Note: We visited Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer of 2020, a few weeks after our visit massive fires caused the park to be closed for an extended period of time. As of this writing the park is open, but some areas are still in recovery from the fire and may remain so for some time.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most beautiful areas of the country with majestic mountains and crystal clear lakes. A lot of the park is only accessible to serious adventures willing to climb to above alpine levels, but while we were there with a toddler and a grandma we found a few wonderful short and easy hikes that let anyone enjoy this incredible park.
These three hikes are loops around small lakes located on the east side of the park. All the lakes are located not far from parking lots and shuttle stops. Sprague lake is the only one though that could be considered accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.
You can see us do these hikes and more in this vlog.
Lily Lake
Probably our favorite hike of the trip was Lily Lake. We hiked it just at sunset and the mountains and the water were absolutely beautiful at that time. Around sunset is a great time to hike if you would like to see wildlife. We were able to see quite a few animals including a pair of large elk.
This is a small loop hike around a little lake. It is not in the main east are of the park, as it is actually south of there off of Highway 7, so it was less crowded than some other areas. It is just under a mile and has almost no elevation gain.
Sprague Lake
Sprague Lake is located just off of Bear Lake Road. There is a large parking lot. Just follow the signs for Sprague Lake. I think this is the most accessible of the three trails we are talking about today. There is almost no elevation gain and some of the trail is boardwalk.
Sprague Lake is kind of like two connected pools so you walk around both them. On the back side there are other longer hikes that branch off, but if you just keep following the lake you will come back around to the parking lot.
This hike is just about half a mile so it is easy for children to walk.
Bear Lake
The third easy lake hike that we did is called Bear Lake. This is one of the most popular parts of the park so be prepared for it to be crowded here. The hike around Bear Lake doesn’t take too long, but this trail head also leads out to other much longer and more difficult trails. If it is a crowded day in the park it may be best to take the shuttle which is very convenient.
The Bear Lake trail is a half mile loop with minimal elevation gain. It felt like there was a little more up and down here than the other two lakes, but it is still not bad at all. Most of the trail is in the shade most of the day because of all the tall trees that surround the lake.
The views at Bear Lake are really incredible with a huge granite mountain casting its reflection into the water. You are likely to see some wildlife as well.
Sum Up
Rocky Mountain National Park has great hikes for families, even those with young children or accessibility concerns. We really loved doing these three hikes and would highly recommend them. The beauty to effort reward here is quite substantial.
