Currently, the park has some major road construction going on. Combined with the snow we experienced, it wasn't a very fun drive up to Bear Lake! There's also a $20 entrance fee, which is a little steep! We did see tons of wildlife though, including elk fighting at the entrance, a fox, and lots of deer. You can always tell... More

This is in Rocky Mountain National Park and we traversed it in September when the first snow flakes in the season started to fall. The trail is an easy one, wide and smooth and ends up with a beautiful view. The lake is crystal clear!

we were there in jan. when most of the roads - and trails - are closed. so i understand why this trail head, basically the only one accessable during that time of the year, is so busy. the parking lot is huge but still full. bathrooms who well tended but full. and the short trails were also full of people.... More

Our family often hikes the easy to moderate trails in Rocky Mountain National Park in fall when the leaves are golden, but we also love to snow shoe in January or February. We are in Estes Park for a long weekend right now and went snow shoeing at Bear Lake yesterday - what a delightful treat! If you go when... More

i could not make it all the way to bear lake on account of the trail being closed due to a heavy dump of snow but all that i saw was fantastic, a winter utopia,heards of elk searching for food a moose tripping through the forest leaving behind its great big footprints in the deep snow, there was brilliant sunshine... More

Bear Lake trailhead is on the East side of RMNP and is one of the most popular destinations in the park. In the summer it can be very crowded. Some of the hikes go through Glacier Gorge which is a very beautiful area of the park. There are a variety of hike lengths and abilities. Shorter hikes are Emerald Lake... More

Bear Lake is a very easy hike for any age. I am 75 and my husband is 80. We also took our time and went all the way up to Emerald Lake which has a lot of steps to climb. The lake with the water lilies was great for pics. You need to go early if you want to park... More

Very easy hike and spectacular scenery. The only down side would be the number of hikers, so try to go early or later in the day to avoid the crowd.

Bear Lake Trailhead in RMNP was our favorite. We had to take the shuttle in r/t the construction on Bear Lake Rd and parked at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and caught the shuttle from there. We went on Sunday, 6/24 at 11:30 and got one of the last parking spots. Normally there is a $20 weekly pass fee to... More