Overview

This trail is one of the most popular in Rocky Mountain National Park! It is rated as easy – gaining only 650 feet in elevation over 1.75 miles. The trailhead is located at Bear Lake. Between May and October, a timed entry pass with Bear Lake Road access is necessary to enter this section of the park between 5:00 am and 6:00 pm. We did not have a timed entry pass, so we got up early and arrived at the park around 4:30 am. We set off for Emerald Lake around 5:00 am.

Nymph Lake

From Bear Lake, the trail gently climbs into Tyndall Gorge. At just over a half mile, the trail reaches Nymph Lake – a lovely lake ringed with lily pads. We reached Nymph Lake before sunrise, so we continued along the trail toward Dream Lake.

Dream Lake

From Nymph Lake, the trail follows Tyndall Creek. Roughly .7 miles from Nymph Lake, hikers reach the junction of the trail to Lake Haiyaha. Keep right to continue to Dream Lake, which is right around the corner. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise at Dream Lake.

Emerald Lake

After taking in the sunrise, we continued another .7 miles to Emerald Lake. Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain stand proudly behind the lake. We spent a while admiring the view.

On our way back to Bear Lake, we encountered a lone elk snacking on the fresh vegetation. Remember to give these guys plenty of space!

We made sure to stop at Nymph Lake to see it in the daylight.

Bear Lake Loop

We extended our hike by circling Bear Lake on the Bear Lake Loop Trail. The Bear Lake Loop is only .7 miles. It is nicely maintained and even wheelchair accessible.

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