Our third hike was Mt. Ida, and it was our favorite of the three hikes we did. The trail is 9.8 miles round trip (out and back) with 3,060 feet elevation gain. Most of the hike is above treelinem offering fantastic views. While this makes for great scenery, it also means more exposure if there is a thunderstorm - so we planned an early start to avoid any afternoon storms. Mt.Ida isn’t as popular as the other hikes we did, so I wasn’t as worried about parking (though it is a small lot). We arrived around 6 a.m., and there were still plenty of spots left. We got there just in time to see the dawn colors over Poudre Lake.

The trail gets right to it with a 600-foot climb in the first mile, bringing us above treeline to our first good views. Along the way, we saw our first ptarmigan on the trail - he didn’t seem too bothered by us and kept ambling along. Once above treeline, the trail continued to climb at a gentler grade, with some relatively level sections. We loved the views and were thrilled that the weather was perfect: sunny with some clouds and no wind.

We hiked through subalpine tundra on a well-defined, well-graded trail, steadily making our way toward Mt. Ida. At mile 3.5, we began the final ascent, and the trail became rougher. I knew from reading online that staying to the right would help us avoid a particularly rugged boulder field - though even that path involved some boulders and sections where it was easy to lose the trail. I had downloaded the Gaia map (our favorite trail app - well worth paying for the premium membership), and it helped us stay on course.

While trudging slowly but surely up this last section, I stopped to watch a fox (3/3 for fox sightings on our hikes!) and again when I spotted another ptarmigan. After a moment, I realized the ptarmigan had a passel of chicks with her. They were so well camouflaged that they weren’t immediately visible - only noticeable because they were moving. We had seen marmots all along the trail, and once we hit the rockier section, we started seeing and hearing pikas, too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many pikas on a hike - they were everywhere! At one point, I came across a pika in the middle of the trail, its mouth full of plants. I stopped to avoid getting in its way, and much to my surprise, instead of skittering away to the rocks, it ran right toward me and over my foot! I love pikas - seeing so many of them was a big highlight of this hike.

We finally made it to the top of Mt. Ida at 12,889 feet. Wow! We had fantastic 360° views, including the Never Summer Mountains, the Mummy Range, Longs Peak, and many other mountains and meadows. Directly below Mt. Ida, in a cirque basin, are Azure and Inkwell Lakes. We arrived early enough that we didn’t need to hurry off the summit. We were fortunate - there was no wind and the temperatures were moderate - so we spent a long time up there eating and taking in the views.

We continued to enjoy the views as we descended. There were abundant wildflowers adding pops of color to the scenery, and we frequently stopped to take pictures. Between the open views, wildlife, and flowers, this hike had so much to offer!

We had one last drive on Trail Ridge Road (thank goodness - this road gave me anxiety!) on our return to Denver. We checked into our hotel, cleaned up, and met our friend for dinner at Mason’s Dumpling Shop. We flew back to Phoenix early the next morning. We definitely could have used more time in RMNP, but I was satisfied with what we saw during our short visit. What a beautiful park!