Date of Trek: June 16, 2009

Summary: A 6.2 mile hike that winds through a mountain valley, eventually joining Cow Creek and terminating at Bridal Veil Falls.

The stats

What you will see

Where you will go

What I think

It’s been over a year since I did this hike.  It was decidedly less scenic overall than the previous day’s hike.  There really aren’t many panoramic views since you spend all your time in the valley.  Once the trail joins Cow Creek there are a number of small waterfalls and rapids.  The tree canopy also thickens, making the hike more enjoyable on a hot day.  There was some minor rock scrambling required towards the end of the trail just before reaching the falls.  If you daring, you can wade across the creek for some better views of the falls, as I did.

Keep your eyes open for wildlife throughout the hike.

Summary: A 6.2 mile hike that begins by following a brook with numerous cascades, continues to stunning views at higher elevations, and finishes with a gorgeous waterfall.  Take the free shuttle back to your starting point.

The stats

What you will see

Where you will go

What I think

It’s been almost a year since I did this hike, but I do remember it as being very enjoyable.  It starts in the valley and starts climbing immediately.  You’ll climb 1500ft in less than 3 miles.  However, you almost don’t notice because you are following a lovely creek with lots of waterfalls and cascades.  I could have spent hours photographing here, but I forced myself to press on, knowing I had a long way to go.

Once you get to the higher elevations, the epic panoramas are plentiful.  You’ll be wandering through alpine meadows and stands of evergreens.  I remember the trail being rather wet in places due to spring run off, often leaving me with wet feet (I hike in Vibram Five Fingers).

After reaching the North Longs Peak trail, you start to descend again.  Gorgeous views are still plentiful and the evergreens start to intermix with beautiful aspens.  Eventually, you reach and cross the Glacier Gorge, a raging river at that time of year that eventually spills over Alberta Falls.  You get to see that too. I got rained on during this portion of the trip…a lot.  Remember that you’re in the mountains and the weather can change suddenly.  Dress and pack accordingly.  I had rain gear along, but I learned that it was no longer waterproof.  I guess my 15-year-old North Face jacket had reached the end of its useful life.  I bought a new rain jacket that evening.  Naturally, it didn’t rain the rest of my time in the park.

From the falls, you head to the Glacier Gorge trail head and parking area.  Catch the free shuttle to the Bierstadt Lake parking area and walk the 0.2 miles back to the Storm Pass trail head where you parked.

Quick Summary: An out-and-back hike with stops at Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades, and Ouzel Falls

Description

A 5.4 mile out-and-back hike that passes numerous waterfalls and cascades. The trail begins by following North St. Vrain Creek to Copeland Falls, a series of falls dropping 12ft. Later, the trail crosses the creek and climbs to Calypso Cascades, a 90ft series of cascades streaming down the mountain fed by Cony Creek. After crossing the cascades on a series of bridges, the trail climbs another mile to Ouzel Falls, a 60ft waterfall fed by Ouzel Creek. Turn around here for the 5.4mi hike or continue on to Ouzel or Bluebird Lakes if you desire a longer trek.

What You Will See

Where You Will Go

Details

Trek Report

I attempted this hike twice in the month of May. The first attempt occurred on May 7th and failed due to deep snow up near Calypso Cascades. The snow was 3ft deep at the bridges crossing the cascades and only got deeper from there after. I didn’t have snowshoes along and I was sinking in up to my knees so I aborted the hike and tried again three weeks later. By then, all the snow was gone all the way to Ouzel Falls.

The second attempt had its share of challenges too. Shortly after reaching Copeland Falls, it started to rain. Then, the rain changed to sleet. Then, to hail. I hid under some pine trees and tried to stay dry. The storm only lasted 15 minutes or so and then the sun came back out. I dried out and continued my trek.

Calypso Cascades are not as immpressive as they sound. The area is strewn with fallen logs, making the hillside look like a mess. I found it hard to come up with a pleasing composition when photographing them as a whole. I did better by zooming in to small sections of the cascades that were clear of debris.

If you stay on the trail, you won’t get a very good view of Ouzel Falls. To get a better look, scamper up the rocks to the left of the bridge and circle around to view the falls head on. This is where I got most of my pictures of the falls.

There are not a lot of panoramic views along this hike, but the waterfalls and numerous opportunities to view the rapids and cascades along the various creeks you follow and cross more than make up for it.

Quick Summary: A driving tour of RMNP with a short stop at Chasm Falls.

Trek Report

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine came to visit me in Denver. On the first day of her stay, I took her to Rocky Mountain National Park because nothing says Colorado like RMNP. We started from the Beaver Meadows entrance (point A on map below) and stopped at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to check out the road and trail conditions. From there we headed over to the Endovalley picnic area to park. (Point B on the map is the entrance to Old Fall River Road. Google Maps thinks this one way, which fouled up the driving directions.) Old Fall River Road was closed past this point so we parked and hiked up the road to Chasm Falls. During the summer months, you can drive up to the falls.

After exploring the falls, we returned to our car and drove back to Trail Ridge Road. The visitor center had posted that Trail Ridge Road was closed at Rainbow Curve. However, upon reaching the curve’s pullout, we discovered that the barrier was open and we could continue on to the Forest Canyon Trailhead (point C). From Rainbow Curve to the trailhead, there was plenty of snow on the ground. In some places, there was still 10ft or more! I would love to see how the plows push through that much snow. They obviously do, because the road was completely clear. After hiking the short Forest Canyon Overlook Trail through the snow, we headed back to Estes Park, stopping at a couple other pull-outs we had skipped on the way up.

The slideshow shows images from Chasm Falls, Old Falls Road, and various pull-outs along the journey. Since I wasn’t tracking with my GPS for most of the trip, I couldn’t do my traditional trek report, but I felt the trip was interesting enough to warrant a post and video. I’ll be returning to RMNP in the future for more traditional treks.

What You Will See

Where You Will Go