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Bear Lake TH to Fern Lake TH

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.7 (57)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Rocky Mountain National Park
  5. Bear Lake
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“An epic alpine point-to-point made possible by RMNP's free shuttle system. ”

Brian Smith
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Map Key

8.5

Miles

13.6

KM

Point to Point

10,656' 3,248 m

High

8,153' 2,485 m

Low

1,180' 360 m

Up

2,524' 769 m

Down

8%

Avg Grade (5°)

28%

Max Grade (16°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Overview

This route is about one-third ascending, two-thirds descending with the high point at mile 2.6 on Joe Mills Mountain. Along the way, you'll witness breathtaking mountain scenery, four beautiful lakes and a magnificient waterfall.

Need to Know

Take advantage of RMNP's awesome, free shuttle system to complete this hike. This route could be self-shuttled during the off-season by dropping a vehicle at the Fern Lake TH and driving another to the Bear Lake TH. Click here for the RMNP shuttle information page.

Description

From the Bear Lake TH, start out along the lake's eastern shore. Look for the Horse Trail to branch off to the right towards Flattop Mountain and Odessa Lake. Follow the trail as it climbs steeply to gain the ridge.

At the top of the ridge, turn left onto Flattop Mountain Trail and continue uphill. Shortly after joining the Flattop Mountain Trail, look for the Fern - Odessa Lake Trail to branch off to the right - follow it.

Ascend the along southern flank of Joe Mills Mountain and take in views of Notch Top Mountain. As you round the western ridge of Joe Mills Mountain, there will be views down to Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene. From here, it's all downhill to Odessa Lake. As you hike down the northwestern flank of Joe Mills Mountain, Little Matterhorn will undoubtedly steal your attention. The formation is a part of the eastern skirt of Knobtop Mountain and its sheer walls do share an uncanny resemblance to the real Matterhorn (on a much smaller scale).

Once you reach Odessa Lake, take a few moments to absorb the stunning scenery before continuing your hike. Descend some switchbacks for about a half-mile down to Odessa Lake's downstairs neighbor, Fern Lake. From Fern Lake, views to the south of Tombstone Ridge abound.

Continue the descent from Fern Lake to a fork in the trail - stay left onto the Fern Lake Trail. The trail descends steeply along the western flank of the Fern Creek drainage before a switchback brings Fern Falls into view. The extent to which the falls are flowing will depend on the time of year and recent weather but the cascades are beautiful under almost any condition.

Descend a few more switchbacks on the Fern Lake Trail and eventually the grade will lessen significantly. Cross the Big Thompson River and follow is as it flows eastward. Finally, you'll reach the Fern Lake trailhead where you can catch a shuttle bus.

Contacts

Land Manager: National Park Service - Rocky Mountain National Park

Shared By:

Brian Smith with improvements by Roger Dellinger
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 57 votes

#6

in Bear Lake

#172

Overall
  4.7 from 57 votes
5 Star
72%
4 Star
25%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#6

in Bear Lake

#47

in Colorado

#172

Overall
14 Views Last Month
12,138 Since Jan 30, 2015
Intermediate Intermediate
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Photos

View of Glacier Gorge and Longs Peak from the trail
Apr 22, 2019 near Estes Park, CO
Landscape
Jan 19, 2015 near Grand Lake, CO
Ground squirrel in Rocky Mountain National Park
Jan 19, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Lake Odessa
May 4, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
View of Odessa Lake taken near Lake Helene
Apr 22, 2019 near Grand Lake, CO
A View of Blue
Jan 19, 2015 near Estes Park, CO

1 Comment

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Check-Ins

Jun 20, 2024
Elizabeth K
Pretty dangerous mid-June with ice and snow on steep slopes, even with spikes and poles. Pretty dangerous conditions. Fell twice and injured my quad. 10.2mi — 6h 54m
Jul 2, 2023
Andrew Paugh
Mar 10, 2023
Chris Thatcher
Aug 20, 2022
Kiran Raj
4h 50m
Jul 24, 2022
Sang Lee
5h 00m
Jul 14, 2021
Ryan Wilson
Oct 10, 2020
Samuel Harvison
Went to Fern Lake from the a little over a mile away from the trailhead 10mi — 5h 00m
Oct 8, 2020
Hsueh Yu

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