mills lake hike

On Wednesday, June 16th, I took the opportunity to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park for a mid-week hike. Before hiking the 2.7 miles up to Mills Lake, I decided to stop off at Sprague Lake for sunrise. Stopping at Sprague was part of my continuing quest to get a reflection shot there. But it turns out I was destined to be disappointed yet again. I got some nice alpenglow on the peaks of the Continental Divide, but the wind was up quite a bit and so the water was very choppy, rather than being the smooth canvas you need to get a reflection. Bummer.

Anyway, someone told me I need to watch the weather map and hit Sprague when there’s a high pressure system parked right over area, so I guess I’ll be glued to the Weather Channel the rest of the summer.

From Sprague, I went farther up Bear Lake Road to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (9,180 ft). Without question, this trailhead is one of the most popular spots in RMNP to begin a hike— and, as I think about it, this must be the eighth or ninth hike I’ve started from this spot. Since it’s such a popular spot, the parking lot is sure to be full by midmorning or even sooner, especially on weekends. I love getting back to the parking lot after a six hour hike and, the second I step up to the Mini, someone pulls over and asks if I’m leaving. Geez, buddy, just give me a minute, okay? Maybe if you’d have got here at 5am, like me, you’d have got a parking space. Grrr...

Deep breath, Rich. Deep breath.

A bit of actual advice: If the Glacier Gorge lot is full, you can keep going farther up the road and try the Bear Lake lot. From the Bear Lake Trailhead (9,450 ft), you can take a short spur trail (½ mile) & hike back down to pick up the main Loch Vale Trail.

As you make your way up the Loch Vale Trail to Alberta Falls, you’ll pass through a wee aspen grove & also have fun crossing over a few wooden footbridges.

Alberta Falls (9,400 ft) is only 0.8 mile from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, so it’s a popular destination for those looking for a short, easy hike. I got my shot here on my way up, even though the waterfall was still in shadow, because there was no one around to see me make a fool of myself if I fell in the water. On my hike out, there must have been two dozen people here, enjoying the view of the falls.

After passing Alberta Falls, the trail continues climbing up through the forest, with a couple of places where there are some rock shelves with great scenic views north & east. Continuing south, the trail becomes rocky & open as it runs beside Glacier Nobs, then it reenters the forest a short distance before you come to the junction between Loch Vale Trail and Glacier Gorge Trail.
Hang a left at the trail junction and the Glacier Gorge Trail will take you up to the northeast shore of Mills Lake. Once you reach the lake, you’re rewarded with a breathtaking view to the south, up to the impressive headwall of Glacier Gorge, including the flat summit cap of 14,259-foot Longs Peak. (The trail follows the eastern shore of the lake and then continues for 2.7 miles to Black Lake.)

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I was exploring along the shore of the lake and, in a sheltered little “inlet,” I came across the reflection you see below. Stumbling upon a decent reflection at Mills was an unexpected, yet very welcome, surprise. It’s funny how things play out sometimes: I mean, I had hopes of (finally) getting a reflection at Sprague, but was disappointed… and I had no thought at all of getting a reflection at Mills, yet that’s where I found one. Go figure.

Mills Lake (9,940 ft) is named for Enos Mills, the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park.” Mills campaigned tirelessly for years to promote the idea of establishing a national park in the area. Then on September 4, 1915, all of his hard work paid off when Mills attended the dedication ceremony opening the new Rocky Mountain National Park. Yeah! Thanks, Mr. Mills!!! One very cool thing about Enos Mills is that he summited my favorite mountain, Longs Peak, thirty times by himself (in every month of the year) and chalked up over 300 additional ascents as a guide. Wow.

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