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Hike to Cub Lake

Estes Park, Colorado

5.0/5
based on 2 reviews

Details

Distance

4.6 miles

Elevation Gain

645 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Ryan Mckinney

Cub Lake in Rocky Mountain NP offers amazing wildlife viewing opportunities and excellent fly fishing in the Big Thompson River.

Rocky Mountain National Park showcases 355 miles of hiking trails, 6 campgrounds, and hundreds of backcountry camp sites. The cost to enter the park is $20.00 per vehicle, I recommend buying the annual National Parks Pass for $80.00.

Cub Lake is an excellent trail for viewing wildlife. There are small ponds that you will pass on this trail that are great locations for spotting elk, mule deer, and moose. The majority of this trail is easy but slightly steepens towards the end. Cub Lake Trail is very well marked and maintained. It is difficult to explore the shoreline of Cub Lake because of the fallen timber that surrounds the lake. The total distance out and back is 4.6 miles. 

Moraine Park is a great basecamp: https://www.theoutbound.com/co...

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Features

Fitness
Camping
Fishing
Photography
Snowshoeing
Backpacking
Hiking
Bathrooms
Family Friendly
Forest
Groups
Lake
Picnic Area
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Hike to Cub Lake Reviews

We saw so many elk on this trail! Keep your eyes out, because there may be some nearby! Beautiful trail, perfect to see wildlife.

We haven't done much hiking in Moraine Park, but after this hike that's bound to change. Cub Lake is absolutely gorgeous and the scenery feels so much different than the rest of the park (on the Bear Lake side). It was an easy walk and we didn't see many people on our way out - but we did see lots of animals! Be sure to get an early start so you can get a parking spot and have the same sort of wildlife luck - a coyote, a moose, and two elk harems!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Camp at Moraine Park

Winter Camp at Moraine Park

Backpack to Odessa Lake via Fern Lake Trailhead

Hike along Tombstone Ridge

Photograph Elk in Moraine Park

Rocky Mountain NP's Trail Ridge Road