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Bear Lake Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Easy
 4.2 (82) 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 82 votes

#5

in Bear Lake

#93

Overall
  4.2 from 82 votes
5 Star
44%
4 Star
37%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#5

in Bear Lake

#28

in Colorado

#93

Overall
80 Views Last Month
4,688 Since Jan 14, 2015
Easy
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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
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
Enjoyed a late summer lunch facing Hallett Peak at Bear Lake.
Jan 22, 2016 near Estes Park, CO

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Update Conditions
Minor Issues 19 days ago See History
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Jun 6, 2022
Taylor Hampton
May 29, 2022
Sahana Puranik
11h 00m
May 13, 2022
alex carlton
Neat lil trail — 12h 00m
May 9, 2022
Diana Maasdam
Great view 0.6mi — 0h 30m
Apr 9, 2022
John Hobbs
Deep snow
Mar 20, 2022
Ryan Bowman
Used part of this trail as part of a crevasse rescue course.
Nov 8, 2021
Liz Rogers
Completed in March - forgot to check off
Oct 23, 2021
Tamara Wulf

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