This hike took us a little more than 2 hours to complete. It is one of the first things you come across if you enter through the Beaver Meadows entrance. Upon reaching the summit after climbing a rock staircase, you'll be treated to sheer rock faces with views of Beaver Meadows entrance at over 10,000' above sea level. Friendly chipmunks quickly came right up to us after hearing the familiar sound of granola bar wrappers and were eager to eat any crumbs we dropped.
6 mile in and out. Great views. Lots of switchbacks so the 1100 ft elevation gain is no problem. We did it in January and with YaxTrax was easy due to southern exposure. Good parking, clear trailhead, and the hike begins near the Estes Park entrances.
We were still getting used to the altitude so took it quite slow on the way up. Went 2 hours without hitting summit, then turned around when 2 deer were in the path of the trail. great views at various places on the way up.
This is a wonderful trail. Lots of places for pictures on the way up of the mountain ranges. NOTE: When you think you get top the top it flattens out a bit and even seems to go down hill, keep walking. Trust me you will know when you at the top. A couple, in front of us turned around and didn't even see the top.If you have a headlamp or flashlight you can walk the trail before sunrise and watch the sun come up over the mountains.
This is one of the easier mountains to summit in RMNP. There's not much parking at the trailhead, so get there early. It's not as crowded as the trails off Bear and Glacier Gorge. The trail switchbacks up the mountain and there are spots to take a break and take in the view of Beaver Meadows, the Mummy Range, RMNP. After a short staircase, when you summit you will be rewarded with 360 degree views of RMNP and Estes Park. If you have two cars, you can come down the backside of the mountain and walk into Estes Park. This trail is rarely taken and in July the wildflowers were everywhere.
We started early for this one. We reached about 1.5 miles on the trail we had to put our cleats on, it was snow the rest of the way. The last .5 miles were the most challenging since we were post holing in some areas. We brought our jet boil with us and enjoyed hot chocolate when we got to the top. This is located in RMNP so you will have to pay the 7 day fee of $20.00 or $40.00 for a season pass.
My boyfriend and I hiked this on the 4th of July and had an excellent experience. It is rated on Protrails as Moderate but for us I would call it moderate-strenuous. We were confused when we got to the part of the trail that sends you down hill for a long time but it did eventually lead back up to the summit. Incredible views from all angles from the summit. Bring plenty of water and lots of sunscreen! We made it to the top in an hour and a half which was impressive for us. Have fun!
Outstanding. 3 miles up and 3 miles down, or thereabouts. Went early may, still snow on the ground on a lot of the trail, just made it more interesting. The view at the top is amazing, so don't settle for almost made it. Enjoy all that HE has made for us.
We love the Rocky Mountain National park and took this hike in August 2014. It's a not too steep 3 mile hike to the top. While this hike is easy, comfortable and beautiful it not as good as some other hikes of similar difficulty. Would recommend Beaver Meadow loop over this one.
The hike wasnt not too difficult. On our way up we saw some deer and other wild life. The trails never got too steep and there were many places to stop on the way up with great views of the mountains all around. Once at the top it was a beautiful 360 view of the mountains looking down on Estes Park. Definitely would recommend it to any level of hiker.