rmnp backpacking
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lawn and Crystal Lakes
In the years since we moved to Colorado, more than one person has told me that Lawn Lake is their favorite hike in Rocky. Obviously, I couldn’t ignore a recommendation of that caliber. And while it’s not #1 on my Rocky hikes list – Chasm Lake retains that designation – I can see why people… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Finch and Pear Lakes
Just seven days after waving goodbye to my mom, I was saying hello to her once again. Just as our mother-daughter roadtrip has become an annual tradition, so has our mother-daughter overnight backpacking trip in Rocky. This year, we had a permit for one night at Finch Lake, a calm, fairly shallow lake located in… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Upper Glacier Gorge Lakes
You know how sometimes you’ve been wanting to do something for so long and you’ve built it up in your head, and then you finally get to do it and it’s not as amazing as you were hoping, and you end up being really disappointed? This was not that. It was, however, something I’d been… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: North Inlet Trail to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita
Sometimes, you just need a break from reality for a few days. And what better way to escape than with a weekend in the mountains? My fiance, our friend K, and I arrived at the trailhead around 8:00am Saturday morning and right off the bat, things got interesting. We were at the car, making final… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: East Inlet Trail to Lake Verna and Spirit Lake
A while back, my mom and I were signed up for a summer solstice group backpacking trip on East Inlet Trail, with Lake Verna and Spirit Lake as our ultimate destination. Unfortunately, the first day of summer was marked by a massive snowstorm that forced a last-minute change of plans. Fast forward a couple years,… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Lion and Snowbank Lakes
We could stay in Colorado for the rest of our lives (personally, I have few objections to this!) and probably never run out of places to backpack in Rocky. There are so many options. I haven’t actually counted, but I’m fairly certain that at least ¾ of the trails in the park extend more than… Continue reading
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Rocky Mountain National Park Hikes: Thunder Lake
Obtaining a backcountry permit for Rocky requires similar levels of intensity as many Colorado hiking feats, including summiting a 14er or finding parking at a trailhead or snagging a front country campsite anywhere during the summer. Permits become available each year on March 1st at 8:00am MST. So on March 1st at 7:59am, I was… Continue reading