The Adventurous Agent
"YOU HAVE TO GET LOST BEFORE YOU CAN BE FOUND."
Jeff Rasley
Take a hike!
I have an insane obsession of finding places to hike, camp and explore. If you want to get outside more, if you want to spend hours and hours exploring this state, if you want to take Instragram worthy pics..... You're in the right spot. I've included some of my favorite places in hike as well as some places I've never been- but are on my list. Check them out and free feel to message me if you have any questions!
- Jenny
ROCKY MTN NATIONAL PARK'S 15 BEST DAY HIKES!
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Bear Lake Loop: Short 0.6-mile, family-friendly loop around Bear Lake in the heart of the park. Watch out for those sneaky tourists though.
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The Pool + Cub Lake Loop: An easy 6.4-mile loop around Cub Lake and Fern Lake offering great views.
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Ute Trail to Timberline Pass: This 4-mile hike is not often crowded and offers great views of the alpine tundra.
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Chasm Lake Hike: An 11-mile there-and-back hike to an alpine gem, though the swimming holes are often crowded in the summer.
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Gem Lake via Lumpy Ridge: This 3.3-mile hike packs a punch, but it offers incredible views of the Front Range.
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Peak 12,150 Hike: Mount Ida's less-traveled neighbor offers 90% of the views with half the effort.
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The Loch Hike: The 4.5-mile round-trip hike to The Loch may be enough, but energetic hikers can continue another mile to Timberline Falls and a fairly steep climb further up to Glass Lake and Sky Pond.
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Twin Sisters Peak Hike: Twin Sisters is a moderately difficult, 7.6-mile hike that provides exceptional views of Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding areas.
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Lily Lake Loop: A short family-friendly loop providing easy access to Jurassic Park.
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Lily Mountain: This hike is not within the park boundaries, but it offers expansive views of Rocky Mountain National Park.
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Lake Haiyaha Hike: This short 3.9 mile hike gets you just under the cliffs of the Continental Divide, with fewer crowds than at Dream and Emerald Lake.
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Sprague Lake Loop Hike: Oftern overlooked, the Sprague Lake Loop is an amazing place for kids, anglers, and those imagining the former setting of the park's original lodge.
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Nymph, Dream + Emerald Hike: By far the park's most popular hike!... and for good reason, the views are jaw-dropping, so too are the constant flow of tourists during the peak season.
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Alpine Ridge Trail Hike: A short 0.6 mile jaunt up from the Alpine Visitor Center, you'll never again have to put in so little effort to make it up to 12,000 feet.
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Ouzel Falls Hike: This 5.5 mile hike gets you into the often overlooked and serene backcountry of the Wild Basin southeastern portion of the park with countless waterfalls and cascades.
7 ALPINE LAKES YOU SHOULD VISIT THIS SUMMER
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Missouri Lakes Loop: This is a great 13-mile loop route that combines two passes, several lakes, and wonderful vistas of the Sawatch and Holy Cross Wilderness. It is suggested that you do the route in a counterclockwise direction starting from Fancy Pass Trail #2006.
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Cathedral Lake Trail: Climbing 2,000 feet up a steady 3-mile grade, hiking the Cathedral Lake Trail offers an alternative to the crowds at the Maroon Bells. This hike is a great cardio workout that contains no shortage of alpine views as a reward.
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Ice Lake + Island Lake Hike: The hike up to Ice Lake and Island Lake in Colorado's San Juan Mountains is truly an amazing one. It is moderately difficult, clocking in right at 8 miles with a total 3,000 feet of elevation gain, but the waterfalls, fantastic lakes, and wonderful views below and above the tree line are absolutely fantastic.
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Gore Lake: The ski lifts of Vail Ski Resort may be just minutes away, but the 12.5-mile rugged trail hike to crystal clear Gore Lake elevates hikers 3,000-feet into a high alpine region full of scenery and seclusion deep in the Eagles Nest Wilderness of the Gore Range.
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Zirkel Circle Hike: The Zirkel Circle hike is a loop that connects the Gilpin Lake and Gold Creek Lake trail (1161 and 1150, respectively) in the Zirkel Wilderness just outside of Steamboat Springs.
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Mitchell Lake + Blue Lake: The trail to Mitchell Lake and Blue Lake, just over 6 miles round-trip with some 1,200 feet of elevation gain, makes for an easy to moderate day hike with beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife.
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Chasm Lake: The Chasm Lake Trail is a high alpine gem of a hike within Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake shadows the base of the Diamond face of Longs Peak, which towers 2,456 feet above Chasm Lake. This elevation is all the more impressive considering the lake already sits at 11,803 feet.
INCREDIBLE HIKES FOR ALPINE WILDFLOWERS
- Crags Crest Trail in Grand Mesa. Wildflowers bloom in late spring and early summer.
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Fancy Pass, Missouri Lakes in the Holy Cross Wilderness. Wildflowers bloom in July and August.
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Long Lake, Lake Isabelle + Pawnee Pass outside of Boulder. Wildflowers bloom from July to September.
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Redcloud Peak + Sunshine Peak in the San Juan Mountains. Wildflowers bloom in July and August.
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Zirkel Circle in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. Wildflowers bloom in July and August