We spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park and found some wonderful family friendly hikes. One of our favorites was a short loop hike around Bear Lake. This hike ran for just one mile around a short lake on a wide, broad path.
To find this hike, drive to the end of Bear Lake Road. There is a large parking lot, but sometimes it fills up. If the lot is full, you will be required to park at the park and ride and take the shuttle to the trailhead. The trail starts at the far end of the parking lot by the small ranger station. There were several rangers there to answer questions and guide us in the right direction.
The lake is only about a hundred feet up the trail. There the path splits. We went to the right around this crystal clear lake. There are a lot of places to take pictures on the huge granite rocks surrounding the lake. The path is also nicely shaded by towering pines. The morning we were there, the lake was shrouded in fog, which made it particularly beautiful.
This is probably our favorite hike in Rocky Mountain, beacause it is so simple and beautiful, even though there tends to be a lot of traffic. We recommend going very early and hitting this hike first, or going later in the afternoon when others will be leaving this area. If you only do one hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, make it this one!
