For the first time in six years, Thanksgiving roadtrip was not to be.
I was obviously disappointed; the trip had been planned since August and I’d been looking forward to escaping to the desert southwest for a few days. But with back-to-back winter storms predicted for the weekend after the holiday, we were worried about making it home.
So we cancelled.
(And given what I saw on social media and heard from a coworker, who spent two hours just sitting there waiting for the icy road to reopen after a 20-car pileup, I 100% stand by this decision.)
We’ve always known cancellation was a possibility. This time of year, I only ever book hotels with last-minute cancellation policies. I’m actually kind of surprised this is the first year we’ve had to use them.
The weather on Thanksgiving Day was looking decent, though, so we decided we should at least get outside one day of the holiday weekend. We fairly quickly settled on heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park, but choosing a hike proved more difficult. We had a few ideas, most of which involved hiking up to high alpine lakes. However, the forecast was predicting unpleasantly-gusty winds, which we really didn’t feel like dealing with.
So we pivoted to a lower elevation option: Fern Lake.
We actually visited Fern Lake years ago as part of the point-to-point Bear Lake to Fern Lake hike. Partway through this hike, the clouds descended and the sky opened up, and by the time we reached Fern Lake, we were cold and drenched and couldn’t see much.
This time around, we arrived at the Fern Lake Trailhead at 8:00am to find a nearly empty parking lot and set off up the road (in winter, the gate is closed about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) below the trailhead) toward Fern Lake. It’s an easy, flat walk along the road, and the first 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the trail is fairly flat too.
One big difference between our previous hike and this one is that the former took place before the 2020 East Troublesome Fire swept through this section of the park. The fire burned fast and hot, and left behind an expansive scar. It’s a scar we would be in for almost the entire hike.
Beyond this initial relatively flat section, the trail crosses the Big Thompson River (which is, at this point, neither big nor river-like) and begins its ascent. The alternate trail to Cub Lake branches off here, but the junction is well-marked; we kept right toward Fern Falls and Lake.
The trail climbs roughly 600 feet (180 m) in the next 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to Fern Falls, which was mostly iced over, though we could see water flowing beneath the ice.
We’d also finally found the snow (you may have noticed the near-complete lack of it in the previous photos – winter had not yet made it to Colorado at this point) which, combined with the elevation gain, slowed our pace a bit.
From the waterfall, it’s another 1.2 miles (2 km) and 700 feet (215 m) to Fern Lake. So up we went, slow and steady, our footprints joining the single set of footprints from the only person who had headed up the trail ahead of us on this particular morning. We never saw them. In fact, we didn’t see anyone until we were on our way back to the car.
Right: obligatory awkward log photo. To be fair, this one would have been significantly easier to climb over if it wasn’t coated with ash.
Unfortunately, despite the forecast for a gradually-clearing sky as the day went on, the clouds never fully lifted from the mountains, which meant we still haven’t completely seen the backdrop to Fern Lake. It was, however, a better view than last time.
We’d initially considered continuing up the trail to Odessa Lake, but given the low-hanging clouds we opted to turn around here. The descent was slippery; the snow wasn’t deep, but it was just enough to make the ground slick while rendering microspikes useless.
Eventually, we made it back to dry ground and, from here, it was a quick jaunt back to the trailhead.
I try not to take living in such a beautiful place for granted. I’m very thankful to live near so many hiking trails. But after hiking so many miles in Colorado in general, and in Rocky in particular, this hike showed me that I’ve unintentionally become a bit of a scenery snob.
By all normal measures, this is a scenic hike. We spent the entire time surrounded by mountains, with a river running alongside the trail, a waterfall, and ending at a lovely lake. But for me, compared to the dozens of other hikes and lakes in Rocky, this one falls near the bottom of the list. It wasn’t my husband’s favorite either.
Perhaps many years in the future, when the forest recovery has progressed and on a day without low-hanging clouds obscuring the mountaintops, the Fern Lake hike will win us over. But right now, it’s far from a favorite.
Nonetheless, I’m glad we went. It felt good to get up into the mountains, to breathe the fresh air and feel the burn in my muscles and see our first snow of the season.
It wasn’t the Thanksgiving Day adventure we had planned, but I’m thankful we were still able to spend the holiday in the great outdoors.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: this hike begins at the end (or, in the winter, almost at the end) of Fern Lake Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. The parking lot is not huge; in the summer, consider taking the free Moraine Park shuttle from the park-n-ride. In the winter, shuttles don’t run so you’ll have to drive. Note that part of the road is unpaved and may be snowy and/or icy.
- Alternate route: Fern Lake can also be reached from Bear Lake Trailhead at the end of Bear Lake Road. It’s actually about the same distance but with 1000 feet (305 m) less elevation gain. However, you’ll be hiking downhill to the lake and uphill on the return.
- Fees and passes: there is a $30/car daily or $35/car weekly entrance fee to RMNP; America the Beautiful passes are accepted. From May-Oct, if you arrive after 5:00am you will also need a timed entry permit to access this trailhead.
- Hiking: from Fern Lake Trailhead (accessible in summer and early fall), roundtrip distance is 7.6 miles (12.2 km) with about 2350 feet (715 m) of elevation gain. In the winter when the gate is closed, add 1.4 miles (2.3 km) and about 100 feet (30 m) of elevation to these totals.
- Other: Both of our hikes to Fern Lake have been reminders of how finicky mountain weather can be, regardless of what’s in the forecast. For a summer hike, definitely bring rain gear. For a winter hike, extra layers are super important (the wind was cold enough that I was wearing heavy mittens for much of the hike). Microspikes and snowshoes may also be necessary.
- More information on visiting Rocky Mountain National Park can be found here. For information on winter hiking preparation and safety, see my guide to winter hiking.
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