Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love an alpine lake. In fact, I rarely hike trails that don’t pass one or end at one.
I’ve made my way around plenty of lake hikes in Colorado and still have more that I want to do. Here are the best ones that I’ve seen so far:
- 8 Lake Loop (Rocky Mountain National Park)
- Ice & Island Lakes
- Maroon Bells
- Lake Isabelle
- Lake Chihuahua
What Gear Do You Need to Hike?
The nice thing about hiking is that it doesn’t require too much specialty gear, especially if you are just doing shorter day hikes. But there are a few things that are important to have.
Hiking boots and/or shoes. These are necessary for both good support and good traction on hikes. There are a lot of good hiking boots out there, and honestly the right boots for you will depend on what fits you best! I like the brand Salomon – both my hiking boots and shoes are Salomon. They make really good quality stuff and they fit my feet really well.
Hiking backpack. A good hiking backpack that includes a water bladder comes especially in handy on longer hikes (really anything longer than 3 miles). It makes it easier to carry more water and all the miscellaneous things you will need. Also, I find that the easier it is to drink water, the more I will drink. I am a huge fan of all Osprey backpacks – I have a daypack and a backpacking back pack.
Hiking socks. A good pair of hiking socks can make a world of difference. These are especially useful when doing longer hikes because they provide better support for your feet and handle sweat and water crossings much better than regular socks. I typically buy Smartwool socks, but Bombas also has some good options.
8 Lake Loop
12.3 miles | Moderate to Hard | 3,300 ft. Elevation Gain
When I first moved to Colorado, I tended to avoid Rocky Mountain National Park because I didn’t want to deal with the crowds that come with it. But recently, I’ve been visiting it more and found some amazing views that are totally worth the crowds. I initially started this hike looking to do Sky Pond, and then as I kept walking I realized there were so many lakes around it that were fairly easy to get to and combine in one big hike.
The hike first passes the Loch then the Lake of Glass on the way to Sky Pond. From there you backtrack and turn off to head to Andrew’s Tarn. After that, you turn back again to head to Lake Haiyaha, Dream Lake, Nymph Lake and ending at Bear Lake. Since I couldn’t find a trail map to follow for this, I created a more in-depth post about it.
Since the hike starts at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and ends at Bear Lake, I took the free shuttle bus from the Bear Lake parking lot back to where my car was at the Glacier Gorge parking lot. However, you can hike back if you’d like and it adds about another mile to the trip.
Tip #1: Bear Lake Rd is the most populated area of the park and the main parking lots near the trailheads often fill up very early. There is a slightly farther parking lot available where you can park and take the shuttle and it’s very easy!
Tip #2: Rocky Mountain National Park now requires a timed reservation for entry both to the park and to Bear Lake Rd. The Bear Lake Rd reservations start at 5 am, and reservations for other areas of the park start at 9 am. These sell out very quickly when they are released, especially for the weekends, so definitely plan ahead!
Ice & Island Lakes
6.9 miles | Hard | 2,650 ft. of elevation gain | Hike info
The San Juan Mountains are easily my favorite part of Colorado. I’m a huge fan of the jagged mountains, and the way some of the towns are nestled in them makes you feel almost like you are in Switzerland. The San Juans also have some of the most vibrant lakes I’ve ever seen, two of them being Ice and Island Lakes (and I will get to some others later.)
This hike starts with a 2 mile trek to reach the loop that goes around from Ice Lake to Island Lake, and back. It’s not too technically challenging, but it is pretty steep the whole way up, so it’s definitely on the harder side.
Maroon Lake / Maroon Bells
This is a Colorado staple, and it lives up to the hype. I had seen many pictures of the Bells before visiting them, and wow, they are so much more beautiful in person.
Technically you can drive (or take a bus) right up to Maroon Lake if you’d like to so it can be very easy! Or you can hike to it, which is a great option if you can’t get a permit to drive there.
There are also a couple smaller hikes that you can do around the Bells, like the Maroon Bells Scenic Loop Trail or the Crater Lake Trail.
Lake Isabelle
6.6 miles | Easy to Moderate | 673 ft. elevation gain | Hike info
This is a gem of a hike. It’s a nice, easier hike that’s accessible for many different ability levels, while also featuring incredible beauty that you often only find from longer, harder hikes.
At a little over 6.5 miles it’s not a short distance, but with very little elevation gain (aka being fairly flat) it’s a great hike to take your visiting friends/family on, or to try when first moving to Colorado, or to do in the early morning before work!
Extra Mileage: If you’d like to see another lake on this hike, try adding Isabelle Glacier on to the it! You can keep hiking past Lake Isabelle to the glacier. This adds another 3 miles, which are definitely a bit harder than the lake hike, but it’s a great extra challenge for another beautiful sight!
Tip: The area where this hike is, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, now requires timed entry reservations during the peak season, basically Summer. So plan ahead for your hike!
Chihuahua Lake
7.8 miles | Hard | 1,879 ft elevation gain | Hike info
I’m not sure why, but It took me a while to discover this lake. It’s in a popular area given that it’s fairly close to Denver (near Keystone), but for some reason I hadn’t heard about it from others. And then when I did the hike, I was shocked to only pass 2 other people on it! (albeit I did it before work, starting at about 5:30 am on a weekday).
All that being said, it is such a beautiful hike, ending in a beautiful, very blue lake! The hike is in a gulch behind the Gray’s and Torrey’s shadows, so you get views of high peaks and low valleys the whole way. The hike is pretty moderate with the exception of one short, very steep path at the very end up to the lake. This steep part is mostly loose dirt, so make sure to have proper footwear to get a good grip.
Tip: The trailhead is a couple miles down a dirt road. I definitely saw some cars drive down this road with no problem, but an AWD or 4WD vehicle would be the safest option to drive it.
