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Mills Lake - Black Lake Trail

Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.7 (57)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Rocky Mountain National Park
  5. Bear Lake
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“This rugged trail ventures deep into a spectacular glacial gorge visiting Mills, Jewel & Black Lakes ”

Trail Master
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Map Key

3.8

Miles

6.1

KM

Point to Point

11,556' 3,522 m

High

9,797' 2,986 m

Low

1,764' 538 m

Up

9' 3 m

Down

9%

Avg Grade (5°)

28%

Max Grade (15°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Views · Waterfall

Snow often persists late into the summer.

Description

From the busy Glacier Junction, head south crossing Glacier Creek twice and covering sections of cairn-marked rock slabs before arriving at Mills Lake (9,955'). Here you'll marvel at the terrific views up Glacier Gorge and admire the jagged ridges and peaks that define it. Follow the rugged, undulating trail around the eastern shore of the lake over innumerable roots to where Jewel Lake starts. This marshy area continues around the lake aided by a series of skinny elevated planks. If you are searching for solitude, you're more likely to find it on Jewel Lake's western shore than at crowded but picturesque Mills Lake.

Upon leaving Jewel Lake, hike through unattractive forest with lots of blown down trees. Closely parallel Glacier Creek all the way to Black Lake, over steep ups and downs. It can be tough to find the trail here, when in doubt, follow the creek. Pass the Glacier Gorge Backcountry Campsite spur (10,068') and climb some newly built stairs. Ascend through thick forest and across another rock slab marked by rock cairns. Arrive at a mellow meadow with views of The Arrowhead (12,387'), Powell Peak (13,208) and McHenrys Peak (13,327') to the west, and Pagoda Mountain (13,497') and Keyboard of the Winds - a line of pinnacles near the summit of Longs Peak - to the east. Chiefs Head Peak (13,579') and The Spearhead (12,575') dominate the upper valley.

Many people turn around at Black Lake, as the trail gets much more difficult and barely maintained past this point.

The trail switchbacks steeply beside Ribbon Falls as they drain from the edge of Black Lake. Traverse a line of flat boulders across the end of Black Lake and climb a small ridge along the eastern shore. The trail soon becomes faint and disappears in open tundra, where unmaintained routes continue on to Blue Lake, Green Lake and Frozen Lake. Continue a short distance up the feeder creek for a unique perspective above the rocky basin.

Contacts

Land Manager: National Park Service - Rocky Mountain National Park

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Trail Master
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 57 votes

#1

in Bear Lake

#25

Overall
  4.7 from 57 votes
5 Star
70%
4 Star
26%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#1

in Bear Lake

#5

in Colorado

#25

Overall
32 Views Last Month
10,015 Since Jul 13, 2015
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
0%
0%
63%
18%
18%
2%
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Photos

Mills Lake early spring sunset
Jan 30, 2015 near Grand Lake, CO
Jewel Lake looking up Glacier Gorge
Oct 23, 2016 near Grand Lake, CO
Waterfalls, high peaks, and blue skies!
Jun 19, 2016 near Grand Lake, CO
High up at the base of the Spearhead
Jun 19, 2016 near Grand Lake, CO
basically the end of any real trail on the way to Frozen Lake
Jun 24, 2018 near Grand Lake, CO
Amazing views from Black Lake
Jul 13, 2015 near Grand Lake, CO

2 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 31 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 15, 2024
Claire Milligan
16mi — 7h 00m
Jul 7, 2023
Montserrat Gmz
3h 00m
Jun 30, 2023
Akhilesh Akhilesh
8mi
Jan 3, 2023
Luke Booty
Oct 16, 2022
John VanderMeer
Round trip hike from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead totalled 10 miles. Very busy to Alberta Falls and then tapering off after Mills Lake. We missed mo… 10mi — 6h 30m
Aug 18, 2022
Alex Witt
Jun 30, 2022
Alexa Long
3.2mi
May 27, 2022
Tessa Vande Velden
Got there 10am-ish; snagged one single parking spot, ranger told us there wasn't any snow but there definitely was - very slushy on the way down

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