We arrived in Estes Park in the late afternoon and, after checking in to the Columbine Inn, decided to take a drive up Trail Ridge Road. We stopped at Rainbow Curves and Forest Canyon Overlook to enjoy the views. At Forest Canyon Overlook, clouds rolled in quickly, so we decided to head back down to Estes Park in case of storms. Plus, we had to get to bed in good time for an early start the next morning.

The first hike we did is one of the most popular hikes in the park: Emerald Lake. It’s easy to see why - it offers several beautiful mountain lakes for a relatively easy hike. The most popular option is an out-and-back hike from Bear Lake, passing Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes.. This hike is 3.6 miles with 605 feet elevation gain. Emerald Lake sits at 10,110 feet, so the altitude adds some difficulty depending on your acclimatization.

Knowing it would be busy, we arrived at the Bear Lake parking lot by 5:20 a.m. Even early in the morning, it was already bustling with hikers. We hit the trail and quickly reached the first lake, Nymph, the smallest of the three, which was full of pond lilies. We paused to admire the dawn sky reflected in the water. Continuing to Dream Lake, the crowds thinned out. We stopped several times to watch the sunrise and take pictures at Dream Lake.

We pressed on to Emerald Lake and were pleasantly surprised to find only a few other hikers there. Large boulders surround the lake, making it hard to spread out along the shoreline, so it was nice that it wasn’t crowded. The sunlit peaks of Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain created a dramatic backdrop to Emerald Lake, and it was a beautiful morning at the lake.

On our descent, we were surprised to spot a fox on the trail. Little did we know, this would be a trend - we saw a fox on every hike we did! The light at Dream Lake was even better on our return, so we stopped again for photos. From there, we took a spur trail to Lake Haiyaha, adding 2 miles and 350 feet of elevation gain to the hike. Along the way, we enjoyed long-distance views and crossed the pretty Chaos Creek. The trail led to the lakeshore, where huge boulders line the water. After scrambling over them, we found a flat rock to sit on. Lake Haiyaha is stunning and made a perfect lunch spot.

Up to this point, the trail was busy but not overly crowded. On the return to Bear Lake, it became increasingly busy and I was glad we had started early. I stopped to snap some pictures of the lilies at Nymph Lake and we took in the views at Bear Lake (the loop around Bear Lake is 0.6 miles). For all five lakes, the total distance is 6.2 miles with 1,000 feet elevation gain. This was a great first hike in RMNP!

After finishing our hike, we still had most of the day ahead and spent it exploring Trail Ridge Road. We experienced a full range of weather, from sunny skies to sleet. Here are some of the stops we made:

Forest Canyon Overlook - This time, the views were unobstructed by clouds. It’s also a great spot to see pikas and marmots. We were watching the marmots when a large hawk suddenly swooped down, sending them scrambling.

The Ute Trail to Tombstone Ridge - We parked along the road just below Forest Canyon Overlook and walked through the alpine tundra to Tombstone Ridge and back (3.8 miles, 450 feet of elevation gain). We had blue skies and dramatic clouds—an amazing way to experience the tundra and the views.

Tundra Communities Trail - Located at the Rock Cut parking area, this paved trail is 0.6 miles one way with 176 feet of elevation gain. It offers more tundra views, with interpretive signs about the flora, fauna, and ecosystem. Unique rock formations called Mushroom Rocks (formed from gneiss and Silver Plume granite) can also be seen along the trail. There are nice views at the end, but we didn’t linger as it started to sleet.

Gore Range Overlook - We stopped here to admire the views and watch an elk herd on the tundra. We ended up staying a while to observe the elk crossing the road. Most of the mothers and babies crossed casually, but several calves were hesitant. It took a while to get them across, with help from park volunteers in green vests managing the traffic and ensuring the elk’ safety.

Alpine Visitor Center - Our last stop. The weather had turned windy and threatening, so we took refuge in the visitor center and gift shop. When the wind died down, we made the short but steep walk up the Alpine Ridge Trail (0.3 miles with 162 feet of elevation gain). I loved all the alpine tundra flowers!