RMNP Hiking Guide: Bear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead Part 1

Oh Rocky Mountain National Park. How I love you.

If you’ve never been to RMNP, then go ahead and grab your bucket list – cause you need to add it on there pronto!! There’s a reason this is one of the most visited National Parks in the country! Stunning peaks, beautiful trees, breathtaking meadows, crystal clear lakes?? It’s almost too much for a nature lover like me to take.

Last year was my first time to visit the park – and I visited it no less than four times in a year… despite the two and a half hour drive to get there! Estes Park took my breath away the first time I saw it, and I can’t get enough!

There are so many beautiful hikes and drives through the RMNP. It was hard to choose what my first adventure in the Park was going to be, but I knew I had to have one before hiking season ended! The main criteria for the hike was something with length and spectacular views…an easy order, as far as RMNP is concerned!

After doing a little research, my friend and I decided we were going to hike from Bear Lake to Fern Lake…which is no little jaunt! The trail alone clocks in around 8.5 miles, and if you take the shuttle you’re in for another .8 miles to the pickup location. So with the mileage all totaled, it’s around a 9.3 mile hike.

I’ve been on a lot of hikes in my little life, in a lot of beautiful places. I can honestly say that the full hike from Bear Lake to Fern Lake trailhead was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on! It’s a really long trail, but 100% worth the effort.

I don’t usually blog this way, but I felt the only way to do this hike justice was to write multiple posts. There was just way too much beauty to cram into one post! This post will have pictures and trail descriptions from the first leg of the trail, which starts at Bear Lake and ends at Lake Helene.

(Want to just read about an overview of this hike? Check out my original post that hits the highlights of the entire hike!)

Bear Lake is a hop, skip, and a jump away from its parking lot. Follow signs to Bear Lake and then follow the trail to the right around the lake.

Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park — Bear Lake

Most of this information is posted repeatedly through this series of posts. I am including it again here for those who don’t want to look through all the pages!

Directions: (From Estes Park) Take US-36W/Moraine Ave through Estes Park. This will quickly take you to the entrance of the park. Ask for a map of the park and follow signs for Bear Lake.

Directions to trailhead: As with many well known hikes in the RMNP, our trailhead is located at Bear Lake. From the parking lot, you will follow the signs to Bear Lake and enter the trail that goes around the entire lake. Follow this trail to the right. You won’t make it halfway before you see signs for Fern Lake.

Restrooms: Yes, in the Bear Lake parking lot. There will not be restrooms again until the very end of the trail at the Fern Lake trailhead.

Distance: 8.5 miles from Bear Lake to Fern Lake trailhead, and then another 0.8 miles to the shuttle pickup location

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

Pets OK? Dogs are not allowed on trails in RMNP

Crowds: Heavy around Bear Lake, and then low once you get further away. Traffic will pick up again close to Fern Lake.

Camping allowed: Camping is allowed in designated campsites throughout the park

Fees/Permits: Fees are subject to change. Check out this link for current prices.

Tips:

Bring lots of water!! Not only is this a long hike, but the elevation tops out over 10,500 ft on this trail! You will need to make sure you are taking in adequate amounts of water – especially if you aren’t used to the elevation.
Bring sun protection: hat, sunglasses, etc. Again, the sun is very direct at this elevation and you will want to make sure you are protecting yourself.
Check the weather before you go. This is not a hike that you should be negotiating poor weather in.
Be aware that some sections of this trail are still covered in snow into June!! Call the Ranger station and check trail conditions before committing to this lengthy hike.
Make sure someone knows your itinerary. Accidents happen, and it’s best to be safe and have someone expecting you home and who knows where you were hiking.
Be aware that there are wild animals in the area. Black bear had been sighted on this very trail about two weeks before we went! Make sure you are aware of your surroundings and that you are keeping a close eye on any kiddos present. (Bear spray wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have on hand)
Make sure you bring plenty of snacks! You’re gonna need the energy 🙂
Dress in layers! We did this hike at the very end of August. If you are here in June it could still be pretty cold due to the elevation.
Once you get to Bear Lake, always follow signs for Fern Lake and you won’t go wrong.
Make sure you get a map from the entrance stations. The trail is well marked on the map and helps you know that you are on the right track!
Start this hike early, preferably in the morning!
Unless you have two vehicles that are able to find parking at Bear Lake and Fern Lake trailhead, it would probably be best to park in the shuttle parking lot. The shuttle will drop you off at Bear Lake and pick you up close to Fern Lake trailhead. Again, make sure you have a map when you visit to verify the pick up and drop off locations.
If you do use the shuttle, make sure you know their hours of operation! You’d hate to get done with your 8.5+ mile trip only to find that you do, in fact, have to walk to your car. That would be probably the worst thing in the world.
When you are near Lake Helene, keep your eyes peeled for the footpath that takes you to the shore. If you stay on the trail you will never see it except for through the trees at a distance.

The above picture is your turn off from Bear Lake. Get used to feeling the burn! I don’t know the exact mileage but you’re gonna be ascending for almost half the length to Lake Helene. The good new is it’s all downhill after that.

Tips for hiking with kids:

Don’t. Haha, no but really, I probably wouldn’t take my daughter on this hike again for a long time. She was about 8 months old when we went, and even though she did great it was too long for a little baby at this altitude.
So fun little story…when I originally looked this hike up, I was given false information stating that this hike was only 7 miles. The longest hike I had done with my daughter up to that point was 6 miles and she did really great, so I figured I could push it to 7 with no problems. I didn’t know it was actually 8.5 miles with another .8 miles to the shuttle pickup, which makes the real distance close to 10 miles (9.3 to be exact, but doesn’t 10 sound so much more dramatic??) 10 miles at an elevation greater than 10,500 at some points was a little much for her. She refused to keep a hat on so she got a very mild sunburn, and she was so preoccupied with the sights that she didn’t drink enough. I ended up having to give her some Pedialyte when we got home. She was OK, but it would be easy for a child to become severely dehydrated if proper precautions weren’t taken. It just wouldn’t be worth the risk to me knowing the actual distance.
If you do want to take the kiddos, make sure you bring them lots of water, snacks, and sun protection!!
Pay attention to the urine output of baby and toddlers. If they show signs of dehydration, give them the recommended dose of Pedialyte and call your Pediatrician for further instructions.
I said this before, but be aware of your surroundings! There are wild animals out there so don’t let your kids wander too far!

After what feels like forever, the trail starts to level out somewhere around the halfway mark. Most sites measure this section of the trail (from Bear Lake to lake Helene) to be right around 3 miles.

There are so many lakes to see in the RMNP, but I really have to give a shout out to the ones on this trail. This is such a long hike, so there really wasn’t a lot of traffic throughout the whole day. The lakes themselves weren’t crowded and it was really nice to not be bumping into people along the whole way. I look forward to hiking some of the more well known lakes this summer, but I can’t imagine them being as uncrowded as these!

What did you say? Did I plan to adorably match my daughter on this hike?? Well, it might have crossed my mind…

When you get to this area you know you are getting close!!

The tricky part about Lake Helene is that there is not a marker to help you get to the lake. In fact, if you stay on the trail you will miss it altogether except for small glimpses through the trees. Keep your eyes peeled for an unmarked foot path that shoots off from the left of the trail. From there it’s pretty easy to navigate your way to the lake and back to the trail.

Oh and also, get ready to have your mind blown.

Lake Helene, 5 Lake Loop, Rocky Mountain National Park — Lake Helene

Lake Helene is Lake #2 out of the 4 lakes on this hike. (Bear Lake was #1) It’s hard to choose which lake was our favorite, but I would definitely say it was a tie between Lake Helene and Lake Odessa.

It’s easy to see from the pictures that Lake Helene was breathtaking in its own right!

The water in Lake Helene was crystal clear and it couldn’t have had a more beautiful backdrop. We hung out on the shore for a while eating our snacks and enjoyed having the lake to ourselves.

That little girl doesn’t know how lucky she is. She’s like, “no big deal, I just get to hang out in a crystal clear alpine lake on this Wednesday afternoon. Doesn’t everybody?”

Did I ever mention I love working only three days a week?? I don’t mean to brag but well, it is pretty awesome.