Hiking at Bear Lake and Alberta Falls, 5/24/2018

Bear Lake is one of the most popular places in Rocky Mountain National Park. Knowing that the parking lot at Bear Lake fills up by 10 am (this time of year), we made plans to leave the RV park by 8:30 am. 

Tucked into dense forests of evergreen and aspen, it was fun to see all of the snow near Bear Lake (elevation 9,475’).

The subalpine lake offers fantastic mountain scenery and it serves as a hub to many backcountry destinations. There is evidence of Native Americans in the area 6,000 years ago. 

Ice, 500’ thick, moved across the Bear Lake Basin between 15,000 and 30,000 years ago. Rock debris from the glaciers created the moraines and ridges that surround Bear Lake. 

The .6 mile Bear Lake Trail winds through the shores of the lake. Parts of the trail are still snow-covered, but that did not deter us. Below are our friends, Angela and John; and, a photo of Angela and myself.

The Tyndall Glacier is one of the five active glaciers in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is on the mountain slope (slightly right of the center of the photo).

We encountered a few critters...chipmunks and this juvenile yellow-bellied marmot. He was so darn cute!

After a final view of Bear Lake, we followed the trail to the parking lot where we saw this female elk. 

Ready for some more hiking, we set out for Alberta Falls. It’s a .9 mile (one way) hike with an elevation gain of 220’ (to 9,400’) and one of the most popular waterfalls in the park. 

The aspen stands we saw along the way were just lovely with their white bark and spring green leaves.

Much of the trail is slickrock...so you need to watch your step!

The trail makes several stream crossings as it goes uphill through forests of pine, spruce, fir and aspen.

The falls are pretty spectacular as Glacier Creek crashes down the canyon. 

We climbed to the top of the falls to check out the views from there, too.

As we hiked the return trip on the trail, we saw lots of chipmunks. I always love catching a photo of a Stellar’s jay. And, of course, a few elk were grazing in the area. 

This hike was a little more strenuous than I thought it would be. But, of course, the elevation over 9,000’ is a major contributor for us lowlanders! 

We made a quick stop at Sheep Lakes knowing that wildlife sightings are common there. In the large meadow were several large herds of elk and another group on the side of the mountain across the road. 

Returning to Paradise on the River, we settled in for the night with cocktails, dinner and then a movie in our RV. Another fun day hiking at RMNP with friends!