The park is very busy with people wanting to see the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. The park system has a timed entrance system allowing them to meter the number of people who are coming into the park at a given time. If you are coming and not camping at the park be sure to get your entry permit. I am lucky as I have a campsite that also doubles as my entry permit into the park so Yea for me! An interesting factoid of the park is that there are private homes within the park. These homes were owned by the families before the park became a park. As long as the families keep the houses up they can have them forever. If the families want to see or the place is in disarray then the government will take over. They could not rebuild after a fire either so let’s hope nothing bad happens.
Loch Vale – The trailhead is on the second stop of the Bear Lake bus line from the bus depot and it on the right side of the parking area. The bus stop has 2 vault toilets and the bus does come frequently. The trail is 2.7 miles up/back to a wonderful lake. The beginning part of the trail has a bridge to cross and plenty of steps to also make your hiking experience fun. At the first junction point you go to the left and the trails were well marked with signs. As you continue up from first junction you are still heading up and have some switch backs on the dirt and rock trail. There is a point along the way where you have a switchback but also a viewing area of the stream below you. The trail also has a few different falls that can be seen from the trail. One of the first falls you come across is where a bunch of people decide to stop and go back to the parking area. I trudged along continue to go up on the trail. There is a switchback towards the top that has a nice view of a another set of falls and a spot that you can have a snack if you so desire. When you get to the lake if you go right there is a small pond as well but the lake you came to see is in view. To see the entire view of the lake you have to hike a bit further and you are welcomed into some stunning views of the lake along with two glaciers. The hike is rated as moderate by All Trails, I am not a fan nor endorsing All Trails, and it took a bunch of energy to make the hike up. Down was a piece of cake compared to up.
Moraine Park Campground – The campground is in the Bear Lake region of the park and for most this area requires a permit for entry. As a camper you are exempt from the reservation system. The campground has five loops A-E. Loop E is a group campsite area and it has twelve sites. The remaining loops have a total of 247 spots. The largest loop is loop A followed by loop B, then C and D has the smallest number of campsites. Loops A, C, and D have flush toilets in the summer and B and E have vault toilets. There are no showers but there is a solar shower area for you to take a solar shower within the campground. The maximum number of days allowed in this campground is seven during June through September which is different from most other campgrounds which allow for 14 days of camping.
Cub Lake – The trail head is off of the road that you can go to the campground but you have to turn left before the campground. The road allows you to go to the Moraine meadow on the left but keep going and you can find parking with the trailhead on your left. When you start the trail you walk over a stream and head into the meadow. The trail will take you along the meadow with some up/down along the way next to the meadow. Once you are past the meadow you go up and it is 600 or so feet up in a short distance of one mile or so. The lake is a nice little lake with plenty of lilly pads. I am sure if the trees around the lake had not been consumed by the beatle the moose would have been out in full force but not today. The trees around the lake were all dead so they provided no cover to any animals, bummer. After a bit of a rest at the lake onward the trail went up. After a little bit it went down, thank GOD, and we got to see a beautiful stream and meadow. On the climb down to the river crossing you could see all of the trees who were either eaten by the beatle or fire had gotten them. The stream crossing was nice as you could see a little waterfall and then some rapids in the little stream. A bit further there was a small heard, 8, of elk grazing next to the river. There is a very cool part of the path where you walk through big boulders almost like walking in a canyon but no water. When the trail ended it was still 0.7 miles to the car on a dirt road. The trail going up to the lake was dirt and some rocks but as you get closer to the lake and down to the stream you are walking more on rocks than dirt, be careful. Overall the hike was about 6 miles and with a gain of over 600 feet. It is worth the hike to see Cub Lake.
Trail Ridge Road – The road is the highest road in North America, per the NPS. The high point in the road is 12,183. It is a bit scary as the road is cut into the side of the mountain with steep drop offs on the non-mountain side. There are plenty of spots to pull over and enjoy the beauty of the park. One of the pull outs you could see Moraine Meadow and the bear lake area of the park. There is a visitor center along the path which allows you to go out and hike a trail. The visitor center is at 11,796 feet and the trail takes you up to 12,005 but it is about 0.6 of a mile up. I have to say that the hike to the top from the visitor center is a paved path with stairs but don’t think it is for the meek as the hike is very stout. Even though that my heart was pounding and I could hardly breathe, I did enjoy the hike to the top of the visitor center. There were many people who were taking many stops and breathing, I was one who stopped 4 times on the way up.
Bridalvale Falls Trail – The trailhead is not in the main part of the part but an off shoot of the park down a small two lane dirt road the NPS maintains. The road ends at an NPS living quarters and office area. The trailhead access is through the gate in the road and to the left on a road towards the living area. Once on the trail, you are on a sand and gravel road for a little bit. I call it a road as there were two tracks and grass between the tracks. The road ends and you begin walking through a meadow. The meadow is nice with wildflowers and is fairly flat hiking, but don’t let this fool you the trail has elevation to get to the falls. The trail is well marked with the path and signage in this area. You start to go upwards while still in the meadow but it is about at the 2 mile mark. Once you start to go up be ready as the trail becomes a bit more steep. You can see and hear a stream to your left as you go up the trail. Towards the top you will get to the very steep part of the hike. There is a part of the trail that you need to stay left to avoid the scramble over some rocks, but I went right and the scramble. The scramble was not bad but it was not needed as the way down the trail no scrambling was done! There are stone steps to go up in lieu of the scramble and these steps will take you to the falls. When I was there the water was flowing and I found a nice spot to hang out a few minutes to have a snack and relax for the downward hike. One of the best things about this hike was the limited amount of people on the trail. The way up was a backpacker coming down, and two couples in the same group. The way back down was a bit more crowded with two sets of two couples, and two single hikers were passed. One of the reasons for the limited people in my belief is the very limited parking, maybe ten cars and the trail is not in the main part of the park. The round trip trail is six miles and the gain/loos in altitude is about 800 feet, most in the last mile. A great hike and could be for most if you take your time on the last mile going up.
Bierstadt Lake Trail – The trail has its own parking area and bus stop from the park and ride area of Bear Lake. The trail is 1.6 miles each way and has an elevation gain/loss of 566 feet, but boy did it feel like more than that hiking today. The trail is nothing but switchbacks on the way up. The trail is dirt and rocks most of the way and these are big guys you have to go around or on. There are beautiful views while hiking up and if you are like me needing to stop many times it is a welcome distraction. The trail was the most crowded of all of the hikes I did in the park while I have been here. The trailhead is at the bus stop parking area and you start up. There is no markings on the trail as you don’t go anyplace but to the top. When you get to the top you do have a bit of a downward hike and come to a junction. The trail for the Bierstadt Lake is not well marked at the top but it says lake trail with two arrows. Take the path to the right and about 0.1 mile you will come to the lake. The lake loop is a trail around the entire lake and it is fairly flat and there are some paths worn by people to the lake. The lake is beautiful and it was very quiet at the lake. I did not go all the way around the lake as I went to Bear lake. Tip: if you are going to Bear and Bierstadt lakes go to Bear first and then hike to Bierstadt and take the trail down.
Bear Lake Trail – The trail from Bierstadt Lake to Bear Lake is 2 miles and it is up hill on a gradual climb for about 1.5 miles of the overall two. You will go down and intersect with the Bear Lake loop trail. The trail between the two lakes is dirt and rocks. It is marked with a yellow tag on the trees in case you can’t find the trail, but it is well worn these days so you should not have any problem following the trail. Bear Lake trail itself is 0.5 miles and it is a nature trail and well crowded. It is just off the bus stop for Bear Lake and is a nature trail hence why it is so attended. The trail has virtually no elevation gain/loss as it is 20 feet! The trail is dirt and is wide allowing all types of people to enjoy this beauty of the park.
Morane Meadow – The meadow was home to some elk during the rut. It was great to hear the male elk bugle in the evening attracting the female elk.
