Rocky Mountain National Park is a wild place in the winter. The jet stream seems to be permanently “parked” over this area, so expect high winds and seriously cold weather. I’ve been blown off more peaks and ice-climbs here during the winter months than anywhere else in Colorado.
That said, this location and season have provided some of my most memorable outdoor experiences. The impressive scenery of the park takes on an austere beauty when the peaks assume a mantle of snow and ice and the lakes freeze over. Wintering herds of elk congregate in the meadows, searching for food under the snow drifts.
The excellent trail systems allow year-round access into the heart of this amazing place – a few miles in and you’re in another world .
You may wonder why I described this outing as a snowshoe/hike, and not as a cross- country ski trip. Certainly, many people ski these trails – but conditions are rarely very good on this side of the park. Often the trail is so well packed that your snowshoes will stay on your back. There are better places to ski. But there have been occasions when we have left our snowshoes at the trailhead and later regretted the decision as we wallowed in waist- deep snow.
Hike description
From the parking area, follow the signs to Loch Vale. Pass two trail junctions in the first half mile, cross a series of footbridges and continue on to Alberta Falls. Don’t get too close to the edge as you view the icy cascade. Continue past the North Longs Peak trail junction, and after 2 miles reach the trail junction for Glacier Gorge. Continue to follow the signs to Loch Vale, shortly passing another trail junction for Lake Haiyaha. From here the trail climbs above the drainage on its right side, reaching a series of switchbacks to avoid a cliffband. As you head up the switchbacks, look over to the opposite side of the drainage to several curtains of ice that form reliably every year. On winter weekends there are likely to be ice-climbers on these vertical walls. Continue up to The Loch, where on a clear day there are spectacular views of the surrounding peaks, though sometimes the high winds in the area create limited visibility. Be careful about stepping onto the frozen surface of the lake.
Dave Cooper is the author of “Colorado Scrambles: A Guide to 50 Select Climbs in Colorado’s Mountains.”
