Dream Lake Hike (Jan 27, 2015)

We had our heads down "working" at home when we learned that Tim and Karen, recent transplants to Colorado, were heading up to Rocky the next day, and asked if we wanted to join them on a winter hike.

We happily accepted their invitation, and recommended they purchase MicroSpikes for traction on the ice and snow. We also suggested a hike from Bear Lake, to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes. This hike is fairly easy, and has a lot of bang for the buck!

Somewhere above Dream Lake we lost the main trail to Emerald, and though we were very close, we can't quite claim we made it all the way. But at least we got them up above 10,000 feet, a hiking first for Karen (though not for Tim, as he and I had hiked Estes Cone recently).

Here are some photos from the hike.

Frozen over Nymph Lake with Hallett Peak in background

The trail above Nymph Lake

Tim and Karen on their way up

Dream Lake, with Hallett and Flattop Mountains

Bubbles in frozen Dream Lake

Karen, Susan and Tim on the trail

Almost made it to Emerald Lake

Tim and Karen above Dream Lake

Longs Peak and Glacier Gorge, viewed from the trail below Dream Lake

Karen on the way down

Looking down on Nymph Lake

After the hike, we decided to stop by and show them Sprague Lake. We did a quick walk around the lake with them.

Looking toward the divide across frozen Sprague Lake

Emerald Lake Hike

During my brother Glenn's recent visit from Portland, Oregon, Susan and I took him on one of the classic easy hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park.

You start at Bear Lake, hike to Nymph Lake, then Dream Lake, then Emerald Lake -- 4 alpine lakes in one hike!

This is a very popular hike, which means there are usually a lot of people on the trail with you.

The hike is a total of 3.6 miles round trip. The trail starts at Bear Lake, elevation 9,475'. The elevation at Emerald Lake is just over 10,000', so the gain for the hike is about 600'.

We were lucky enough to spot a climber on the wall of Hallett Peak. You can barely pick the person out. This gives you a much-needed reference point for appreciating how huge this mountain is.

Here are some pictures from the hike. The views at Emerald Lake are big -- bring your ultra-wide lens! :-)

Bear Lake with Hallett Peak in the background

Nymph Lake

My "little" brother, Glenn with a great view of Longs Peak

Tyndall Creek just below Dream Lake with Longs Peak in background

Dream Lake with Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain

Waterfall on Tyndall Creek with melting snow

Emerald Lake with Hallett at left and the crags of Flattop Mountain at right

A Yellow-bellied Marmot poses for the hikers at Emerald Lake

Can you see the climber standing on the rock formation on Hallett Peak (center of photo)?

Above image cropped, showing climber

And here's a map of the area showing the four lakes.