family friendly hiking in rocky mountain national park

Use Rocky Mountain National Park’s Free Shuttle for an Epic Thru-Hike from Bear Lake to the Fern Lake Trailhead

Did you know that Rocky Mountain National Park runs a free shuttle service to many of its most popular destinations from May 23 to October 19? Last summer, our family decided to use the shuttle to hike from Bear Lake to the Fern Lake Trailhead (9.2 miles), and we hopped on the shuttle to ride back up.

Rocky Mountain National Park Shuttles

The Bear Lake Route includes stops at Park & Ride, Bierstadt Lake Trailhead, Glacier Gorge Trailhead, and Bear Lake. You can expect buses to arrive every 10-15 minutes from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The Moraine Park Shuttle Route includes stops at Park & Ride, Sprague Lake/Glacier Creek Stables, Glacier Basin Campground, Hollowell Park, Tuxedo Park, Moraine Park Campground, Cub Lake Trailhead, and Fern Lake Bus Stop. Buses run every 60 minutes.

For this route, we parked our vehicle at the Park & Ride lot, hopped on the Bear Lake Shuttle and got off at Bear Lake to begin this hike. At the end, we walked from the Fern Lake Trailhead to the Fern Lake Bus stop and took the Moraine Park Shuttle back to Park & Ride. You can find maps and more information here.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is an iconic and popular destination. The elevation at Bear Lake is 9,475 ft. Although the Bear Lake area is very busy, this route down to Lake Odessa can be much more peaceful.

We veered off the Bear Lake loop trail towards the Flattop Mountain and Odessa Lake trail. This part of the trail gains elevation. We followed the signs towards Odessa Lake.

We hiked on July 13th. Our daughters were happy to see a few spots of snow to slip around on, but mostly the trails were cleared of winter snow. The National Park website warns, ‘This trail often has treacherous snow fields into late-June and early July. Ask a Ranger about trail conditions before committing to this hike.’ There are ranger stations at the park entrances as well as at Bear Lake.

With the snowmelt, we encountered pesky mosquitoes on this section of the trail.

Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene

Rockymountainhikingtrails.com describes this somewhat confusing section of the trail, ‘Roughly 3.2 miles from the trailhead hikers will arrive at an unmarked side trail that leads to Lake Helene on your left. Immediately past this junction the main trail makes a sharp turn to the right, and begins descending rapidly. If you’ve reached this point you’ve obviously gone too far. It’s unclear why the national park doesn’t have a trail marker here, but Lake Helene should not be passed. If anything, this is a great place to take a short break.’

We decided to take their advice by adding Lake Helene on as a short snack break spot.

Rocky Mountain National Park Hike to Alpine Lake

Heading Down Odessa Gorge

Family on Rocky Mountain National Park Hike to Alpine Lake

Lake Odessa

This is the first time we hiked to Lake Odessa. We loved the wildflowers along the trail leading up to it, the wooden bridge we crossed on the way, and the clear waters of this alpine lake. It was a serene, magical spot.

Lake Odessa in Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking along Mountain Stream from Lake Odessa in Rocky Mountain National Park

At this point, we could turn back up toward Bear Lake, and the hike would have been 8.8 miles round-trip. We decided to continue down toward Fern Lake.

Fern Lake

I’m posting this picture of the ‘Privy’ or outdoor basic toilet we found near Fern Lake because if you’ve ever hiked with kids, you know it is always helpful to know where to go.

Damage from East Troublesome Fire

Around Fern Lake, there is visible damage from the 2020 wildfires. We enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers that flourish in the burn area; however, this part of the trail felt very hot from the lack of shade.

Wildfire damage near Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Fern Falls

I love Fern Falls, you can feel the cool mist as the water pours down the mountainside. It’s such a welcome feeling!

The Pool

The Pool felt like the (almost) finish line. From here, we had 1.7 miles to the trailhead. One additional feature to look forward to on the way is Arch Rocks.

Once we got to the Fern Lake trailhead, we had to walk along the road for nearly a mile to the Fern Lake bus stop and wait for 30-50 minutes for the shuttle. A year later, I can’t remember exactly how long we waited, but it felt like a long time! We were hot, dusty, and exhausted at this point.

Overall, this hike was a wonderful way to see Bear Lake, Lake Helene, Lake Odessa, Fern Lake, Fern Falls, The Pool, Arch Rocks, and more in 9.2+ (mostly) downhill miles.

What’s your favorite hike in Rocky Mountain National Park? Please post in the comments about the hikes we should try this summer.

Helpful Links & Gear:

RMNP Maps

AllTrails.com

Hiking Backpack with Hydration Pack

UV Protection sunglasses

Timberline Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park

Daily writing prompt

What are your daily habits?

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This summer I’ve gotten into the daily habit of taking an evening walk after dinner with my husband (and our dog). I love this habit because it’s a healthy thing to do physically and it’s a great way to connect. It feels like a mini-date.

Another habit I’m focusing on this summer is getting out in nature as much as possible. Our favorite way to do that is to go on family hikes. Today I wanted to share a hike we did last July in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The hike to Timberline Falls is 8.1 miles round-trip. You can start at the Bear Lake trailhead or Glacier Gorge. Both require a timed-entry permit from May 24 through mid-October.

From the trailhead, the first major landmark is Alberta Falls which is less than a mile. We started our hike around 7:30 in the morning. This area of the park fills up fast, so the earlier you get there the more enjoyable the falls will be. (Unless you are a big fan of crowds with selfie sticks).

We continued our hike up towards Loch Vale, a clear and serene alpine lake. This was a great spot for us to take a snack break. There are beautiful trout in the lake. I imagine this would be an idyllic fishing spot.

The trail follows alongside the Loch – which is much longer than it initially looks. Eventually, we walked through a marshy area where we spotted a deer right off the trail. That last bit of this hike is a rock staircase that goes straight up. It’s a thigh burner.

Our final obstacle was an unexpected snow field that stretched before the quick scramble to Timberline Falls.

But we didn’t make it to Timberline Falls. With all the snow, ice, and flowing water we decided it wasn’t worth climbing up. It’s always slightly disappointing when you turn back early, especially when the end is in sight, but I’ve never regretted my decision to do so.

My girls thought it was epic to slide back down in the snow.

I hope you enjoyed reading about one of our favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. I’ve posted links below that would be helpful if you are interested in exploring this awesome trail yourself.

Helpful Links:

Timerline Falls trail info from RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

AllTrails.com trip reports from fellow hikers.

Rocky Mountain National Park Timed Entry

Rocky Mountaion National Park Fishing guidelines

Our Hike to Sky Pond which goes up, over, and through Timberline Falls

Hike to a Sandy Beach in Rocky Mountain National Park

Daily writing prompt

Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

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One simple thing that has brought me joy this week is changing my iPhone home screen to Photo Shuffle. Now when I pick up my phone, I see a different featured photo which are mostly pictures of my daughters over the past years. You can also select ‘nature’ so the pictures are from nature photos you’ve taken.

Another thing that is bringing me joy this week is planning our summer vacation to Rocky Mountain National Park. Last year we hiked several trails that I haven’t written about yet, so I want to share some of our new favorites including Sandbeach Lake.

Sandbeach Lake

Sandbeach Lake is located in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park near Allenspark, Colorado. This is an area that is lower in elevation compared to popular spots such as Bear Lake. The area is also more remote, so sometimes you can luck out with less traffic on the trails. We hiked this on a holiday weekend (July 3rd) starting a little before 8:00 in the morning.

Route Stats:
The Sandbeach trailhead starts at 8,312 feet of elevation. On our route we hiked a total of 9.15 miles and gained 2,090 feet of elevation. Our moving time was just over four and a half hours, but with stops it took us five hours and fifteen minutes. With kids our average pace was 29:49.

This website was named after my oldest daughter, our original ‘Rocky Mountain Tot’. We started taking her on hikes when she was only a few months old. When she hiked to Sandbeach Lake she was eight years old and my younger daughter was six. I honestly didn’t expect them to be able to hike over nine miles, but with snack stops and a promise of a sandy beach waiting at the top, they made it!

When we reached the lake, I enjoyed walking along the shore taking in different perspectives of the lake. My girls loved the cool feeling of squishing their toes in the sand in an unexpected location.

In summary, this is a magical destination where you can put your feet in an alpine lake at over 10,000 feet of elevation. If you are looking for a unique adventure, I highly recommend Sandbeach Lake.

Are Dogs Allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park?

National parks are wonderful places to experience nature, but not ideal places to bring a dog. In fact, according to Rocky Mountain National Park’s website, ‘Pets are prohibited on ALL Rocky Mountain National Park trails, tundra, and meadows.’

Old Fall River road

Pets can go along established roads or in parking areas. The best place we’ve found to walk our dog in Rocky Mountain National Park is up Old Fall River Road when the road is closed during the winter season.

According to the park’s website, ‘During the times when snowplowing operations are not in effect, the road is is open to bicycles, leashed pets and pedestrians.’ Right now snowplowing is taking place Tuesdays to Fridays from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. The road is likely to open to vehicle traffic around July 4 weekend and will close for the winter in early to mid-October. The road status depends on the weather conditions.

We parked in the Endovalley picnic area. The loop around the picnic area would also be a nice place to take a short walk with a dog.

ticks in rocky mountain national park

We kept our dog, Sky, on a short leash, but she still managed to walk through brush and pick up a half dozen (or more!) ticks. Rocky Mountain Wood Ticks are mostly found in the spring and early summer.

Chasm falls

We took the dirt road up to Chasm Falls. My daughters and I went down to the viewing platform while my husband hung back with our dog. We didn’t want to crowd other hikers or take away from their experience viewing this impressive waterfall.

According to AllTrails.com, this hike is a total of 4.7 miles and gains 531 in elevation. It is a good choice if you are looking for a bike friendly or dog friendly early season hike.