Discovering the Beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park
Great Hikes, Must-See Spots, and Insider Tips for Your Visit.
One of our favorite things to do while traveling around the United States as nomads is to visit National Parks. Our love for the parks began in August of 2020 when we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. We had just sold our house and almost everything we owned so we could take off on an epic travel adventure, roam the country, and explore beautiful places.
I’m so thankful for what we discovered at RMNP.
Before we went to the park, we actually spent some time in Colorado Springs visiting Garden of the Gods, some local parks, and of course Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak area - a must-see if you visit Colorado Springs. This is where we realized how much hiking and being outdoors appealed to us. (Side note: here’s a funny story from before our full-time travel when we visited Pikes Peak.)
We visited the local REI store and got some new hiking boots with the help of a fantastic associate. Hiking boots can be a big investment so she guided us through the process and gave us pros and cons for different boots and helped us pick the ones that were best for us. She did a good job because I still have those boots almost 5 years later and I still absolutely love them. They were a GREAT investment! (The style I have is no longer available but the brand is Altra and they’re amazing!)
Once we were officially set with some hiking gear, we were ready to get out and explore a little more. We made our way to Estes Park where we spent a few days checking things out, hiking, and exploring.
And we absolutely fell in love with the area.
At that time, we had an itinerary mapped out and other places we needed to reach by certain dates, so we kept moving, but we knew we’d want to return to the area and spend more time. And boy, have we!
We’ve visited several times and have spent at least a couple of months there. Honestly, we’ve said that if we decided to settle down in one place again, we’d probably choose somewhere in Colorado. I don’t think we could ever afford a place in Estes Park because tourism has made it very expensive, but staying somewhere within an hour or two could be ideal so we could take overnight trips into Estes Park or RMNP anytime we wanted.
So what do we love about this park in particular? There are SO many great hikes, some amazing scenic drives, and the views are incredible everywhere you look.
After visiting there numerous times and exploring many areas of the park, these are our top spots to recommend. (And there is still SO much we haven’t explored!)
Bear Lake Road
Bear Lake Road is one of the park's most popular areas, so much so that you need a timed-entry reservation specifically for this area in addition to a park reservation during peak season, or you won’t be allowed in. There are many incredible trails, lakes, and viewpoints along Bear Lake Road, making it a must-see. Here are a few of our favorites.
Bear Lake
Bear Lake itself is beautiful, and there is an easy 0.75 mile loop around it for hiking and taking in the views. Multiple trails spur off of this loop so that you can venture off and see many other beautiful spots, too. (More on some of those below.)
The Bear Lake parking lot can fill up really fast, so you can park at the Park & Ride Parking lot and take the free shuttle to any of the stops along Bear Lake Road. This can also be nice if you do a hiking trail that starts at one location and ends at another - you can catch the shuttle at the end of your hike to get back to your car.
The drive down to Bear Lake is definitely beautiful and one to enjoy, so whether you take the shuttle or drive yourself, you’ll want to take in the views as much as you can!
Sprague Lake
Sprague Lake, also located on Bear Lake Road, is a beautiful spot with a straightforward hiking trail—a 0.8-mile loop around the lake. The scenery from every angle is stunning. Visiting before sunrise is a fantastic experience; watching the sun rise behind the mountains is simply breathtaking!
Plus, you'll beat the crowds if you head into the park that early. 😉 There are also several other trails in the area if you want to explore further. We’ve been told this is a great spot to see wildlife, but unfortunately, we didn't get lucky with that while we were at the lake.
Lake Haiyaha
This is a spot that a local recommended to us, saying it was one of her favorites. It was a challenging hike but ended up being one of our favorites in the area.
The hike to Lake Haiyaha is a 4-mile moderate in-and-out trail starting at Bear Lake. Not only do you get to see one of the most stunningly unique lakes in the area—which is green!—but you also pass by Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake. You can even take a short spur up to Emerald Lake.
As I mentioned, it was a bit challenging because it’s a steady climb the whole way, and once you reach Lake Haiyaha, you have to scramble over some rocks to get to the water and enjoy the view. But it’s completely worth the effort! The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.
Alberta Falls
We chose the Alberta Falls via Glacier Gorge and Fire Loop trail to explore this area. We hiked 3.3 miles, and it’s considered a moderate trail. There are so many beautiful sights to see along this trail - including some stunning waterfalls, of course!
Glacier Creek runs alongside the trail, giving you beautiful views of it—both at ground level and from above as it flows through a canyon. We saw some adorable little chipmunks (which are honestly everywhere in the park), some stunning trees, and even a hint of fall foliage in a few spots.
Moraine Park
While there are many more incredible trails and spots to explore in the park, the last one on my list today for Bear Lake Road is Moraine Park. This is a fantastic area to relax and look for wildlife.
We’ve come through here multiple times and seen huge herds of elk hanging out in the meadow. It’s amazing to watch how they interact. In one picture, you can see that the bull is guarding his herd, making sure they listen to him, and preventing other males from getting too close. It’s truly fascinating to watch!
Trail Ridge Road
If you take Trail Ridge Road toward Fall River Pass, you’ll be driving the scenic route up into the mountains and will see many beautiful scenic turn-offs!
There are several spots where you can pull over to enjoy the park's stunning views. This road is only open for part of the year, so depending on the month, you can only go a certain distance. When we visited, it was closed beyond a point, but we really appreciated the section we got to see. So I definitely recommend checking it out - even if you go a little way down.
Sheep Lakes
To get to Sheep Lakes from the Beaver Meadows entrance, you’ll take Park Entrance Road up to Trail Ridge Road and take the split to the right. That will take you over the mountain and down into the valley where the lakes are.
If you’re interested in seeing wildlife, this is a great place to visit, hang out, and watch with your binoculars. This is a popular area for spotting bighorn sheep, elk, and moose. We had heard quite a few people talk about spotting some fantastic wildlife in this area while we were there, so we headed that way several times to hang out and watch. We got lucky on a couple of occasions and saw a moose and a bighorn sheep.
It’s a vast, open meadow with a couple of small lakes and beautiful mountain views surrounding it. It’s a part of the park worth driving to!
Longs Peak
Longs Peak is the most famous mountain in the park and it’s the tallest—reaching 14,259 feet. You can see it from many vantage points, but my favorite is the turnoff along Park Entrance Road about 3.5 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. It’s just before the road splits to go right down to Sheep Lakes or left to continue on Trail Ridge Road. There’s a large pull-off area where you can park, get out, and enjoy the view. It overlooks Beaver Meadow, and the view is truly breathtaking.
WHEW!
That’s just a short list of things you can find in the park, but there are SO many more amazing areas. We hope to get back, check out new trails and scenic views, and share them in the future.
For now, this is just a sampling of the beauty this park holds and a good starting point for exploring when visiting from the Estes Park area.
Important Things to Remember
It’s important to know that during peak season (May-October), you'll need a timed-entry reservation to enter the park. During those months, you can also enter the regular part of the park before 9am or after 2pm without a reservation. We are early risers and loved going in before sunrise or just after. This is a great time to see the animals more active, avoid most of the crowds, and enjoy the sunrise from inside the park!
If you want to access Bear Lake Road and all the amazing things in that part of the park, you need a reservation that includes it - it isn’t included with the regular park reservation. The window for making a reservation for this area is from 5 am to 6 pm, so don’t plan on getting in outside those hours without one. That area fills up quickly, so as soon as the reservations are available, you should be online to secure yours. As mentioned above, this is one of the most incredible parts of the park, so you don’t want to miss it.
The lines can get quite long during peak season, so make sure you arrive well ahead of your two-hour window for your timed entry. Honestly, I would suggest getting there right at the start of your window, just to be safe, or arriving with plenty of time to spare before 9 am so you don’t have to wait at the gate. Even if your Bear Lake Road reservation is later, you can explore other parts of the park and then head over to that gate at the right time.
Make sure you carry plenty of water and have some snacks if you’re going on an extended hike.
Download any maps you want because there’s a good chance you’ll lose cell service and not have access to your device.
Make sure you leave no trace - don’t take things on a hike and leave them behind. Keep up with all of your snacks, drinks, and trash etc.
Have you visited Rocky Mountain National Park before? What’s your favorite spot in the park? Do you have a favorite trail? I’d love for you to share in the comments.