Our Top Five Hikes in/around Rocky Mountain National Park

We've spent quite a bit of time in and around Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. We put RMNP among our favorite national parks. It has fantastic scenery and a wide range of good hikes - we've done over twenty hikes in the area. This post covers our five favorite hikes from our most recent trip.

Lets get ready to hike!

Honorable mention:
Lily Lake, while a very short and easy trail, was a great place for watching small wildlife. On the south side of the lake is a wetland area where we saw muskrats, snakes, and multiple species of birds.


5. Chasm Lake
Location - Longs Peak area, Rocky Mountain National Park
Length - about 9.5 miles
Elevation gain - about 2,600 feet
Difficulty - Hard
AllTrails

Chasm Lake is a fairly difficult but rewarding hike. It starts from the Longs Peak trailhead, and climbs upward about half a mile in elevation. The first half is steadily upward through a forest, and the second half crosses open rocky alpine tundra. There are some decent views to the prairies and farmland to the east, although it was quite hazy on the day we hiked. Near the top of the trail we faced two treacherous stretches of snow on the steep mountainside, and then a steep final scramble up rocks. The payoff was great views of still icy Chasm Lake, cradled in a narrow mountain canyon of Mount Lady Washington.

We started our hike at 6:50AM, and we highly recommend starting this early (or even earlier). You get out ahead of other hikers, and avoid the harsh afternoon sun or potential thunderstorms. Roundtrip took us about 4.5 hours, including sitting for a while by the frozen lake. Overall a great trail, although the views and diversity of scenery don't quite rise to the level of our favorites.

Crossing a stream early in the hike.

The view after emerging from the forest and crossing the tundra.

A large waterfall near the top of the trail.

Get ready to cross some snow!

Slow going. Don't want to fall here....

Made it to the top. We sat by the icy lake for a while before heading back.

A small part of the lake that was unfrozen.

David at the top.

View back across the valley and plains.

The moon make an appearance!

Brilliant colors and a setting moon as we hiked back down to the trailhead.

4. Tundra Communities
Location - Trail Ridge Road alpine area, Rocky Mountain National Park
Length - 1 mile
Elevation gain - 150 feet
Difficulty - Easy
AllTrails

Our fourth favorite trail is a bit different than the others. It's not a long hike by any means - it's a one mile round-trip paved path. What sets this apart is that is starts above 12,000 feet. The entire trail crosses open tundra with sweeping views across the mountains. Even on our short walk we experienced a range of weather conditions, including bright sunshine, intense winds, and sleet. We also saw several small tundra mammals (pika and marmots), elk, and a big horn sheep.

Amazing alpine views.

The start of the trail.

Here comes some weather! Conditions can change very quickly at this altitude.

An elk foraging for food.

Tundra and mountains.

David on the trail during a sunny moment.

It was much colder up here than down in the valleys. But the sun was also bright and intense.

Panoramic view - the scenery was other-worldly.

Look, marmots!

Beautiful blue sky.

We spotted a big horn sheep near the trailhead.

Big horn sheep.

3. Lily Mountain
Location - Off Highway 7, Rocky Mountain National Park
Length - 4 miles
Elevation gain - 1,280 feet
Difficulty - Moderate
AllTrails

This trail is all about the view at the top. The hike itself, two miles up the mountain and two miles back down, is nice enough. It makes its way through the rocky forest with some steep and strenuous sections, especially as you approach the top. The very last part is a short steep climb over boulders to reach the summit. The very top has sweeping views in all directions, overlooking the forests and mountains of the national park as well as the populated valley of Estes Park. It's particularly nice if you have the summit to yourself to enjoy peaceful solitude. The spectacular view alone puts this in our top three.

Views across the valley.

Amazing views of RMNP.

Paul at the top.

Dense green forests surround Lily Mountain on the national park side.

Lily Mountain's 360 degree views.

Looking over at taller mountains.

2. Red Mountain Open Space (Ruby Wash and Big Hole Wash Loop)
Location - North Central Colorado, less than a two hour drive north from Estes Park
Length - 8 miles
Elevation gain - 800 feet
Difficulty - Moderate
AllTrails

OK, this is cheating a bit, since this hike is not in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's about an hour and 45 minute drive north of Estes Park, on the border with Wyoming, but still within Larimer County. It's only 37 miles as the crow flies from the Red Mountain trailhead to the nearest major mountains in the national park (Stormy Peaks). We include it on this list because it offers a perfect counterbalance to the hikes in the national park, which can start to become repetitive forest/alpine hikes. Although Red Mountain Open Space is so close to the national park, it's a completely different ecosystem and offers diverse scenery and varied wildlife.

The drive there is an attraction in itself, through scenic Big Thompson Canyon, along the foothills and exurban farmland, and finally down about 10 miles of well-maintained dirt road as the soil shifts from brown to red. We did the approximately 8 mile loop trail that links together the Ruby Wash trail, Salt Lick trail, Big Hole Wash trail and Sinking Sun trail. It's a relatively flat and easy trail, although a few parts are a bit sandy and take a little extra effort. We started at 8:30AM and the whole loop took a little over three hours. This is another trail we recommend starting as early as possible. You'll be in full sunlight for almost the entire time. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen!

Traveling clockwise, you'll start through Ruby Wash. It's perhaps the most scenic part of the trail, as you follow a lush stream through a winding red canyon. Exiting the canyon, you spend a couple of miles crossing wide open prairie before entering another red rock canyon, this one completely dry unless it rains. Along the way you'll spot cacti, wildflowers, and butterflies. Around the halfway point the trail briefly enters Wyoming, and there are sweeping views across the plains and canyons with the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Continuing on the trail crosses a few more canyon areas (with white and red rock) with more great views to the south and west. Note this trail does allow both horses and mountain bikes, but we found the trail to be mostly secluded and only came across one group of equestrians.

We spotted a pronghorn in the farmlands near the park.

Entering Ruby Wash.

David on the trail. Very different than Rocky Mountain National Park!

Rock layers in Ruby Wash.

Exiting the wash and heading across open grazing lands.

The hike has a lot of interesting geological features and open blue skies.

Part of the path is an old jeep trail.

Camouflaged moths on a flower.

The trail passes some dramatic cliff faces.

Panorama of a section of trail that curves through a red rocky canyon.

First glimpse of the Rocky Mountains in the distance!

This is near the halfway part of the trial, with great views and a "wide open" feeling.

Like hiking across the top of the world.

More slanted canyons, with snowy mountains on the horizon.

Paul resting at a viewpoint.

Plenty of reds, greens, and whites make for a scenic trail.

We startled these two mule deer that were resting in a small shady spot.

A group of equestrians.

1. Sky Pond
Location - Glacier Gorge / Bear Lake area, Rocky Mountain National Park
Length - 8.1 miles +
Elevation gain - 1,760 feet
Difficulty - Hard
AllTrails

Sky Pond is our favorite trail in RMNP. It has a bit of everything - nice forested sections, multiple lakes, waterfalls and streams, mountain and valley views, and wildlife. It's also one of the most strenuous hikes, especially if there is any snow. While listed at a bit over 8 miles, we actually clocked 13 miles round trip (via our Fitbits which count steps instead of GIS-based distance).

The trail starts from either Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake and you should try starting at Glacier Gorge, if you can, to avoid having to finish with a long uphill section. However, parking is very limited at Glacier Gorge so plan accordingly. We began at Bear Lake. You start through pleasant forest, winding uphill before reaching Alberta Falls. Continuing on, there are some views across small valleys and Glacier Creek before you reach the largest lake along the trail, the Loch. There are good views here and some rocky outcrops to rest on before continuing. At this point the trail became very difficult, as it was completely covered with snow and ice. It's probably much easier later in the year, but in May it was an adventure trying to stay on the path and avoid postholing. We managed with just hiking boots. The trail eventually climbs above the trees and across a beautiful but difficult snowy hill to timberline falls. We were walking across the incredibly bright snow for some time, which resulted in Paul getting a bad sunburn on his arms. Don't underestimate the sun's strength at this altitude, especially when it's reflecting off snow. After a steep snowy climb, and a scramble up icy rocks, there are great views at the small Lake of Glass. The final stretch is a short walk across Boulders and snow to beautiful Sky Pond. The pond is framed beautifully by Taylor Peak and the dramatic Sharkstooth. We highly recommend this trail, but come prepared with plenty of water and proper footwear.

The first part of the trail goes through conifer and deciduous forests, with occasional views.

Alberta Falls is a nice sight not too far along the trail.

Mountain and forest views from the trail.

A very snowy part of the trail. There was a lot of this when we went in late May.

A ground squirrel working on a nest.

Great views at the Loch.

We spotted some fish in the Loch.

A dramatic golden-mantled ground squirrel.

The trail quickly became very snowy.

Mountain views as we continued hiking uphill.

One of multiple steep snowy hills.

Views down the valley.

Looking back at the Loch.

We made it!

The Sharkstooth is a stunning backdrop.

Paul at Sky Pond

Those are our top Rocky Mountain hikes. There are dozens of other hikes we haven't tried yet - here's hoping we can update this list in the future!

Exploring Edmonton

Last year our good friends Janice and Peter moved to Edmonton. We were in their wedding, visited them when they lived in Oxford, London, and Sweden, and traveled with them in places like Greece, Iowa, and Italy, so we immediately hatched a plan to go visit them in the frozen north. And what better time to journey to Canada's northernmost major city than February?

Our flight connected in Toronto, and we arrived in Edmonton at night. With the time change we were exhausted, so we hung out for just a bit before going to bed. We set out the next morning for the Old Strathcona Farmers Market, an indoor Saturday market. Strathcona is a cool area of town south of the river, packed with restaurants and shops. The market was surprisingly busy for winter. There were a lot of pre-made products (jams, soaps, jerky, etc) and local foods. After taking in the atmosphere for a bit, we had brunch at a nearby restaurant called Meat.

We walked back toward downtown across the High Level Bridge, which has great views across the city. It's also extremely cold and windy - probably the coldest we felt the whole weekend.

A huge mural in Strathcona.

Inside the market.

Sometimes we're still in middle school.

Walking the snowy path high above the river. It was cold!

View of downtown Edmonton.

Before walking across the bridge.

A little bit of unfrozen river.

Our next stop was the Alberta Legislature Building, where we went on a guided tour. The sandstone building was constructed after Alberta became a province in 1905. The tour was nice, and covered a bit about the history of the building and the province. We also learned that Canadian provinces have non-elected lieutenant governors (which they pronounced "left-tenant") that represent Queen Elizabeth. Fun fact of the tour: there are five 80+ year old palm trees inside the dome, and nobody knows where they came from. The rumor is they're a gift from California, but when asked that state denies it.

Next we walked a bit of the river trail, and took the automated funicular up the hillside back in to downtown. We made a quick stop at Craft Beer Market for some drinks before returning to Janice and Peter's apartment. We finished off the night with a lovely dinner at Woodwork.

The sandstone exterior of the legislature building.

The inside is nice, but a little plain.

One of the former lieutenant governors.

Palm trees in the dome!

The snowy grounds.

Nothing to see here, just David on a weird bench.

Inside the funicular.

Going up!

Blood red falling ice sign.

Downtown Edmonton.

Inside Craft Beer Market.

On our second day in Edmonton, we started out ice skating in front of City Hall. There's a rink in the plaza, and skate rental is free! Since it was early, cold, and snowing it wasn't busy and we had plenty of space to skate around. This was David's first time ever ice skating, and he did well! After briefly visiting city hall, we walked a couple of blocks to the Royal Alberta Museum, and spent a few hours exploring the science and history exhibits. It's a large museum with a lot of great exhibits. By now we were starving, and walked a short distance to Chinatown for lunch at 97 Hot Pot. It was perfect on a chilly day.

The view from Janice and Peter's apartment.

David on the ice.

Peter showing off his skills in the background.

Goofing around in front of city hall.

The interior of city hall.

Albertosaurus skeleton in the museum.

A big exhibit about the early history of the area.

Hot pot lunch. Yum!

After lunch we walked around the "ice district," a new area with a hockey arena, casino, and giant skyscrapers with hotels and condos. It's a nice area but was quiet because it was a weekend day without a hockey game. We walked past a street known as the "neon museum" where old neon signs from around the city are attached to a wall, and then stopped by McEwan University, where our friend Janice works. Finally, we had some happy hour drinks at Campio Brewery, which had our favorite beer of the trip.

Not the best face...

The two tallest buildings in Edmonton, finished in 2019, tower above Rogers Place.

Neon museum during the day.

Janice's work!

Janice and Paul at Campio Brewing. Great beer!

Walking back by the neon museum at night.

On our final day in Edmonton we took an Uber to West Edmonton Mall to visit Galaxyland, an indoor amusement park. It's home to Mindbender, the world's tallest indoor roller coaster. Paul had a great time riding, and Peter took a spin too. The mall is ginormous - the largest in North America. It was busy because it was such a cold day. We spent some time walking around, people watching, and checking out a game in the full sized hockey rink in the middle. We had some lunch before taking the bus back to Janice and Peter's, where we relaxed, played some games, and finished the night with dinner and drinks at Beer Revolution.

Ready for some fun!

Mindbender is intense.

The drops on Mindbender. Huge for an indoor coaster!

Peter and Paul in the front seat.

Paul getting those coaster credits.

Lunch time in the mall at a British restaurant.

There was a junior hockey game happening inside the mall.

Beer Revolution

That night, the temperature dipped to some of the coldest we've ever experienced. The Edmonton airport got down to -18°F. David brought his own thermometer from home, and recorded -12°F at Janice and Peter's apartment, so he now considers that his coldest temperature every experienced (beating out 5°F in Atlanta in February 2014). Fun fact, at around -5°F to -10°F ice starts forming on your nose hairs when you breath deeply. It was a little alarming...but was kinda fun too.

Goodbye, Edmonton!

We had a great time visiting our friends and exploring the northernmost large city in Canada. Now we need to come back in summer and go visit the Canadian Rockies and Calgary!