gem lake hike

I hiked up to Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this past Monday morning (Memorial Day). This small pond, hemmed in on three sides by steep granite cliffs, lies at an elevation of 8,820 feet above sea level and is a 1.7 mile hike from the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead north of Estes Park. Unlike most mountain lakes in RMNP, this small pond isn’t stream-fed, but instead is just a shallow (only five feet at its deepest point), rocky bowl that collects rain water & snow melt.

I wanted to be at Gem Lake for sunrise, so I did most of the hike up in the dark. This is a popular, well-maintained trail so I didn’t have any real trouble following it by the light of my headlamp, although navigating through one sandy area took a bit of guess work. Later, on my way back down to the trailhead, I could see by the light of day that at that spot there are several ‘unofficial’ paths that branch off to explore some boulders which offer bird’s eye views of Estes Park.

Anyway, on the hike up, I made it to the lake in plenty of time for sunrise. While researching this hike, I hadn’t found very many good photos of the pond and I have to admit that one of the reasons I decided to head up there was to challenge myself to come back with some better shots. From my research, it looked like there would be a nice view across the lake of Longs Peak… if you could somehow climb up to a vantage point somewhere on the granite cliff that rises above Gem’s northern shoreline. From somewhere up on that cliff, I was sure you’d be able to see Longs Peak out beyond the “notch” in the cliffs on Gem’s southern side (this “notch” is where the trail arrives at the lake). So I followed the trail as it went along the sandy western shoreline and then, at a point just beyond the lake, I looked around on the cliff face to my right & found a likely route up the steep outcrop. I climbed up and made my way back south to a vantage point high above the lake. And, sure enough, there’s a pretty cool view across the lake from up there.

Truth be told, unless you’re willing to scramble up the cliffs to a high vantage point like I found, Gem Lake really isn’t anything to write home about. The real reason for most people to do this hike will be the unbelievably spectacular views of Estes Park, Longs Peak, & the Continental Divide found along the trail. But, like I said, my reason for doing this hike was to challenge myself to bring back a few cool shots from Gem, so once I was finally perched above the lake just before sunrise, I was excited to find the moon setting over Longs Peak and see it reflected in the still water. I think this might be my favorite shot from the hike.

Over the next two hours, I scrambled around the granite outcrops a bit, getting shots from three different vantage points above the lake. Other than trying not to drop all my camera gear down the cliff, this was a peaceful time & I enjoyed the solitude as the sun rose and lit the scene. During that entire period, I only saw two other people at the lake and both of them were just hiking on through, headed for other destinations.

On the hike out, I scrambled up a tilting rock face just below the lake (on the west side of the trail) and got the shot you see below of Estes Park, Twin Sisters, & Longs Peak. Hiking up in the dark, I missed the breathtaking views the trail offers, but I sure took pleasure in them on the hike out. There’s one point on the trail where the entire panoramic sweep of mountain peaks from Meeker & Longs all the way west to Notchtop Mountain is there in front of you. I can’t recommend this trail enough, just for these views.

And, yes, of course, I had to get a shot with Paul Bunyan’s Boot!

One final note: You don’t have to pass through an entrance station to get to the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead... or the Cow Creek Trailhead, from my Bridal Veil Falls hike last month... so you can do these hikes for free!

Thanks for reading about stuff I’ve photographed. ~ Rich