Explore the beauty of the Rocky Mountains by hiking the Emerald Lake Trail. This guide covers everything you need to know for your adventure.
Rocky Mountain National Park has no shortage of amazing hikes and the 3.6-mile Emerald Lake trail is one of the best. It passes by three stunning alpine lakes (Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake) before ending at the clear, green waters of Emerald Lake. The vibrant color comes from sunlight refracting off the glacial silt in the water.
We completed the Emerald Lake hike as a family while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park over the summer. It’s a great choice for all ages and overall hiking experience.
In this post, we share everything you need to know about hiking the Emerald Lake trail including where to start, entry requirements, best places to stop, and more.
The Emerald Lake hike starts at Bear Lake Trailhead located off Bear Lake Road just 20 minutes after entering the park from the Beaver Meadows Entrance.
Our family found the Emerald Lake Trail to be one of the best family hikes in Rocky Mountain that gives you the most bang for your buck: not too strenuous, but very rewarding. For this reason, it’s one of the most popular trailheads inside Rocky Mountain National Park.
To get to Bear Lake Road, enter the park from the east in Estes Park and drive approximately 0.2 miles until you see the sign leading you to Bear Lake. Bear Lake Road is a winding paved 9-mile-long scenic path rising to over 9,000 feet in elevation. This area is known as the Bear Lake Corridor.
The Bear Lake Corridor is home to over 20 hiking trails, alpine lakes, waterfalls, fall foliage, and abundant wildlife.
Bear Lake can get very congested and it is highly recommended to park in one of the designated park-and-ride lots to take the shuttle bus to the trailhead. The buses are clean and airy and run every 10-15 minutes in the summer months. And they are free!
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