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Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in winter is a marvelously gorgeous new experience! A blanket of white covers the trees, hills, and mountains. The snow sparkles as the sun streams through the trees. Pillows of white dot the trees.
What better way to experience the park than Rocky Mountain National Park Winter hikes?
Hiking was my favorite winter Rocky Mountain National Park activity and I’d love for you to experience some of the magic that I did!
So let’s talk about hiking Rocky Mountain National Park in the winter and winter hiking in Colorado!
How is Rocky Mountain National Park in the winter?
Snow generally blankets the park in the winter, adding sparkle and serenity! Mountain peaks gleam in wintry white. As you ascend, the snowpack tends to increase. The park is also less busy in the winter than in warmer months!
Colorado winter hiking and Rocky Mountain National Park winter conditions vary considerably and can change quickly. I was surprised that just driving 30 minutes within the park could take me from clear weather to full-on snow.
I’d recommend you do your research, check road and trail conditions before you go to be prepared, be prepared for changing weather, and be aware that trail-finding can be much more difficult with snow on the ground.
See the NPS winter safety tips for more great info. Check for park alerts on the top of their pages.
Consider bringing traction devices for your hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. I use and like microspikes but there are a variety available. Consider hiking poles or snowshoes depending on conditions.
There are also many road closures in the park during the winter. Trail Ridge Road is closed at Many Parks Curve. That blocks the connection between the east and west sides of the park.
Despite the closure, I highly recommend driving up to the Many Parks Curve Outlook for sweeping and stunning views of the valley and mountains!
Winter Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
Here are some of the best Rocky Mountain National Park trails I had the pleasure to hike in the winter!
Note Given my fitness and winter hiking experience, I opted to try some of the easy hikes Rocky Mountain National Park offers along with a few moderates. So that’s what you’ll find in this list.
Sprague Lake
The gorgeous lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park provide stunning vistas and a good starting ground for many hikes! Let’s start there.
Trailhead Sprague Lake
Difficulty Easy
Distance (round-trip) 0.8 mi (1.3 km)
Elevation gain 36 ft (11 m)
Description This trail is a flat gravel trail around Sprague Lake. You’ll start from the corner of the parking lot and traverse around the lake. Expect gorgeous mountain views and landscapes blanketed in snow! Have a look out from one of the viewing platforms!
This is a great easy hike Rocky Mountain National Park offers. I used it to start my winter hiking adventures at the park. It didn’t disappoint.
Considerations View on AllTrails). Depending on recent conditions, hiking boots ought to suffice. I used microspikes for one slippery section that had some side slope but could have managed without them.
The parking lot is a good size and has restrooms.
Chasm Falls via Old Fall River Road
Trailhead Alluvial Fan West
Difficulty Moderate
Distance (round-trip) 4.7 mi (7.5 km)
Elevation gain 531 ft (161 m)
Description Start from the Alluvial Fan West parking and follow Old Fall River Road to Chasm Falls. The road has a steady, gentle grade. It is closed to vehicle traffic in the winter.
The hike begins with you walking through a forest with glimpses of mountains. You’ll see the gorgeous frozen falls at the end among rock formations!
A local I chatted with mentioned that she frequently sees great horned owls in the trees along the beginning of the road. So keep a lookout there!
Considerations View on AllTrails. Because of the regular terrain on the road, this is a fairly easy hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. The elevation gain ups the challenge a bit, though.
As an out-and-back, tailor the length to how you’re feeling that day. The views are gorgeous even without reaching the falls!
Cub Lake
Trailhead Cub Lake Trailhead
Difficulty Moderate
Distance (round-trip) 4.6 mi (7.4 km)
Elevation gain 540 ft (165 m)
Description Cub Lake was one of the gorgeous lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park I hiked to.
Start from the Cub Lake Trailhead. Follow the trail through the meadow and start winding upwards. You’ll then come around the south side of a ridge. Make your way along pretty rock formations and trees.
The final stretch of the hike ascends into gorgeous aspen woods and more. You finally emerge with a view of the likely frozen and snow-covered Cub Lake! Snow-covered peaks loom over the lake, making for a stunning view!
Considerations View on AllTrails. I was grateful to have my microspikes for the final ascent.
Much of the lower part of the trail is exposed to the sun and south-facing. So, it held much less snow and was dry in large sections.
There are many trails you can link up to from Cub Lake Trail if you’re looking for more variety!
If the parking at Cub Lake Trailhead is full, continue a bit further on the road to find another parking area.
The Pool from Fern Lake
Trailhead Cub Lake Trailhead in the winter
Difficulty Easy
Distance (round-trip) 5.4 mi (8.7 km)
Elevation gain 245 ft (75 m)
Description In the winter, the road to Fern Lake Trailhead is closed. So start from the Cub Lake Trailhead.
You’ll walk through the woods along the snow-covered road to reach the Fern Lake Trailhead. The scenery is gorgeous!
Follow the Fern Lake trail to The Pool. Your hike will wander along the Big Thompson River with beautiful wintry forest and valley views!
The trail winds through some large rock formations including a huge split boulder called Arch Rocks.
Finally, finish the hike to The Pool, which may be frozen over. You’ll cross a bridge giving pretty views of the water. Head back from here or link up with the Cub Lake trail to loop around Cub Lake!
Considerations View on AllTrails (plus walk from Cub Lake Trailhead to Fern Lake Trailhead in winter). I enjoyed this trail, the gorgeous forest, and the large valley views! The boulders along the way provided some variety.
Check the conditions before you go. Having microspikes was nice for me as there was some freeze-thaw during my visit.
Continue past the Cub Lake Trailhead parking to find another parking lot a bit closer to the Fern Lake Trailhead in the winter. You can also park at Cub Lake Trailhead and take a short walk up the road.
Bear Lake to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake
Trailhead Bear Lake Trailhead
Difficulty Moderate
Distance (round-trip) 4.1 mi (6.6 km) to Emerald Lake
Elevation gain 744 ft (226 m)
Description This gorgeous, relatively short trail takes you past 3 beautiful lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park!
Start from the Bear Lake Trailhead and take the Emerald Lake Trail. You’ll start walking through a lovely dense pine forest. The trees hold delightful tufts of snow after fresh snowfalls!
After a short while of steady gentle ascent, you’ll arrive at Nymph Lake. This gives a nice clearing and a wider view of the forest!
Continue onward past the lake and out of the dense forest. You’ll get more sweeping views of the area and traverse around a few hills.
The sidehill areas in this stretch of the trail were places where I wanted poles and snowshoes as the snow was deeper and softer. We recently had fresh snowfall, so this made sense. I still managed just fine with spikes.
Continuing onward, you’ll eventually open to Dream Lake! Enjoy the views here before finishing your hike to Emerald Lake!
Considerations View on NPS site or view on AllTrails. After the fresh snow, this was a popular trail. If I had waited a few hours, snowshoers and cross-country skiers would have compacted the trail more for me.
As I mentioned, I wanted poles and snowshoes on the sidehill sections. Even just poles would have been a big help.
Try to visit on a clear day to see the mountains and rock formations over the lakes!
Note Bear Lake parking can fill up quickly, especially on weekends. Even in the winter, I saw days where the parking was full.
Calypso Cascades via Wild Basin Trail
Trailhead Wild Basin Winter Trailhead (adds about 1.5 mi round-trip)
Difficulty Easy-Moderate
Distance (round-trip) 5 mi (8 km)
Elevation gain 700 ft (213 m)
Description Find some winter hiking in Colorado in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park! It is located in the beautiful but less-trafficked southeast corner of the park.
Start from the Winter Wild Basin Trailhead. It is about 0.75 mi (1.2 km) from the usual Wild Basin Trailhead. Walk along the road or along the river to the Wild Basin Trail.
There you’ll enter beautiful snow-covered woods and follow the trail as it winds along the North Saint Vrain Creek. Enjoy sweeping views of ridges along the trail!
After 1 m (1.6 km), you’ll reach Copeland Falls which is usually just a trickle in winter. The snow-covered rocks make for a beautiful sight.
Continue on the trail until you see signs for Calypso Cascades near a log bridge. The last half-mile (0.8 km) will be the steepest ascent and take you to Calypso Cascades!
Similar to Copeland Falls, the cascades are usually frozen in the winter but provide pretty snow-covered terrain!
Head back the way you came or link up with other trails along the way.
Also, if you want to bring your llamas off the trail, apparently they’re OK according to this sign!
Considerations View in AllTrails. I loved this walk/hike, its forest scenery, the rock formations, the snow-covered creek, and the sweeping ridgelines along the trail. The ascent to the cascades was enough to get my heart pumping a bit!
Microspikes were very useful for parts of the trail during my hike.
If you are staying in Estes Park, the drive to Wild Basin is stunning with a gorgeous lake, pretty roadcuts through big boulders, and sweeping views of peaks like Longs Peak!
East Shore Trail
Trailhead East Shore Trailhead in Grand Lake
Difficulty Easy
Distance (round-trip) 5.4 mi (8.7 km)
Elevation gain 416 ft (127 m)
Description This trail is on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park near Grand Lake. The trailhead is in Grand Lake, CO between Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake.
Starting the trail, you’ll enter a thick forest with beautiful snow-covered views. Continuing on for a bit, you’ll reach the shores of Shadow Mountain Lake and follow the lake for the rest of your hike!
The lake provides sweeping views of the area. After some time, the inland terrain opens up for broader views of snow-covered forest floors!
Depending on recent snowfall, snowshoes or cross-country skis may be desirable.
Considerations View on AllTrails and NPS site.
This hike is on the western side of the park. It was a great option while I was skiing in Winter Park! Be sure to check out other views around Grand Lake on your visit, like the view from Point Park! The town of Grand Lake is also a cute spot to visit!
Resources for finding the best winter hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
AllTrails is a great resource for finding trails. It also has updated condition reports. I sort reviews by most recent to see what conditions to expect.
Definitely leverage the NPS site for resources. They have a winter trip planning page linking to great resources like road and trail status, weather, and winter safety tips.
Check out their ideas for winter activities too!
Wrapping up
There are some of the opportunities I had to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park in the winter! Winter hiking was a new hobby of mine in 2023-2024 and included winter hikes in Chamonix and winter hikes in Zermatt during an Alps trip.
I hope these descriptions of these Colorado Winter Hikes will inspire you to get out and explore some of the best winter hiking in Colorado!
Are you ready to go? What hikes did I miss that I should try next time? Tell me in the comments!
Disclaimer: I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you when you make purchases via links on this site. Thanks for supporting me in creating content like this! See the privacy policy.
