Lake or the falls. This
is a part of the park that deserves much more exploration and looked to be
great for backpacking. I felt good enough back at the hotel to run the full 4
miles of the Lake Estes Loop Trail in 36 minutes, a decent time for me
in those days.
Jean in Wild basin.
8-9-15,
Lily Mountain Trail, Roosevelt NF, 4.0 miles
Jean and Hiram.
St
Vrain State Park, Pelican Trail, 1.3 miles
Somehow,
we’d managed to spend 8 days in the park with little overlap in our hikes, but
we decided to hit the adjacent national forest anyway. Lily Mtn. 9,786’ was a
perfect morning hike, a rolling opening mile and then a much steeper one to the
summit with its views of the Front and Mummy ranges. Driving back, we ate lunch
again in the Perkins in Longmont, then made a quick stop and walk in St Vrain
SP to kill a little time before getting to the airport and flying back to
Knoxville. The easy air access to Denver had allowed to add on two short hike
days to what otherwise would have been a seven day trip.
Hiram on top of Lily Mountain.
