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!
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 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.
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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