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Bear Lake Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Easy
 4.2 (86) RECOMMENDED ROUTE
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Rocky Mountain National Park
  5. Bear Lake
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“A short loop that circumnavigates beautiful Bear Lake. ”

Brian Smith
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Map Key

0.6

Miles

1.0

KM

Loop

9,537' 2,907 m

High

9,499' 2,895 m

Low

45' 14 m

Up

39' 12 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (1°)

9%

Max Grade (5°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

ADA Accessible

Family Friendly This is a short enough loop to keep the kids' interest and beautiful enough to satisfy the adults!

ADA accessibility: This is hard packed gravel and grades can be moderately steep. Consider this a moderately accessible trail.

Overview

This is a quintessential Rocky Mountain National Park Trail. It can easily be accessed from the Bear Lake Trailhead and is accessible to most everyone.

Description

This short trail loops all the way around Bear Lake. Bear Lake Loop is a very level, easy traveling trail that would be accessible to almost anyone. Park at the Bear Lake trailhead or take the shuttle bus. Given the easy access to this trail, it sees a volume of traffic, especially in the summer.

Flora & Fauna

RMNP is a massive park that is mostly characterized by a montane ecosystem. Here are some of the Flora and Fauna that you may encounter along this trail:

Flora: Ponderosa pine, douglas fir, wildflowers
Fauna: Elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, coyotes, black bears, cougars, butterflies.

For more detailed information regarding the park's diverse ecosystems, click HERE.

Shared By:

Brian Smith
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 86 votes

#5

in Bear Lake

#98

Overall
  4.2 from 86 votes
5 Star
44%
4 Star
36%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#5

in Bear Lake

#32

in Colorado

#98

Overall
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Photos

Bear Lake.
Jan 20, 2016 near Estes Park, CO
A View of Blue
Jan 19, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Bear Lake.
Jan 20, 2016 near Estes Park, CO
Jumping for joy in the fresh snow!
Nov 28, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Bear Lake in winter
Jul 15, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Hallett Peak as seen from Bear Lake.
Nov 10, 2015 near Estes Park, CO

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

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All Clear 28 days ago See History
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 27, 2022
Jennifer Jefferson
Walked around the lake and took pics 0.1mi
Aug 24, 2022
Rosie Betenbaugh
0.6mi — 5h 30m
Aug 14, 2022
Marc Z
Aug 11, 2022
Pritesh Bhoumick
Aug 1, 2022
Paula M
Aug 1, 2022
Mike Munie
Part of a longer hike, shuttle parking to Bierstadt to Bear Lake. Elevation gain 960' 4.6mi — 3h 42m
Jul 23, 2022
Josh Cantu
0h 30m
Jul 10, 2022
Negar Jafari
0.6mi — 12h 30m

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