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RockyMountain

Adventure Guide

Our map team scouted more than 500 miles of trails and

cross-country routes to bring you a summer’s worth of

escapes in the Rockies.

2012 National Parks Series: Part 2 of 6

06.2012 BACKPACKER 83Check out more of our hall-of-fame national park routes at backpacker.com/adventureguides.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: SEE DREAM LAKE’S INLET—1.4 MILES UP TYNDALL GORGE—ON A DAYHIKE TO EMERALD LAKE (#2, NEXT PAGE).

Flattop Mountain12,324 ft.

Flattop Mountain12,324 ft.

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Mt. Meeker13,911 ft.

North Ridge

Mt. Meeker13,911 ft.

North Ridge

Continental Divide LoopContinental Divide LoopNorth Inlet Trail

East Inlet Trail

Mt. Ida12,880 ft.

Baker Gulch to Bowen Gulch LoopBaker Gulch to Bowen Gulch Loop

Twin Sisters Peaks11,428 ft. and 11,413 ft.

Baker Mountain12,397 ft.

Mt. Stratus12,520 ft.

Mt. Nimbus12,706 ft.

Mt. Cirrus12,797 ft.

Baker Mountain12,397 ft.

Mt. Stratus12,520 ft.

Mt. Nimbus12,706 ft.

Mt. Cirrus12,797 ft.

Kawuneeche Valley

Kawuneeche Valley

Forest Canyon

Mt. Ida12,880 ft.

Forest Canyon

Mt. Craig 12,007 ft.Mt. Craig 12,007 ft.

MummyMountain13,425 ft.

MummyMountain13,425 ft.

Green Mountain Trailto Big Meadows

Grand Loop Beaver MountainTrail

Cub LakeLoop

Lily Lake toSprague Lake

Thunder Lake to

Lion Lake Loop

Timber Lake and Mt. Ida

Gorge Lakes

Mirror Lake

Ypsilon Peak Loop

YpsilonLake Loop

Lost Lake

Lumpy Ridge Loop

Sandbeach Lake Loop

Green Mountain Trailto Big Meadows

Grand Loop Beaver MountainTrail

Cub LakeLoop

Lily Lake toSprague Lake

Thunder Lake to

Lion Lake Loop

Timber Lake and Mt. Ida

Gorge Lakes

Mirror Lake

Ypsilon Peak Loop

YpsilonLake Loop

Lost Lake

Lumpy Ridge Loop

Sandbeach Lake Loop

ShadowMountainLake

North Inlet Trail

East Inlet Trail

ShadowMountainLake

Lake Estes

Twin Sisters Peaks11,428 ft. and 11,413 ft.

Lake Estes

Long DrawReservoir

Long DrawReservoir

L a k e G r a n b y

L a k e G r a n b y

Ypsilon Mountain13,514 ft.

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Mt. Richthofen12,940 ft.

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Longs Peak14,259 ft.

Snowdrift Peak12,274 ft.

Mt. Alice13,310 ft.

Mu

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Mt. Richthofen12,940 ft.

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Longs Peak14,259 ft.

Snowdrift Peak12,274 ft.

Mt. Alice13,310 ft.

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AlpineVisitorCenter

TAG TWO PEAKSTwin Sisters Double your summit views on this 7.2-mile out-and-back. It switchbacks up aspen-shaded trails to two 11,000-foot high points in clear sight of Longs Peak.

*Get free GPS data and print custom maps by adding the Trip ID to backpacker.com/hikes/_______. Beam them to your smartphone: backpacker.com/gpstrails.

BACKPACKER.COM HIKES

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EDITORS’ PICK

EDITORS’ PICK

EDITORS’ PICK

CATCH A FISHSandbeach Lake Loop Cast for greenback cutthroat trout—Colorado’s state fish—on this 9.9-mile loop. You’ll hike past snow-fed streams to Sandbeach Lake, a sprawling alpine pool with unbeatable campsite views of 13,911-foot Mt. Meeker.

EXPLORE OFF-TRAILYpsilon Peak Loop This challenging 17.7-mile trek is packed with class 4 scrambles, 6,000 feet of elevation gain, and year-round, high-mountain solitude.

WATCH WILDLIFECub Lake Trail See moose, marmots, and herds of elk on this 5.9-mile dayhike circling the braided blues of the Big Thompson River.

EDITORS’ PICK

KawuneecheVisitorCenter

Fall RiverVisitor Center

Beaver MeadowsVisitor Center

Moraine ParkVisitor Center

Local Knowledge Explore the park’s history at these five landmarks.

a. John Goss and Robert Woodward made the first recorded ascent of Longs on June 19, 1865, starting near Sprague Lake. Based on their published account in the Rocky Mountain News, it’s believed they summited via the Keyhole Route.

b. California tourist H. F. Targett disappeared in 1921 while attempting to hike to Chasm Lake. His skull was found 19 years later, .3 mile east of the lake, near Peacock Pool.

c. In December 1955, 700 skiers and spectators came out for the official opening of the park’s Hidden Valley ski area, which closed in 1992.

d. On July 15, 1982, the 26-foot-high Lawn Lake dam collapsed, releasing 220 million gallons of water and killing three campers.

e. The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2001. It’s the only NPS building designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

06.2012 BACKPACKER 85

Rocky Mountain Tick List See the best of the park’s peaks, lakes, and valleys on these 41 hikes.

DAYHIKES1. Green Mountain Trail, 3.4 mi. Trip ID* 5030582. Emerald Lake, 3.7 mi., 3539803. Ouzel Falls, 5.3 mi., 518714. Loch Vale, 5.4 mi., 350297 5. Mills Lake, 5.7 mi., 317146. Cub Lake Loop, 5.9 mi., 605197. Bridal Veil Falls, 6.2 mi., 2964498. Boulder Brook to Glacier Gorge, 6.3 mi., 2616859. Beaver Mountain Loop, 7 mi., 564210. Lily Lake to Estes Cone, 7.2 mi., 2314711. Twin Sisters, 7.2 mi., 29639712. Flattop Mountain, 8.1 mi., 29639913. Sky Pond, 8.1 mi., 35029214. Chasm Lake, 8.2 mi., 270877 15. Balanced Rock via Cow Creek Trail, 8.3 mi., 30063016. Longs Peak via Clark’s Arrow and the Keyhole, 12.7 mi., see page 89 17. Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route, 13.7 mi., 22760

WEEKENDS18. Ypsilon Lake Loop, 8.4 mi., 6954 19. Ypsilon Lake, 8.7 mi., 99172120. Fern Lake and Spruce Lake, 9.1 mi., 572821. Glacier Gorge to Black Lake, 9.1 mi., 31124022. Ouzel Lake, 9.9 mi., 26249123. Sandbeach Lake Loop, 9.9 mi., 820424. Lumpy Ridge Loop, 10.2 mi., 6051825. Gorge Lakes, 10.5 mi., see page 8826. Lawn Lake, 11.6 mi., 695327. Pear Lake, 12.4 mi., 1022728. Mirror Lake, 13.3 mi., 27197

29. Timber Lake and Mt. Ida, 13.4 mi., 23583730. Lone Pine Lake, 13.5 mi., 25064131. Thunder Lake to Lion Lake Loop, 16.4 mi., 108372032. Ypisilon Peak Loop, 17.7 mi., 142520633. North Inlet Trail, 18.8 mi., 27314334. Baker Gulch to Bowen Gulch Loop, 19 mi., 3104035. Lost Lake, 19.4 mi., 5672236. Mt. Alice via Hourglass Ridge, 20.4 mi., 1129759

37. Storm Pass via Boulder Brook Trail, 20.6 mi., 144236038. Lily Lake to Sprague Lake Loop, 20.6 mi., 41209239. Tonahutu Loop, 25.2 mi., 1049789

WEEKLONG 40. Grand Loop, 42.9 mi., 39919241. Continental Divide Loop, 54 mi., see page 86

OTHER PARK TRAILS

CONTINENTAL DIVIDE LOOP

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PLAN THE PERFECT TRIP Get the latest park news, plus seasonal trip planning info and beta on the area’s best multisport adventures, at myrockymountainpark.com, or download Rocky Mountain Journal to your iPad at backpacker.com/ipad.

EDITORS’ PICK

GET SOLITUDEMirror Lake On this 13.3-mile out-and-back, you’ll hike through lush forests and high-alpine meadows in the park’s remote northern reaches, and visit a pair of quiet mountain lakes at the foot of the Mummy Range.

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Best Week Continental Divide Loop Tour glacial valleys and navigate to off-trail lakes and waterfalls on this six-day circuit.

Want to see classic Rocky Mountain National Park landmarks

and explore hidden pockets of wilderness? Do it on this 54-mile, best-of-both-worlds trek that crisscrosses the Continental Divide, linking the park’s lesser-tracked high country west of the Divide with the well-loved lakes and waterfalls on the east side. Start on the East Inlet Trail (1), roughly two miles from the town of Grand Lake, and hike east along its meandering namesake creek. Less than half a mile in, take the quick, .2-mile loop on the right to see Adams Falls, which cascades down boulders and plummets through a narrow gorge. As the trail runs up the valley, you’ll skirt marshy meadows (look for moose munching in the willows in early morning) and meander through lodgepole pine and quaking aspen groves. Five miles in, trace the southern shoreline of Lone Pine Lake, a forested pool protected by a cluster of 12,000-foot peaks, and climb east toward the head of the pinched valley. Pick up the user path at mile 6.4, where the maintained trail ends at Lake Verna (2), and follow it past

Spirit and Fourth Lakes. From there, tackle a steep bushwhack, gaining 1,600 feet in .9 mile, to wind-blown, 12,061-foot Boulder-Grand Pass on the crest of the Continental Divide (3). Descend talus-filled gullies on the east side of the Divide and connect with the maintained trail at Thunder Lake; camp in the designated site just north of the lake (4). Rise early on day two for a strenuous day of high-altitude, cross-country travel that racks up 6,200 feet of elevation change in less than five miles. Leave the established trail .2 mile east of the Thunder Lake patrol cabin and navigate north past your own private waterfall—watch misty Thunder Falls pour down a short cliff, then flow through a streambed of boulders. About half an hour from the Thunder Lake camp, cross the Lion Lake Trail in a spongy meadow and veer east to the granite-lined banks of Castle Lake, one of the most isolated lakes in the park (with prime northwest views of Mt. Alice’s crags). Next, climb northeast above treeline to a broad, flat saddle on North Ridge (5), then descend the backside, crossing Hunters Creek at the outlet of a small pond below Keplinger

Lake. Past the lake, maneuver around boulders and bushwhack through stunted trees near timberline to the base of Keplinger’s Couloir (6) on Longs’s south face (mile 13). Scramble up the couloir to about 13,500 feet, and traverse northwest on a rock ramp that leads to the three-foot-wide Narrows ledge (7). (Don’t miss: Scale the cracked granite slabs that rise 450 vertical feet directly in front of you to tag Longs’s summit on a .1-mile round-trip detour.) Tightrope walk west, then downclimb boulders in The Trough couloir, angling north at 13,200 feet for a .3-mile traverse to the Keyhole notch and the Boulderfield (8) (sleep above treeline in one of nine campsites). On day three, descend East Longs Peak Trail, and swing left at mile 20 near the park’s eastern boundary to crest Storm Pass (9) and the 11,006-foot pinnacle of Estes Cone (10). Descend 2.9 miles farther and spend the third night near beaver ponds at Upper Wind River campsite (11). Day four: Drop into Glacier Basin, and turn left at mile 30, passing the popular Alberta Falls (crowds fade ahead). Less than a mile later, turn right at the base of Glacier Knobs, two side-by-side granite domes, and skirt the north shore of The Loch, rimmed by cliffy, granite peaks. Pitch your tent .2 mile later in a spruce-fir stand at Andrews Creek camp (12). Hike

past Chaos Canyon, Tyndall Gorge, and three more lakes (Dream, Nymph, and Bear) on day five. The last major climb (gaining 2,800 feet in four miles) starts at mile 37.7 from the eastern shores of Bear Lake (13) and ascends steadily through shady spruce, fir, and aspen stands. Stop at an overlook midway up a series of tight switchbacks to peer into the depths of Tyndall Gorge; Tyndall Glacier, one of the park’s most

photographed glaciers, sits at the head of the cirque. Near mile 42, roll across 12,324-foot Flattop Mountain (14), a broad swath of alpine tundra where you’re almost guaranteed the chance to hang with elk. Descend west to pick up North Inlet Trail at a three-way junction, and drop down 3.3 miles to the July campsite (15) near Hallett Creek. Close out the week with an 8.4-mile descent along North Inlet creek to your car (16).

Trip PlannerShuttle car From Trail Ridge Rd. and W. Portal Rd. in Grand Lake, drive 1.1 miles northeast on W. Portal Rd. Turn left on CR 663. Go .3 mile to the parking area.To trailhead Take CR 663 back to W. Portal Rd. and turn left. Drive southeast 1.2 miles to the East Inlet parking area.Permit Required; $20 Contact (970) 586-1242, nps.gov/romoGPS data backpacker.com/hikes/1519196

New! Get the PRO MapOrder our custom-centered, waterproof topos (with detailed route descriptions and key waypoints scouted by our editors) for all three featured Rocky Mountain routes—and/or a glossy wall map of the entire park—at backpacker.com/promaps.

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Best Weekend Gorge LakesHike cross-country to explore this secluded chain of hanging lakes.

Navigate a backcountry obstacle course of boulder fields, willow thickets, rushing creeks, and waterfalls on this

10.5-mile routefinding challenge into one of the park’s most solitary lake basins. From Milner Pass (1), follow the Ute Trail through subalpine spruce forest. At mile .6, turn right at the T and climb past treeline into tundra backdropped by layers of peaked ridgelines. For the next 3.6 miles, the route ascends grassy, alpine slopes just below the crest of the Continental Divide to 12,880-foot Mt. Ida. (Scan rock piles at mile 1.4 for sun-bathing yellow-bellied marmots.) Top out on Ida’s talus-covered summit at mile 4.7 (2), and preview your upcoming route down the tiered Gorge Lakes basin (with eight topaz-colored pools). Next, downclimb 500 vertical feet of class 3 boulders on Ida’s southeast face to the saddle below (3), then descend scree and snowfields for another 400 vertical feet to the rock-strewn banks of stingray-shaped Azure Lake. At mile 5.5, cross Azure’s outlet creek (4) and drop down steep class 3 terrain to a lower rock bench that cups Inkwell Lake (5). Scramble across car-size boulders and rock-hop across small cascades along Inkwell’s northern shoreline before descending flatter, mellower slabs into the Arrowhead Lake basin; bushwhack around the west side of the largest Gorge Lake through stunted conifers. Near mile seven, cross the top of a waterfall (6), the outlet stream of Arrowhead Lake. From here to Rock Lake (800 vertical feet and .8 mile away), choose your own adventure down steep slopes crowded with dense willows, conifer stands, and tiered waterfalls. After crossing marshy meadows by Rock Lake, continue a quarter mile and spend the night at Little Rock Campsite (mile 8) (7). The next day, descend northeast along the creek into Forest Canyon, negotiating stretches of downed trees. At mile 9.1, ford the Big Thompson River (8), lined with tall chiming bells and heartleaf arnica. The final grind to Trail Ridge Road scales 2,200 feet in 1.2 miles (tip: climb toward Rock Cut’s fortress-like formations). Road-walk .2 mile west to your ride (9). Trip ID* 1518895

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Best Day Longs Peak via Clarks Arrow and the Keyhole Scramble up a 12.7-mile sneak route to the park’s highest peak.

Your goal for the day: Summit 14,259-foot Longs Peak (the Rockies’ northernmost Fourteener) before noon,

when thunderheads often charge the Front Range. Get a 3 a.m. start to reach the scrambly off-trail portion by sunrise. Follow East Longs Peak Trail (1) up Alpine Brook to a three-way junction on Mills Moraine (2), where ptarmigans are perfectly camouflaged against the grayish rocks in summer. Bear left on the Chasm Lake Spur Trail toward Longs’s sheer 1,000-foot Diamond Face. If you’re on pace, dawn will begin to drench the alpine landscape in rosy hues just as the trail ends east of Chasm Lake at mile four (3). Climb a user trail southwest across rocky tundra into the broad, boulder-filled gully below 13,911-foot Mt. Meeker (you’ll scale nearly 1,900 feet in the next .8 mile). Pick the path of least resistance through the stepped cliff bands and rock ramps at mile 4.6 (4). (Tip: If you venture into class 4 terrain, you’re off-route.) After cresting The Loft (5), a broad, slightly sloping boulder field between Meeker and Longs, connect cairns northwest to the top of a steep, loose class 3 gully (6). Downclimb it nearly 200 feet to a ledge that runs to the base of the Palisades cliffs (look for the faded Clarks Arrow, painted on a west-facing boulder by former park ranger John Clark). Next, traverse gullies to Keplinger’s Couloir (7) and crawl up scree to a wide ramp that links to the Homestretch (8). Scale airy, cracked slabs of granite for the final 450 vertical feet to the summit. Longs’s blunt, larger-than-a-football-field crown overlooks alpine lakes cupped by glacial rubble and Powell, McHenrys, and Chiefs Head Peaks—a ridgeline of Thirteeners two miles west that form the Continental Divide. After cautiously crab-walking down the Homestretch, traverse exposed ledges to The Trough couloir (9), which typically holds snow into mid-July. Descend boulders (watch for rockfall), then contour north to the Keyhole’s window-like rock notch (10). After a slow scramble down the 1.2-mile-long Boulderfield, turn right on Granite Pass (11); close the loop a mile later back at Mills Moraine. Trip ID 563530M

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View these maps on your iPad with our (free!) app: backpacker.com/mapmaker.

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06.2012 BACKPACKER 8988 BACKPACKER 06.2012