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Alluvial Fan – Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:03:17 +0000

Alluvial Fan is right off of the road to Old Fall River Road. The hike to get up to Alluvial Fan is about a tenth of a mile so really short. You might ask what an alluvial fan might be. It is a debris trail that comes from a wall of water. This alluvial fan was created in the early eighties when a dam higher up in the mountains busted. A cascade of water came rushing down the mountain and spread the debris trail, which included enormous boulders throughout the valley. The wall of water was so large that it put 6 feet of water in Estes Park which is several miles away. It was also so violent that it killed one camper. There is a really pretty waterfall that goes through the middle of the boulders. It is a cascade and there really is no large fall just rolling water.

Lava Cliffs – Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:02:15 +0000

The best way to get to the Lava Cliffs is on Trail Ridge Road (actually that is the only way). When we were trying to get out of the car, the wind was blowing so hard it was almost impossible to open the door on one side. Lava Cliffs is one of those hop out of the car take a picture and hop back in, but only because of the wind and temperature. The Lava Cliffs itself are about 300 feet tall and are a really cool formation. From the turnoff on Trail Ridge Road, you can also see a lake that still had snow/ice around it in the middle of September. You would not be able to see the lake without pulling off the road.

Flattop Mountain – Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:25:22 +0000

Flattop Mountain was our first hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. It starts at Bear Lake and goes up from there. I must have misread something because I thought it was an “easy” hike. It wasn’t. It was 4.5 miles up the mountain. There were no flat portions. Luckily, we are in good shape otherwise it would have been impossible. My wife started really feeling the altitude right at the tree line. I felt it at about 500 feet above the tree line and it hit me harder than my wife. I felt like I had hit the wall in a marathon. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, but it was tough. Altitude makes it difficult to breath and your heartbeat is accelerated.

The hike itself is absolutely worth it. Before the tree line you are surrounded by beautiful trees, including aspens. The vistas you can see throughout the hike are amazing. You can look back and see the valley with Estes Park on one side. On other sides there are even higher mountains. We were there in September and there was still snow. You can still see glaciers in their valleys high in the mountains. There are two lake overlooks, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake and from several thousand feet above them, they are spectacular. We did not see any animals other than birds, chipmunks and squirrels.

When we were getting towards the top of Flattop Mountain, it started clouding up. We were talking to a local hiker and she said as long as you see any blue in the sky, there should not be lightening, but the second you hear thunder or there is no more blue anywhere, get below the tree line. She said the clouds have to be bumping together to cause lightening up there and you certainly do not want to be the tallest thing.

It is really cool to see the transition from trees, to smaller trees, to shrubs to ground cover as you hit the “tree line”. Each region has its own sort of beauty.

The top of Flattop Mountain is actually a little hard to determine. I was hoping for a, “here is the peak at 12,324 feet, but there wasn’t anything. I’m sure we were at the top because there was nothing higher (except a few other peaks around us). Right before the top there is a triangular set of logs. I didn’t get a picture, but I believe it is a hitching post. You don’t see those every day.

Alberta Falls – Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:54:15 +0000

Alberta Falls is a little less than 1 mile from the Glacier Gorge trailhead and is on the way to Mills Lake. This falls is very accessible and the trail is very easy. The thing that is cool about Alberta Falls is that you can walk up the rocks right next to the falls. The falls are not huge, they are more of a cascading falls of about 25 feet. There are multiple little sets of 1-2 foot falls throughout the total cascade.

After we walked up the rocks, which in parts are pretty steep so bring your hiking shoes, we took off through the trees in the direction we assumed the trail would be. We finally found it, but it might have been better to go back the way we started and take the trail from there.

Mills Lake – Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:46:18 +0000

The trailhead for Mills Lake is Glacier Gorge. The lake is about 2.7 miles from the Glacier Gorge trailhead. It takes you past a couple of additional can’t miss sites (some of which you literally can’t miss because they are clearly visible). The biggest two are Alberta Falls and Glacier Falls.

Mills Lake was amazing for its solitude. There were a few hikers back there, but they were all quiet and just enjoying the sights. The hike out to Mills Lake is not easy, but it is not terribly strenuous. There is some altitude gain (I believe a little less than 1,000 feet), but not enough to worry too much about and the lake itself is a little below 10,000 feet so you should be okay.

The views on the trail to Mills Lake are simply amazing. You follow a gorge cut by a glacier (hence Glacier Gorge trailhead) and it winds through trees, across rocks and around the edge of cliffs. Much of the trail also follows a river so the sound of running water is always with you. Because you are pretty high at points you can see off in the valley with Estes Park and you can see some of the peaks including Flattop Mountain.

All in all, this is a great medium hike with views and scenery that can’t be beat.

Bear Lake – Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park

Brian Spross — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:48:24 +0000

Bear Lake is right at the Bear Lake trailhead. It has got to be the easiest lake to get to in all of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is the start point of multiple other hikes including Flattop Mountain. Bear Lake is really pretty and you can catch amazing mountain reflections off of the water if it is still. Because it is an easy hike, get there early or it will be you and a million other people. The hike around the lake itself is very steep in parts but the side closest to the parking lot is very flat. To get to the Bear Lake trailhead, get there early or it might be hard to find a parking space. We went past the sign that says the parking lot was full and ended up with the last spot. That comes from good living.

The park rangers were extremely nice (and there are a lot of them). This is an easy place to get started in RMNP.