Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a magical Christmas celebrating with family and friends. Today I wanted to share a couple of our favorite gifts that I’m excited to use during these cold and snowy winter days.
Time to get cozy! This Firewood scented travel candle from Untamed Supply smells amazing, is eco-friendly and a portion of the profits go to National Parks. The travel tin is only $10 and burns up to 20 hours.
My husband surprised me with a travel mug, ground coffee and biscotti from our favorite Estes Park coffee shop. If I can’t be sipping a steamy latte at Kind Coffee, this thoughtful gift is the next best thing. I also love that Kind Coffee is a member of 1% For the Planet.
What were some of your favorite gifts to get and give this year?Â
I feel joy and peace when I look at the pictures from our most recent hike to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. At 5.6 miles round trip, this was our longest and final hike during our Labor Day weekend trip.
The hike began at Bear Lake trailhead (9,475 ft elevation) with a downhill slope for the first half mile. A female elk crossed ahead of us before we continued on the trail up towards Alberta Falls.
*Alberta Falls, a popular destination, is .8 miles into the hike (200 ft gain )
The hike from Alberta Falls to Mills Lake gains another 500 feet in elevation. Sometimes it’s hard with kids to go on longer hikes, but the longer the distance the more we’ve been able to enjoy the mental, spiritual and physical benefits of hiking in the mountains. It’s worth pushing ourselves through the extra mileage and elevation gain. Â
Mills Lake was serene and breathtaking. The weather was sunny and crisp with the first signs of Fall appearing as patches of golden leaves trickling down the mountains.
When things get crazy with scary news, frustrating facebook feeds, dealing with sick kiddos… I’ve been trying to return to Mills Lake in my mind and linger there a while. It’s my ‘happy place.’ Do you have one?
I’m so grateful I get to return to the mountains for another hiking trip this weekend!
My husband and I had a friendly debate on our drive into Rocky Mountain National Park about the best route to get to Bierstadt Lake. He voted to begin the hike at Bear Lake trailhead which is a downhill slope to the lake. I convinced him that starting at the Bierstadt Lake trailhead would give us better views on our way up and we would end the hike going downhill. Luckily, there was a parking space available in the small Bierstadt Lake parking lot and I won!
The mountains were hazy from wildfires in California and Montana when we started our hike. The haze slowly lifted revealing expansive mountain views.
We followed switchbacks, steadily gaining elevation before entering a beautiful pine forest.
We skirted the lake to get to a clearing with more amazing mountain views. The length of this hike can range from 2.4 miles to 3 + miles roundtrip depending on how much you want to walk around Bierstadt Lake. If you have time, I think it’s worth the extra steps to get a variety of perspectives.
We attempted to have a picnic, but we were interrupted by overly ‘friendly’ ducks.
The ambitious ducks followed us all the way from the lake back into the woods. They weren’t happy that we didn’t share our food. The feeling was mutual – our toddler was not a fan of the aggressive ducks.
The ducks were a minor inconvenience and I’m sure will be a fun family memory. However, I’ll take this opportunity to remind everyone to avoid feeding wildlife. It’s so tempting to feed the cute chipmunks or ducks, but it changes their natural ‘wild’ behavior, is a nuisance to fellow park goers, and can wreak havoc on their poor little digestive systems.
Overall, we loved this hike because of the peaceful lake and breathtaking mountain views.
The 2.5 mile hike to Cub Lake begins in the Moraine Valley at the Cub Lake trail head in Rocky Mountain National Park.
The hike is peaceful and scenic. The Big Thompson river winds through the valley and mountains tower in the distance.
The hike to Cub Lake is one of our favorite hikes to do in the early summer months.
Moraine Park is a hotspot for wildlife. We encountered a rabbit, Cooper’s Hawks, marmots, a mommy moose with her baby, a big buck elk with several female companions, chipmunks and two snakes.
Cooper’s Hawks– A fellow hiker told us to look out for Cooper’s Hawks and we soon spotted what I believe to be a Cooper’s Hawk perching on a pine. According to allaboutbirds.org, these guys are tricky to identify and ‘among the world’s most skillful fliers.’
Moose – If you are hoping to spot moose on your trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, a good place to see them is in the Kawuneeche Valley, but we’ve spotted a couple this summer on the east side of the park at Sprague Lake and here at the Beaver Ponds along Cub Lake trail. Did you know moose can swim? You can learn more fun facts about moose on the National Park Service’s website.
Elk – Elk mating season or ‘rut’ begins September 1st. During this time, the park closes down areas in the evening until early morning (5pm to 7am). These areas include Horseshoe Park, Upper Beaver Meadows, Moraine Park, Harbison Meadow and Holzwarth Meadow. Closures remain in effect until October 31st. (more info)
Snakes – According to this video clip by Nick Molle, Rocky Mountain National Park does not have poisonous snakes, but you can find garter snakes like the ones we spotted in the meadows by water.
A good portion of this hike is in the meadow, but it becomes wooded and lush with ferns and noticeably picks up in intensity – gaining about 500 feet of elevation before arriving at Cub Lake.
The lake was covered in lily pads and made a great resting spot for a hearty snack before our 2.5 mile return trip.
Hiking Gear Checklist
Kid carrier – we have a Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier backpack similar to this one. We can hike longer distances when the kids get to ride. Our daughter appreciates being up high so she can have a good view of our hike.
Hiking boots – Good hiking boots make a big difference when hiking on rocky terrain. I have a pair of Oboz waterproof boots similar to these.
Sunglasses and sunscreen for the whole family
GPS watch – My husband always wears a watch with GPS so he can track how far we’ve hiked. For anyone looking for a Father’s Day gift idea, a GPS watch could be a fun pick!
rocky mountain tot 