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About
The Mountains were calling and it was time to go.
Another trip to one of my favorite parks and this time with some of my friends Laura and Julie. A week of hiking, driving, and checking out the city of Estes Park. Laura had never been to the park, Julie had only seen a few highlights, and I had an unfinished hike on my bucket list to cross off, so we had all the elements of a great adventure.
We rented a house at Windcliff for some amazing views. They have options to fit any group and views that go on forever. They are a quick drive to either the park or the city of Estes so you are near everything.
The weather was the very definition of variable with the only constant being that afternoon rains will start every day between 1-2, so get to the trailheads early unless you like to hike in the rain.
We saw the sights, hiked the hikes, and a good time was had by all.
Emerald Lake Hike
3.06 miles round trip and 900' elevation gain. The trailhead from Bear Lake starts at 9,450'.
The first hike to Emerald Lake was a great way to start the trip. A great hike to get you started and used to the altitude with just enough distance and elevation gain to feel like you've done some hiking but not enough to cause issues. Crowded but it's the best small hike in the park, so that is just what you are going to get.
We packed some sandwiches for lunch and Emerald Lake makes a great place to rest a bit, catch your breath, and have a bite to eat.
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Trail Ridge Road
Billed as the highest paved road in the US with a high point of 12,183 the views are incredible in every direction. Plenty of scenic overlooks and a couple of short trails like the 1.1 mile Tundra Communities Trail and the 0.6 mile short but deceptively steep Alpine Ridge Trail.
There are scenic overlooks everywhere so expect this to take hours unless you want to miss everything.
Tundra Communities Trail: 1.1 mile round Trip, Elevation Gain 175', Trailhead elevation 12,100'
Alpine Ridge Trail: 0.6 mile round Trip, Elevation Gain 210', Trailhead elevation 11,800'
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Critters
Chipmunks, Marmots, Pikas, Mule Deer, an Elk.
 Chipmunk |
 Marmot |
 Marmot |
 Pika |
 Mule Deer |
 Elk |
The Loch and Sky Pond
A hike in two parts.
The hike to the Loch and then to Sky pond is a total of 11 miles round trip with 1800' of elevation gain. It's also a bit terrifying for those with a healthy respect for heights with a scramble up a waterfall at mile 4.5. This has been on my bucket list for the last 12 years after failing to complete the hike in 2010.
The Loch
First the Loch. It's a beautiful lake at 10,200 that is a destination in its own right with incredible views in every direction. From the lake you can just see a larger waterfall in the distance that is next to the one you will scramble if you continue to Sky Pond.
A shout out for Laura as she made it well past The Loch and just above the tree line before determining that a scramble up a waterfall might be more bruises and scrapes than she wanted. Still a solid 9.0 miles and 1500' elevation!
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 The Loch |
 Waterfall in Distance |
 Still a Long Hike |
 Above the Treeline! |
The Lake of Glass and Sky Pond
Tim had visions of grandeur.
It's mostly a scramble with only one small technical section that you have to outright climb. While the chance of serious injury is probably small, it's absolutely unnerving for anyone with a healthy respect for heights. It took me three attempts and a bunch of bruises, scrapes, some fingernails, and a busted lip but I made it!
After that it's still another 30 yard scramble to the top but there are plenty of handholds and a few twists so you never feel like you are going to fall to the bottom or suffer serious injury from that point onward.
At the top you have The Lake of Glass and it's rather spectacular. If you want an adventure it's a hell of a hike. Sadly like many of these things the pictures of the climb really don't look like much. Let's just say that "your mileage may vary".
From there it's about another 0.75 miles to Sky Pond. Finding the trail is the only difficult part with lots of false trails so just remember the real trail is fairly low. In truth I found The Lake of Glass to be the much more scenic lake, but it could have been time of day or lighting. In either case if you want to say you hiked to the very end, that is where you are heading.
For bonus points a quick moving storm rolled in while I was taking in the views at the pond. Nothing like starting the downclimb in pouring rain and hail. File that experience under "rethinking life choices".
A bucket list item that I am very happy to cross off, but not in any great hurry to repeat.
Sky Pond
 The Climb |
 The Lake of Glass |
 Hike Some More |
 Sky Pond |
 Sky Pond |
 Begin the Hail |
Other
The house we rented at Windcliff Homes was nice with a great view. Definitely a great place to watch the sunrise, or watch the afternoon clouds roll into the valley. We also visited the whiskey bar in the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and would gladly give that a thumbs up as well. We didn't get any pictures of the town, but it's really just a single "Main Street" with a bunch of shops. We browsed for a while but almost every shop is either a tee-shirt store, candy store, or jewelry store. A disappointing lack of variation.
 Windcliff |
 Stanley |