I had a summer job with the National Park Service back in 1974 in Estes Park. First time away from home after high school graduation. My job was to keep the hiking trails clean and safe and maybe went on a rescue mission to help some woman. I worked with four other people on our crew. We would camp out on the trails for ten days and then back to Estes Park for four days off. I am from the Northern Virginia area and have never seen snow on the ground during the summer. People would sometimes come up the mountain to bring us beer and pack it in the snow. Think we camped around Bear Lake. I recall Longs Peak. I haven't been back since but would like to. That was one wild summer.
WoW! Thank you for that awesome break from our day to accompany you and your Mom to the Summit!!!! So very beautiful with all that fresh snow!!! Thanks again!
Thanks for your channel. I watch all the time! The trails still have the same landmarks as when I hiked them 47 years ago (fire trail boulder for instance). I’m a Colorado native, and when I was growing up there was less than 400K people in the whole state.😃 I remember we all freaked out when it crossed 1 million. My folks wouldn’t let me drive from Ft. C to Denver alone, ‘cuz if the car broke down no one might pass me for 2-3 HOURS. Ha! So I get it about the people overload. If I can survive present health issues, you’ve inspired me to go back up to the mountains. It was once my life. But I DID like it better years ago-only a 2-lane road into Boulder from Denver. It’s so great to see the park. Thanks for taking me with you virtually. And thanks again for a terrific channel.
Nick, it's so nice to watch this hike with so many lakes in RMNP. You and Barb covered a lot of ground. I can't wait to take advantage of the Fire Trail. I think I now have figured out where you enter it when you come back from the Mills/Loch split (turn to the left, look for big rock!!) but I am still trying to figure out how to enter it from where you start out. Thanks again for sharing the COlorado VIDeo. We are getting pumped about our own vacation in RMNP this summer by watching your hikes.. Thanks!! Your #1 TN Fans: T & S
Nick, beginning the day after Labor Day my wife and I will be in RMNP for four days. Hopefully right after the holiday there will be less crowds. Your video was excellent and helped me plan a few hikes. I haven't been to RMNP for 45 years. Can't wait. Thanks for all the effort you put into this production.
This one gets shared with my Twitter and FB folk. It's too beautiful not to :) I've yet to try to reserve a time for the park, haven't even looked up how it works. I just miss it up there and hope to perhaps get a good day in soon. Thanks for sharing!
Want to take our Mother up that area again. Last we went to Brainard and it was amazing. Want to know if safe to take this trail for her with aging hips and knees. Grandkids will be there to motivate her. What other lakes you recommend for her also. Thanks
The Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lakes hike is pretty good. There is almost a paved trail up to Nymph. Actually, I will be showing this exact hike in my next video.
Hi there Very nice and useful video, thanks. Question: I dont fully understand how the reservation (for the park) works, if I park at the park and ride station (and use the shuttle) you mentioned, do I still need to book on line for the parking fee? the fee is almost nothing but is my understanding that is kind of difficult to book a spot. Please, let me know your comments, Thanks in advance.
Yes, you would need the Bear Lake Cooridor access to get to the Park n Ride. It is very difficult to get the passes for the morning. But if you go in before 5am you don't need the pass.
I could not manage to follow that connector trail from Haiyaha but ended up wandering among the various ponds near the knobs. Any plans for "big" hikes yet for this year? Isolation is nice--or Cracktop/Julian via Ida (and if I was evil I would also suggest Stones Peak...)
The ones I am eyeing are Chiefs Head, McHenrys and Meeker via Hunter Creek. I saw Julian though when I was up on Trail Ridge and its calling my name. Havent researched Stones Peak but now you got me curious!
@@nicksangetta8874 Stones you can hit starting from Fern Lake TH, which you follow to Spruce Lake. From there, it's a short/nasty bushwhack north across Spruce Creek, then a long, unrelenting bushwhack up the south/southwest slope of Stones' sub-peak ("Stapps Peak"). Another option is up the continental divide then to Sprague and across on the ridge. It's a bit of a horror of a mountain due to awkward location in Forest/Spruce canyon, especially if the mosquitoes are out--recommended! I hike-failed McHenrys (one of two of the highest 20 named peaks I haven't climbed in the park, the other being Desolation). The route-finding seems difficult to find the acceptably risky class 3 route to the summit. I got within a couple hundred vertical feet before giving up as the snow I was on started to get frightfully steep. If you try that one, make sure you get nice video of the route--I can't find anything passable online!
@@alquinn8576 ooohh man. That sucks you got that close but didnt get it. Sounds brutal. I heard the route finding is very difficult. I dont know.. wanted to give it a shot. Have you done Little Matterhorn? If so i will assume the exposure isnt as bad as Desolation Peaks.
@@nicksangetta8874 Have not attempted but I remember seeing it from Joe Mills and wondering what the routes were like. I am reading that the final ridge traverse is a bit tricky there as well. My mistake with McHenry's is going too early in the season. It might make more sense once the snow is mostly melted. It looks like this year is a relatively low-snow year.
Hey Nick, next week I'm going do the CDT loop trail in RMNP with my cousin. I know you just day hike, but you are lucky enough to live in the area. We fly in from Louisiana. I can't wait though, so now I've just been catching up on some of your videos. It's cool to hear how the parking is working, because we plan to park at Bear Lake TH. I wasn't worried though, because we already checked that we could go in the middle of the night. Now I know for sure we don't have to worry about it. Anyway, I will be thinking of you and your videos while I'm there. Maybe I'll print your photo, lol, so I will be able to recognize you if I see you. haha, just joking, but it would be cool to run into you on the trail! Take care and feel free to share any suggestions. Grabbing a few beers when we pass through Grand Lake is already high on my list.
We did the Bear, Nymph, Dream an Emerald last time we were there, amazing trail. It still had snow at that time to in fact it was a year ago this week we were up there. That last patch of snow before getting to Emerald was very tricky when we were there , we attempted to go across the top part of it an i got scared an went back. We went down the bottom by the water an across. We dont have spikes. But it was so worth it! An wow that guy going up the side of the mountain was kind of crazy!
We just went there last week..so quick and easy loop around bear lake ..probably take us 40 mins because we have too many stop to see the view and taking pictures..click my name and i have a video as well..thx
Went last week with friend and barely made it to Dream! Got there at 4:30am and back to Wellington by 9am, ahahahahaha! Guess my new hiking partner isn't going to work out to well! Gonna grab Hallet this weekend and guess I'm on my own.ahahahaha!
@@nicksangetta8874 Yeah didn't time it right and was paranoid we wouldn't get a parking place since we had no reservation. It would take a lot of snow to stop me:) Oh well, now I'm comfortable getting up there on my own, my dad was the one that always drove!
Nick: We'll ne at RMNP next week for our first time ever. The trails and scenery on this video look great. It's our Plan A. Question: Do you think that snow you encountered going to Hayatha Lake will be gone? many thnx sir. Your videos are the best.
Great video! Thanks 😉
I had a summer job with the National Park Service back in 1974 in Estes Park. First time away from home after high school graduation. My job was to keep the hiking trails clean and safe and maybe went on a rescue mission to help some woman. I worked with four other people on our crew. We would camp out on the trails for ten days and then back to Estes Park for four days off. I am from the Northern Virginia area and have never seen snow on the ground during the summer. People would sometimes come up the mountain to bring us beer and pack it in the snow. Think we camped around Bear Lake. I recall Longs Peak. I haven't been back since but would like to. That was one wild summer.
WoW! Thank you for that awesome break from our day to accompany you and your Mom to the Summit!!!! So very beautiful with all that fresh snow!!! Thanks again!
Nice Video Nick! We'll do this trail next week. What a view! Thank you.
Thanks for your channel. I watch all the time! The trails still have the same landmarks as when I hiked them 47 years ago (fire trail boulder for instance). I’m a Colorado native, and when I was growing up there was less than 400K people in the whole state.😃 I remember we all freaked out when it crossed 1 million. My folks wouldn’t let me drive from Ft. C to Denver alone, ‘cuz if the car broke down no one might pass me for 2-3 HOURS. Ha! So I get it about the people overload. If I can survive present health issues, you’ve inspired me to go back up to the mountains. It was once my life. But I DID like it better years ago-only a 2-lane road into Boulder from Denver. It’s so great to see the park. Thanks for taking me with you virtually. And thanks again for a terrific channel.
Nick, it's so nice to watch this hike with so many lakes in RMNP. You and Barb covered a lot of ground. I can't wait to take advantage of the Fire Trail. I think I now have figured out where you enter it when you come back from the Mills/Loch split (turn to the left, look for big rock!!) but I am still trying to figure out how to enter it from where you start out. Thanks again for sharing the COlorado VIDeo. We are getting pumped about our own vacation in RMNP this summer by watching your hikes.. Thanks!! Your #1 TN Fans: T & S
That beautiful blue sky. 💓💓
Great video! My wife and I could not make it past Nymph Lake due to health reasons. Thanks for giving me a peek at what we missed.
Nick, beginning the day after Labor Day my wife and I will be in RMNP for four days. Hopefully right after the holiday there will be less crowds. Your video was excellent and helped me plan a few hikes. I haven't been to RMNP for 45 years. Can't wait. Thanks for all the effort you put into this production.
This one gets shared with my Twitter and FB folk. It's too beautiful not to :) I've yet to try to reserve a time for the park, haven't even looked up how it works. I just miss it up there and hope to perhaps get a good day in soon. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! And yeah.. the permit system sucks until the actual moment you get in the park.
Want to take our Mother up that area again. Last we went to Brainard and it was amazing.
Want to know if safe to take this trail for her with aging hips and knees.
Grandkids will be there to motivate her.
What other lakes you recommend for her also.
Thanks
The Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lakes hike is pretty good. There is almost a paved trail up to Nymph. Actually, I will be showing this exact hike in my next video.
@@nicksangetta8874 much appreciated and watching the rest of your Uploads to get ideas for our next adventure in Colorado. Have an AWESOME DAY
Watchin' the news, all stressed out. Saw you posted a new vid. Walked along with you and the rest of the world faded away.
Hi there
Very nice and useful video, thanks.
Question: I dont fully understand how the reservation (for the park) works, if I park at the park and ride station (and use the shuttle) you mentioned, do I still need to book on line for the parking fee? the fee is almost nothing but is my understanding that is kind of difficult to book a spot.
Please, let me know your comments,
Thanks in advance.
Yes, you would need the Bear Lake Cooridor access to get to the Park n Ride. It is very difficult to get the passes for the morning. But if you go in before 5am you don't need the pass.
Emerald Lake and Loch Vale are my favorites in those areas!! I want to wander in there and LIVE for a few months. Damn babies screaming!!
Hey Nick planning to travel to Rocky Mountains 21-25 do you think the trail ridge road will be open based on the this years weather?
I could not manage to follow that connector trail from Haiyaha but ended up wandering among the various ponds near the knobs.
Any plans for "big" hikes yet for this year? Isolation is nice--or Cracktop/Julian via Ida (and if I was evil I would also suggest Stones Peak...)
The ones I am eyeing are Chiefs Head, McHenrys and Meeker via Hunter Creek. I saw Julian though when I was up on Trail Ridge and its calling my name. Havent researched Stones Peak but now you got me curious!
@@nicksangetta8874 Stones you can hit starting from Fern Lake TH, which you follow to Spruce Lake. From there, it's a short/nasty bushwhack north across Spruce Creek, then a long, unrelenting bushwhack up the south/southwest slope of Stones' sub-peak ("Stapps Peak"). Another option is up the continental divide then to Sprague and across on the ridge. It's a bit of a horror of a mountain due to awkward location in Forest/Spruce canyon, especially if the mosquitoes are out--recommended!
I hike-failed McHenrys (one of two of the highest 20 named peaks I haven't climbed in the park, the other being Desolation). The route-finding seems difficult to find the acceptably risky class 3 route to the summit. I got within a couple hundred vertical feet before giving up as the snow I was on started to get frightfully steep. If you try that one, make sure you get nice video of the route--I can't find anything passable online!
@@alquinn8576 ooohh man. That sucks you got that close but didnt get it. Sounds brutal. I heard the route finding is very difficult. I dont know.. wanted to give it a shot. Have you done Little Matterhorn? If so i will assume the exposure isnt as bad as Desolation Peaks.
@@nicksangetta8874 Have not attempted but I remember seeing it from Joe Mills and wondering what the routes were like. I am reading that the final ridge traverse is a bit tricky there as well.
My mistake with McHenry's is going too early in the season. It might make more sense once the snow is mostly melted. It looks like this year is a relatively low-snow year.
Hey Nick, next week I'm going do the CDT loop trail in RMNP with my cousin. I know you just day hike, but you are lucky enough to live in the area. We fly in from Louisiana. I can't wait though, so now I've just been catching up on some of your videos. It's cool to hear how the parking is working, because we plan to park at Bear Lake TH. I wasn't worried though, because we already checked that we could go in the middle of the night. Now I know for sure we don't have to worry about it. Anyway, I will be thinking of you and your videos while I'm there. Maybe I'll print your photo, lol, so I will be able to recognize you if I see you. haha, just joking, but it would be cool to run into you on the trail! Take care and feel free to share any suggestions.
Grabbing a few beers when we pass through Grand Lake is already high on my list.
We did the Bear, Nymph, Dream an Emerald last time we were there, amazing trail. It still had snow at that time to in fact it was a year ago this week we were up there. That last patch of snow before getting to Emerald was very tricky when we were there , we attempted to go across the top part of it an i got scared an went back. We went down the bottom by the water an across. We dont have spikes. But it was so worth it! An wow that guy going up the side of the mountain was kind of crazy!
Unless you live in the national park, you are a tourist too.
can someone tell me that how long does it take to complete this whole hike ?thnks
We just went there last week..so quick and easy loop around bear lake ..probably take us 40 mins because we have too many stop to see the view and taking pictures..click my name and i have a video as well..thx
Went last week with friend and barely made it to Dream! Got there at 4:30am and back to Wellington by 9am, ahahahahaha! Guess my new hiking partner isn't going to work out to well! Gonna grab Hallet this weekend and guess I'm on my own.ahahahaha!
430! Dang thats early! Lol.. so I take it the partner was what stopped you.. not the snow.
@@nicksangetta8874 Yeah didn't time it right and was paranoid we wouldn't get a parking place since we had no reservation. It would take a lot of snow to stop me:) Oh well, now I'm comfortable getting up there on my own, my dad was the one that always drove!
Can people swim (or even want to swim) in any the lakes?
Nick: We'll ne at RMNP next week for our first time ever. The trails and scenery on this video look great. It's our Plan A. Question: Do you think that snow you encountered going to Hayatha Lake will be gone? many thnx sir. Your videos are the best.
I need to learn these fire trails!!
I love this video! Great tips! How long did it take for you guys to do the whole trail round trip? Trying to plan a trip there soon