Discover 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 as we travel 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 recently sold our house and almost everything we owned so that we could take off on an epic travel adventure and roam around 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 an amazing 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 had to get to by certain dates so we kept moving but we knew we’d want to go back to the area and spend more time. And boy have we!
We’ve been back several times and have spent at least a couple of months’ worth of time there. Honestly we’ve said that if we decided to settle down in one place again we’d likely pick somewhere in Colorado. I don’t think we could ever afford a place in Estes Park as tourism has made it very expensive, but somewhere within an hour or two away could be amazing so we could make 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 experiencing lots of areas in the park, these are our top spots that we recommend. (And there is still SO much we haven’t explored!)
Bear Lake Road
Bear Lake Road is one of the most popular areas of the park - so much so that you need to have a timed-entry reservation specifically for this area in addition to a reservation for the park (during peak season) or you won’t get in. There are so many amazing trails, lakes, and viewpoints down Bear Lake Road and it’s a must see. These are a few of our favorites.
Bear Lake
Bear Lake itself is a beautiful lake and there is an easy .75 mile loop around the lake to hike and take in all 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 just 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 is also on Bear Lake Road and is a beautiful lake with an easy hiking trail that’s a .8 mile loop around the lake. The views are amazing from every point. Getting there before sunrise is also an awesome experience. Watching the sun come up behind the mountains is just breathtaking! Plus you’re going to beat the crowds if you go into the park that early. 😉 There are also various other trails in the area if you want to venture further out and explore a little. We’ve been told that this is a great spot to see wildlife too, but sadly, we never got lucky in that regard 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 hike that’s an in-and-out hike and starts at Bear Lake. Not only do you get to see one of the most amazingly beautiful lakes that’s totally different looking than any of the other lakes in the area (spoiler - it’s green!), but you get to hike past Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake, and you can even do a little spur up to Emerald Lake as well.
As I mentioned, it was a little challenging as it’s a steady climb up throughout the entire hike and then once you get to Lake Haiyaha you have to scramble over some rocks to get to the water and take in the view. But it’s worth every bit of the struggle! The views are just incredible.
Alberta Falls
We chose the Alberta Falls via Glacier Gorge and Fire Loop trail to see this area. We hiked 3.3 miles and it’s considered a moderate trail. There are SO many beautiful things to see along this trail - including some beautiful waterfalls of course!
Glacier Creek runs alongside the trail so you get some beautiful views of that - at ground level but also looking from above as it flows through a canyon. We saw some adorable little chipmunks (which are honestly everywhere in the park), some beautiful trees, and even a little bit of fall foliage in a couple of spots.
Moraine Park
While there are TONS more amazing trails and locations to see in the park, the last one on my list today for Bear Lake Road is Moraine Park. This is an amazing area to hang out for a while and look for wildlife. There were multiple times that we came through here and saw huge herds of elk hanging out in the meadow and it’s so amazing to watch how they interact. You can see in one pic that the bull is guarding his herd and making sure they’re listening to what he wants and also making sure no other males are getting 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 get to see many beautiful scenic turn offs!
There are several places where you can pull over and take in the beautiful views of the park. This road is only open part of the year, so depending on what month it is, you can only go so far. When we were there, it was closed past a certain point, but we sure enjoyed the part we did get to see. So I would definitely encourage you to check it out - even if you just go a little ways up. :)
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 and just 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 amazing 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 couple of moose as well as a bighorn sheep.
It’s a big open meadow with a couple of small lakes and beautiful mountain views surrounding the area. 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 - topping out at 14,259 feet. You can see it from lots of vantage points but I think my favorite is the turn off along Park Entrance Road about 3.5 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. It’s just a little before the road splits to go right down to Sheep Lakes or left to continue on Trail Ridge Road. There’s a big pull-off area so you can park and get out and enjoy the view. It's overlooking Beaver Meadow and the view is just breathtaking.
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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 and check out new trails and new scenic views and share those in the future.
For now, this is just a sampling of the beauty that this park holds and gives a good starting point for things to explore when visiting from the Estes Park area.
Important Things to Remember
It’s important to know that during peak season (May-October) you will need a timed-entry reservation to enter the park. During those months, you can also enter the regular portion of the park before 9am or after 2pm without a reservation. We are early risers and we loved going in before sunrise or just after. This is a good time to see the animals being more active, you’ll beat a lot of the crowds, and seeing the sunrise from inside the park is a treat!
If you want to access Bear Lake Road and all of the amazing things down in that area of the park, you must have a reservation that includes that - it doesn’t come with the regular park reservation. The window of time that you must have a reservation for this area is 5 am to 6 pm, so I wouldn’t count on getting in without one by going before or after that window. That area fills up quickly, so as soon as those times are released, you want to be online to grab that reservation. As mentioned above, this is one of the most amazing areas of the park, so you don’t want to miss it.
The lines can get pretty long during peak season, so make sure you arrive with plenty of time before the end of your two-hour window for your timed entry. Honestly, I would get there right at the beginning of your window, just to be safe, or get there 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 appropriate 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, 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.
I'm so glad you enjoyed CO so much! We love living in the Springs and boy are we spoiled!