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Bear Lake Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Easy Easy
 4.2 (89)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Rocky Mountain National Park
  5. Bear Lake
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“A short loop that circumnavigates beautiful Bear Lake. ”

Brian Smith
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Google Map
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Map Key

0.6

Miles

1.0

KM

Loop

9,537' 2,907 m

High

9,499' 2,895 m

Low

45' 14 m

Up

39' 12 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (1°)

9%

Max Grade (5°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Lake · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

ADA Accessible

Family Friendly This is a short enough loop to keep the kids' interest and beautiful enough to satisfy the adults!

ADA accessibility: This is hard packed gravel and grades can be moderately steep. Consider this a moderately accessible trail.

Overview

This is a quintessential Rocky Mountain National Park Trail. It can easily be accessed from the Bear Lake Trailhead and is accessible to most everyone.

Description

This short trail loops all the way around Bear Lake. Bear Lake Loop is a very level, easy traveling trail that would be accessible to almost anyone. Park at the Bear Lake trailhead or take the shuttle bus. Given the easy access to this trail, it sees a volume of traffic, especially in the summer.

Flora & Fauna

RMNP is a massive park that is mostly characterized by a montane ecosystem. Here are some of the Flora and Fauna that you may encounter along this trail:

Flora: Ponderosa pine, douglas fir, wildflowers
Fauna: Elk, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, coyotes, black bears, cougars, butterflies.

For more detailed information regarding the park's diverse ecosystems, click HERE.

Shared By:

Brian Smith
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 89 votes

#5

in Bear Lake

#107

Overall
  4.2 from 89 votes
5 Star
45%
4 Star
36%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
2%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#5

in Bear Lake

#33

in Colorado

#107

Overall
63 Views Last Month
5,084 Since Jan 14, 2015
Easy Easy
78%
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13%
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Add a Photo

Photos

Bear Lake.
Jan 20, 2016 near Estes Park, CO
A View of Blue
Jan 19, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Bear Lake.
Jan 20, 2016 near Estes Park, CO
Jumping for joy in the fresh snow!
Nov 28, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Bear Lake in winter
Jul 15, 2015 near Estes Park, CO
Hallett Peak as seen from Bear Lake.
Nov 10, 2015 near Estes Park, CO

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 9 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 29, 2024
Koshiga Norimichi
Sep 2, 2024
Tom Herr
Blissful level walk around the lake with many stops to take pictures. Crystal clear water with surrounding mountains during sunset. Must do! 0.6mi
Aug 30, 2024
Stan Parker
Jul 27, 2024
Matt K
Jul 21, 2024
Jordan Knox
0.6mi — 10h 00m
May 11, 2024
Lauren Sully
Nov 5, 2023
Evan Lei
Sep 21, 2023
Jeff Giesler

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