Glacier Gorge is a pretty long valley, but eventually you’ll reach the rumbling waters of Ribbons Falls. The trail crosses a boggy area after Jewel Lake, adding to the challenge. The route passes Mills Lake and Jewel Lake, a couple more high-altitude gems. Clocking in at almost 10 miles roundtrip, many will call this a strenuous hike, but beauty literally every step of the way makes it worth it. Ribbon Falls & Black Lake Photo: Allison LanoĪnother extension off of the Alberta Falls hike, this route overlaps quite a bit with the Timberline Falls hike, but takes a left turn into Glacier Gorge just short of reaching the Loch. If you want even more, continue up - it’s a tough hike / class 2 scramble from here - to the icy waters of Glass Lake and Sky Pond.Īdditional Info: Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails 3. It’s a pretty cool waterfall, and the views back down the valley toward the Loch (and beyond) make it extra special. Timberline Falls, a 100-footer cascading off the rocky tundra, is just another mile uphill through the woods. With rugged, iconic peaks like the Sharktooth towering overhead, this high-altitude lake is a destination of it’s own. Bear right on the next couple trail junctions until you’re on the Loch Vale Trail.Īnother few switchbacks and you’ll reach the shore of the Loch, perched in a glacial valley 10,000 feet above sea level. After the requisite stop at Alberta Falls, this route continues steadily uphill through mixed conifer forests. Ignoring the sweet waterfall at the end, this route is an absolute stunner on its own. More ambitious hikers can continue 3.2 miles further to reach Timberline Falls or Ribbons Falls even higher in the wilderness.Īdditional Info: Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails 2. You wouldn’t be the first to suffer a deadly fall from the cliffs into the icy stream. While it’s possible to scramble around and gain a closer vantage, be careful. It’s a pretty scene surrounded by a mixed pine forest and the occasional aspen.īelow the falls, Glacier Creek makes graceful cascades as it winds between a handful of large boulders. Named after Alberta Sprague, an early settler of Estes Park, Alberta Falls tumbles 30 feet from a rocky terrace. Plan to share the trail and falls with your fellow humans, and you’ll have a blast.Īlthough it’s only eight-tenths of a mile from the trailhead to the waterfall, give yourself extra time to enjoy the hike, especially in fall - the aspen groves are to die for. Alberta Falls Photo: Brad VenturaĪmong the easiest-to-reach waterfalls in the park, don’t expect to have Alberta Falls to yourself. However, since the park entrance fee ain’t exactly cheap, we’ve selected the most awe-inspiring falls in RMNP so you get the most bang for your buck. Hell, you could pick a trail at random and be hard pressed not to see a waterfall. ![]() The park’s sheer number of hiking trails makes these waterfalls more accessible than anywhere else in Colorado. Perched in the Front Range of the Rockies high above Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park contains an insane concentration of waterfall hikes. Related Read: Traveler’s Guide to the Best Colorado National Parks Rocky Mountain National Park We’ve also broken the list out into seven regions with collections of great waterfalls: Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver, Colorado Springs, Telluride, Pagosa Springs, Glenwood Springs, and Crested Butte. Our favorites are more or less accessible by hiking trails - most of them short, easy hikes - and feature grade-A waterfall specimens. There’s nothing worse than hearing about an “amazing” waterfall only to hike 16 miles off-trail to some dinky cascade. We’ve selected the elite based on a combination of natural beauty and accessibility. ![]() While Colorado contains hundreds, if not thousands of waterfall hikes, the following list focuses on 21 of the finest - and most well known. And God knows the spirit of John Denver wants you to go take a hike out to a great waterfall every now and then. While we can only imagine the singer-songwriter’s connection with this place, but we can at least say this: waterfalls are awesome and Colorado has a shit-load of them. The photo was taken at Slaughterhouse Falls near Aspen, and Denver himself stands upon a rocky outcrop in the foreground. But when it came down to choosing a photo for the album cover of his 1972 album of the same name, Denver selected a photo of something not explicitly mentioned in the song: a waterfall. ![]() ![]() He saw everything as far as you can see,” sings Denver.Ĭolorado’s “2nd” state song goes on to speak of forests, streams, alpine lakes, even an eagle in flight. “He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below. “Rocky Mountain High” - John Denver’s 1972 classic about the Centennial State’s beauty - represents the high-altitude scenery well.
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