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Emerald Lake via Bear Lake Trailhead

Larimer County, Colorado

4.9/5
based on 16 reviews

Details

Distance

3.15 miles

Elevation Gain

650 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Whitney James

Emerald Lake is easy to access from the Bear Lake Trailhead. If you get there early in the morning, parking is free. This is a great spot for sunrise views of surrounding peaks.

Anyone who has been to Rocky Mountain National Park, or any national park for that matter, knows they get CROWDED. One of the best ways to beat the crowds are to arrive before the sun comes up (or stay after it goes down). That's how we opted to do Emerald Lake in RMNP.

After spending the night near Chasm Lake below Longs Peak, we entered the park via Estes and parked at the entirely empty lot for Bear Creek. This is a very popular snowshoe route in winter and short hike in every other season, and arguably one of the most scenic areas of the entire park.

The hike is only 3.5 miles roundtrip, with 650 feet elevation gain. You'll top out at 10,110, and with this altitude comes high winds at almost any time of year. The trail passes Bear and Dream Lakes, offers stunning views of Longs Peak to the South (if it's a clear day), and can be linked together with several other trails, like the one leading off to Haiyaha Lake. Tyndall Creek runs beautifully next to the trail to Emerald, and is worth some photos in and of itself. Once you reach Emerald, 12,713-foot Hallett Peak commands your attention. If you're as lucky as we were, you'll be the only ones there.

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Emerald Lake via Bear Lake Trailhead Reviews

This is a really scenic area. Still definitely a popular spot, but the further away you get from bear lake, the smaller the crowds will be.

Just did this hike a few days ago! Absolutely beautiful to do in the Winter. Passing through Nymph, Dream and Emerald lakes while they're frozen is unreal. Great advice on getting there early or staying late, the crowds definitely thin out around then. Also some great photo ops throughout the hike!

The furthest lake in the stretch of small lakes and also the highest, Emerald was absolutely with the hike. It was further apart from the other lakes and obviously less traveled. You can make it without snow shoes but I wouldn't recommend it as it gets nearly thigh deep in some areas without. When you get to the lake, you can sit along the shore and gaze off at the deep basin of snow ahead. This lake is also thick enough to walk across and while we were there, skiers were climbing up the far hills and skiing down. I probably wouldn't recommend it, however, as one of the couples we were sitting with said that they had witnessed an avalanche at that location before.

Leave No Trace

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

Nearby

Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha Lakes

Lake Helene and Two Rivers Lake

Flattop Mountain and Hallett Peak

Climb Notchtop Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park

Winter Hike Flattop Mountain

Dragon's Tail Couloir Climb