RMNP Hiking Guide: Bear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead Part 2

Hello again! I’m back and I’ve come with the intention of making you lust after visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park as soon as possible.  Writing about all this hiking in the RMNP has put the yearning in me for warmer weather!! Sadly we are still in the middle of winter and snow is still all around.  🙁

I should probably take up snowshoeing so I’m not bored half the year. Then again my fingers become popsicles after being in the cold for 5 minutes, so, maybe not.  Darn my Texan blood!

Anyways, my last post laid out the beginning of what ended up being the most beautiful hike I’ve ever been on! Hiking from Bear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead is 8.5 miles, with a .8 mile walk to the shuttle pick up from the trailhead.  This equals 9.3 miles, but I like to say 10 so I sound like more of a badass.

This post will pick up where we left off: Lake Helene to Odessa Lake..aka the prettiest portion of the entire hike.

(Click here to see all my posts on this epic hike!!)

Once you’ve had your fill of Lake Helene, it’s time to get back on the trail and keep moving forward! The trail will curve to the left immediately after getting back to the trail, but if you take the little footpath to the right it will ascend to a large boulder that you can climb atop and capture the view below:

I’ve already written about all the particulars of this hike in my first post, but I’m going to copy and paste some of it for those of you who don’t want to read through all the posts.

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

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

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:

• Drink lots of water on the trail!
• Bring snacks to keep your energy up!
• Be aware of wildlife!! Two weeks before we hiked this there were multiple bear sightings near Lake Odessa!!
• Don’t watching Missing 411 before coming.
• Watch out for Sasquatch.
• Do y’all read these??
• For more (serious) tips read my previous posts.

Once you start your descent to Odessa Lake, the trail really opens up and allows for spectacular views.  Seriously, these pics aren’t doing it justice.

I can tell you that on this portion I was very glad we hiked from Bear Lake to Fern Lake trailhead, and not the other way around.  Going downhill for most of the hike is certainly challenging, especially when carrying an 18 lb child, but I don’t even want to think about how difficult it would be going uphill for around 5 miles! We met with other hikers doing the same trail but started from Fern Lake trailhead, and they informed us they had been doing nothing but uphill for almost 5 miles. Yuck.

Getting closer! Thanks to Em for sharing the baby load!!

A look back to where we came from

After the above picture you are getting pretty close! You’ll start to walk through a forested area, and then the turn off to the lake will be on your left (pictured below).

Did I ever tell you that I love well-marked trails??

Unfortunately, this picture doesn’t do the area justice due to the time of day/lighting, but walking along this creek to the lake was so pretty it made me mad. Here’s a video of walking along this creek:

Seriously, it’s what dreams are made of.

The crowds picked up a little around the lake, but we ignored them while we plopped ourselves down to eat more snacks and do some baby duty while resting.  What a serene and beautiful place.

At this point we still thought this was a 7 mile trail (thanks All Trails), so we took our time relaxing by the lake before carrying on to our next destination – Fern Lake.

Click here to read about the last leg of this awesome hike!

Don’t forget to leave me a comment! Have you done this hike? Did you think this was the prettiest portion?? I want to know!

Until next time!