Bierstadt Lake Trail
From Hiking
| Bierstadt Lake Trail | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location: | Estes Park | |
| Maintained By: | National Park Service | |
| Starting Elevation: | 8900' | |
| Elevation Gain: | 900' | |
| Length: | 3.0 miles | |
| Difficulty: | moderate to easy | |
| Last Hiked: | 8/25/08 | |
[edit] Finding the Trail Head
From Estes Park, enter the Rocky Mountain National Park on US-36. Turn left on Bear Lake Road. Park at the Bierstadt Lake trail head parking lot (or take the park shuttle from the Park and Ride). Parking is generally available at this lot.
[edit] Description
Starting in a forest of Lodgepole pines, the trail soon begins a series of switch backs up an exposed mountain side through chaparral, aspen, and wildflowers (look for Wyoming Paintbrush Showy Daisies, and Sulphur Paintbrush). At the top an easy trail loops around the lake through Ponderosa pines. Where the trail around the lake splits, take the right hand fork for a quick view of the lake (the left hand fork goes three quarters of the way around the lake before it's assessible).
[edit] Experience
The Bierstadt Lake trail is a short, but pretty hike. The exposed slope can be very hot in the summer (but it's possible to get some cell phone reception there--unusual in the Park).
