Hiking | Emerald Lake Trail
Hype:
Emerald Lake Trail is an easy up-and-back trail to Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way, the trail passes Nymph Lake and Dream Lake. This trail is the most popular trail in the park, for good reason, and is often very crowded.
Trail Condition: Class 1 (Trail is either paved or gravel. Navigation skills are not needed because there is only one trail or because there are signs. Elevation gains are gradual or there are stairs.)
Time: 2-3 hours
Length: 3.33 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 850 ft
Fees: Park Entrance
Recommended Ages:
 | 0-3 |
 | 4-11 |
 | 12-19 |
 | 20-49 |
 | 50-69 |
 | 70+ |
Recommended Months to Visit:
| Jan |
| Feb |
| Mar |
| Apr |
| May |
| Jun |
| Jul |
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Navigate to 40.311945, -105.646015.
From the trailhead, follow the well-maintained trail to Emerald Lake. Along the way, stop and admire Nymph Lake (0.5 miles) and Dream Lake (1.0 miles).
Closest City or Region: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Coordinates: 40.309667, -105.666819
By Jeremy Dye
Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Cooper Dye, Arianne Dye, Miller Dye,
Because of Covid-19, we had to reserve a time spot to enter Rocky Mountain National Park. Our reservations were for 10:00. It took a little longer to leave in the morning than we thought, and we stopped at the Fall River Visitor Center on our way, so it was close to 11:00 by the time we reached the entrance station. Our van went through fine, but somehow when Ondy made the reservation she didn't click enough OK buttons, and she never actually completed the reservation, so they weren't able to enter the park. We made a U-turn and regrouped at the Visitor Center to reformulate our plans. We ate a picnic lunch on the tailgate while we looked up some activities in Estes Park, then half the people went to Rocky Mountain National Park while the other half drove back to the Airbnb and either napped or watched Netflix. They were concerned about runny noses and coughs and possibly having Covid, so Ondy, Killian and Madi got tested.
Those of us in the Park drove down to the Park-n-Ride and caught the shuttle to Bear Lake. We then hiked up to Emerald Lake along with approximately 1 million other tourists. I'd hate to see how crowded it gets when they don't have restrictions on entrance. After our hike, we caught the shuttle bus back and drove back to the Airbnb, arriving for a late dinner.
Hiking Trails
Waterfalls
Lakes and Reservoirs
Mountains
Rivers and Streams
No Drinking Water
Marked Trails
Restrooms - Flush
Road Access is Paved
Access Road is 2WD Accessible
Viewpoint, Overlooks, Vistas
Wildflowers and Vegitation
Wildlife and Birding
Hiking: 
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