Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

On the same afternoon that we walked around Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in early June--see that post at this link-- we also decided to hike around Bear Lake.  The Bear Lake Corridor is a gateway to incredible views!

Bear Lake Road is a paved road that is 9.2 miles long. It winds and climbs in elevation from 8,200 feet above sea level (2,500 meters) at the junction with Trail Ridge Road to 9,475 feet (2,888 meters) at the Bear Lake Parking Area and Trailhead.

The mountains in the area, covered in snow, were shrouded in misty fog, creating an air of mystery around them.

As my husband drove I took many photos.

The trails in this section of Rocky Mountain National Park are highly sought after, and it's no surprise why. The Bear Lake Corridor, in particular, is so beloved that there is a timed entry requirement from 5AM to 6PM, in addition to the regular timed entry reservation that is required to enter the park from 9AM to 2PM. If you plan on exploring this area during the day, it would be wise to obtain an extended Bear Lake Corridor permit and arrive early in the morning.  We did not have time to do other hikes but we did hike up to see Alberta Falls on a visit in 2014, which you can view on this post.

Due to the popularity of this destination, Bear Lake Parking Area fills early in the day, often by 10 AM each day. This is especially true 7 days a week during the summer, as well as on weekends and holidays throughout the year. During the summer season, Rocky Mountain National Park offers a free shuttle service along Bear Lake Road to help visitors get from parking areas to popular trailheads and other destinations found within the corridor.

The park was not too crowded in the afternoon that we visited and we were able to park easily and begin our walk around the lake. Bear Lake offers spectacular scenic views of Hallett Peak, and the surrounding mountain peaks, although this evening most of the high mountain skies were foggy--I could barely make out Hallet Peak as you can see in this photo.

As we continued walking the loop around the lake we had better luck seeing the highest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak, which is 14,259 feet (4,346.14 meters) high.

A close-up of Longs Peak producing clouds.

Most of the trail around Bear Lake was pleasant and tree-lined

I liked this tree that had an unusual twisted trunk.

As we headed towards the northern side of the lake, we were greeted with snow-covered grounds. Some parts of the trail were entirely covered with snow, and we had to tread cautiously to avoid slipping. It was early June, and we were surprised by the weather conditions, but we were at higher elevations, which typically have cooler temperatures compared to other areas.

After taking a stroll around Bear Lake, we made our way back to the east towards the town of Estes Park. Along the way, we were treated to another breathtaking view of Longs Peak in the distance.

The sun was beginning to set.

We saw many elk in the meadows.

They were very hungry, as were we after taking our walks around three lakes in the park -- Lily, Sprague, and now Bear Lake.

We stopped at Smokin' Dave's BBQ in Estes Park and had a hearty and delicious dinner! 

We then returned to our room at The Stanley Hotel--click here to read that post. The next day we were going to get up early and drive along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park--the highest paved continuous road in the United States--to the Alpine Center, which is the highest-elevation visitor center in the National Park System at 11,796 feet (3,595.4208 Meters). More about that trip in my next blog post.

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