Rocky Mountain National Park Map of Noms Brews & Views:
Rocky Mountain National Park is a paradise for outdoor lovers. It provides ample opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography with its stunning mountain landscapes. In winter, it turns into a playground for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. With our carefully curated Rocky Mountain National Park map within our Colorado Pinned Maps, you can skip the research and plan your trip in minutes.
Fun Fact
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the nation's highest national parks that consists of 77 peaks over 12,000 feet in elevation and Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuously paved highway in the nation. The Alpine Visitor's Center (11,796 feet) is the highest-elevation visitor center in any national park.
Table of Contents
Views
1. Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail
This is a difficult hike, yet completely worth it for some of the most EPIC views in RMNP. Although rated "hard" this hike is more on the moderate end when completed in the summer months and is a wonderful way to see three lakes within one hike.
First, is the beautiful Loch Lake, followed by Lake of Glass, and finally Sky Pond. Once you approach Timberline Falls, you are required to scramble up the waterfall to get to the Lake of Glass (be careful of ice and check weather conditions in colder months). Although the views at Lake of Glass are incredible, be sure to continue on an additional 0.3 miles to Sky Pond. You will find the trail to Sky Pond off to the right side of Lake of Glass. The difficulty level does increase in this last 0.3 miles, however, the views are magnificent and definitely worth the hike!
A word of warning, this hike is very popular and the small parking lot at the trailhead is usually full by 6 am. Get there early or park at the Bear Lake Trailhead where there is additional parking (adds about 1 mile of hiking each way). We estimate 5-6 hours to complete this hike.
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Trail Information
Completing the Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail is 8.6 miles round-trip with 1,771 feet in elevation gain. The trail is an out & back and is rated as "Hard" difficulty. Plan at least 5 hours to complete the entire trail. For more information and to download the trail offline on your mobile device, visit AllTrails.
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2. Sprague Lake Trail
Sprague Lake is a scenic lake featuring an easily accessible walking path around its perimeter and offers picturesque views of Flattop Mountain. This trail has spectacular scenery for those choosing an easier hike in winter months, or for those wanting less mileage and elevation. We found this to be a wonderful add-on hike to several of the other more moderately challenging trails within RMNP.
Tip: We found this to be a wonderful add-on hike to several of the other more moderately challenging trails within RMNP.
Trail Information
Completing the Sprague Lake Trail is 0.8 miles round-trip with 36 feet in elevation gain. The trail is a loop and is rated as "easy" difficulty. Plan at least 30 minutes to complete the entire trail. For more information and to download the trail offline on your mobile device, visit AllTrails.
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3. Gem Lake Trail
Outside of Estes Park, this hike is a fun and challenging climb. Gem Lake is small in size and nestled within the valley of the mountains, however, it's well worth the climb for the views along the way. Gem Lake manifests breathtaking landscapes around every corner and allows you to appreciate different terrain, mountains, and elevations compared to some of the popular trails off of Bear Lake Rd. We also found this to be a great winter hike as the sun keeps the trail free of ice and snow.