NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS

Rocky Mountain National Park: Grand Loop

Follow a long-forgotten 5- to 7-day loop in Rocky Mountain National Park across the Continental Divide, through moose-infested meadows, and up Longs Peak via a rarely climbed route.

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Author:	Backpacker Magazine
Activity:	Backpacking ActivitySearchBackpacking
State:	Colorado (CO)
Distance:	42.94 mi
Difficulty:	8 / 10
Rating:	1 rating(s)

This trip starts with a bang: a 4.4-mile, 2,874-foot climb from Bear Lake trailhead to 12,324-foot Flattop Mountain. Head northwest on Tonahutu Creek Trail 3.5 miles across Bighorn Flats; end just below treeline at Renegade campsite.

The next day, stroll downhill 4.5 miles to Big Meadows and camp in .75 to 1.5 miles at South Meadows or Paintbrush campsites. From here, it's less than two hours to the village of Grand Lake. Follow Summerland Park and West Portal Roads for 1.5 miles to East Inlet trailhead. Walk up the East Inlet drainage 6.6 miles to Lake Verna for the best campsite in the valley. Take a rest day and explore the emerald-grass shores of Fifth Lake, below aptly named Isolation Peak (13,118 feet). To reach Boulder-Grand Pass, follow an unmaintained trail east, past Spirit Lake, to the north side of Fourth Lake. Bushwhack steeply to the east-northeast to the 12,061-foot pass. Descend the east side, skirting a permanent snowfield alongside a steep gully on the left (north). Continue to the designated campsite just east of the patrol cabin beside Thunder Lake.

On day six, climb northeast through open forest to the Lion Lake Trail. After a .5-mile side trip to explore the wildflowers around the Lion Lakes and Trio Falls, follow game trails east from Lion Lake No. 1, climbing about 500 vertical feet to North Ridge, just west of Mt. Orton. Contour down the far side to the north and camp at the upper end of the Hunters Creek cross-country zone.

Next morning, climb to the cirque below Longs Peak's south face. Keplingers Couloir rises steeply for 1,600 feet to the Notch, between Longs and Mt. Meeker. A few simple hand-and-foot moves are required to pass obstacles; keep right when in doubt until you reach the base of the Palisades cliffs. Expect snow in this chute until late June. Traverse left across exposed slabs to the Keyhole Route; follow red-and-yellow blazes to the cleaved summit of Longs Peak (14,259 ft.). Finish an exhausting day with a 10-mile, 4,800-foot descent of the Keyhole Route, North Longs Peak Trail, and Glacier Gorge Trail to close this 43-mile loop.

WHEN TO GO: Wildflowers explode in mid-July; elk bugle in September. Check conditions on Longs' upper faces before starting—snow and ice may require technical skills (plus an ice axe and crampons) in shoulder seasons.

PERMITS: Reserve permits ($20 per trip) by phone starting March 1; after May 15, mail in requests or apply in person at the backcountry office beside the Beaver Meadows visitor center: nps.gov/romo, (970) 586-1242; Backcountry Office, Estes Park, CO 80517. Permitted backcountry camping is limited to seven consecutive nights per party.

VACATION PLANNER: Get hotel, restaurant, and great travel beta at nationalparktrips.com/rockymountainpark.aspx

3D VIDEO: See video clips and fly this route in 3D at www.backpacker.com/3d_flyover_rocky_mountain_national_park/videos/89

--mapped by Dougald MacDonald

TO TRAILHEAD: Go 9 miles on Bear Lake Road from the Beaver Meadows entrance to a large lot.

Position Format:	Datum:

Tracks

GLT01

Dist: 42.94 mi	Points: 3784	Calories: none
Time: none	Speed: 0.0 mph	Pace: 0:00 / mi

Rocky Mountain Grand Loop

Points of Interest

WPT001

Location: 40.311996°, -105.646291°
Start: From the Bear Lake trailhead, head east for 0.1 mile.

WPT002

Location: 40.313182°, -105.646570°
Turn right at 3-way junction onto the Flattop Mountain Trail, and begin a steady ascent through a thick conifer forest intermixed with spruce-fir and aspen stands.

WPT003

Location: 40.317407°, -105.643959°
Turn left at 3-way junction and continue towards Flattop Mountain.

WPT004

Location: 40.316422°, -105.653051°
Turn left at 3-way junction and continue ascending through the trees. Peek-a-boo views of Glacier Gorge begin emerging to the southwest.

WPT005

Location: 40.312556°, -105.659096°
Take a moment and catch your breath at Dream Lake Overlook, an impressive birds-eye view of Dream Lake over 1,000-feet below. The trail continues to ascend through thick spruce-fir groves and winds up several switchbacks.

WPT006

Location: 40.315288°, -105.665351°
As the forest begins to thin out make sure to evaluate the weather before continuing on. During summer months afternoon storms can build quickly, stranding hikers inside ferocious thunderstorms.

WPT007

Location: 40.314692°, -105.670269°
Midway up a series of tight switchbacks is Emerald Lake overlook, a 3,000-foot vertical drop deep into the Tyndall Gorge. Glacier Gorge and Longs Peak are clearly visible to the southeast, and Tyndall Glacier, one of five remaining active glaciers in the park, can be spotted to the west.

WPT008

Location: 40.310348°, -105.684187°
Just below the summit, pass a large hitchrack marking the top of Tyndall Glacier, which can be seen to the east. The trail quickly ascends the last few hundred feet to the large flat summit of Flattop Mountain.

WPT009

Location: 40.308971°, -105.690256°
Flattop Mountain Summit (12,324 ft.). The summit, largely a flat swath of alpine tundra, has no official summit marker, but hikers generally consider the Flattop Mountain Trail - Tonahutu Trail Junction the official top. Views include Longs Peak to the southeast, Hallet Peak to the east, and 180-degree views of the park to the west. To continue, descend the Tonahutu Trail toward Ptarmigan Pass.

WPT010

Location: 40.330450°, -105.733881°
Cross fork of Tonahutu Creek

WPT011

Location: 40.335662°, -105.748797°
Timberline campsite area

WPT012

Location: 40.333398°, -105.747542°
Renegade campsite area

WPT013

Location: 40.335444°, -105.754448°
Haynach campsite area

WPT014

Location: 40.325393°, -105.757392°
Tonahutu Meadows campsite area

WPT015

Location: 40.319822°, -105.771466°
Granite Falls campsite area

WPT016

Location: 40.318987°, -105.775173°
Lower Granite Falls camps

WPT017

Location: 40.323113°, -105.791224°
Sunrise area campsites

WPT018

Location: 40.320855°, -105.798457°
Sunset camping area

WPT019

Location: 40.309871°, -105.809044°
Big Meadows camp area

WPT020

Location: 40.296987°, -105.813052°
South Meadows camping area

WPT021

Location: 40.295812°, -105.812819°
Paint Brush

WPT022

Location: 40.281265°, -105.815469°
Lodgepole camping areas

WPT023

Location: 40.256316°, -105.816039°
Tonahutu Creek and North Inlet trailhead. Its not uncommon to see anglers fishing for trout. From here, follow Summerland Park and West Portal Roads for 1.5 miles to the East Inlet trailhead.

WPT024

Location: 40.253754°, -105.832608°
Gateway Inn: A good place to resupply, shower ($10), and eat a piece of pie for brunch.

WPT025

Location: 40.239368°, -105.799871°
East Inlet trailhead: Pretty cross-meadow views up the valley.

WPT026

Location: 40.237117°, -105.797497°
Short loop trail past Adams Falls cascades.

WPT027

Location: 40.237477°, -105.784279°
Meadow overlook with good view to Mt. Craig.

WPT028

Location: 40.228872°, -105.759110°
Overlook atop granite shelves near entrance to upper East Inlet Creek valley, with great views to the west.

WPT029

Location: 40.230410°, -105.758473°
Beginning of Cats Lair Dispersed Camping Area

WPT030

Location: 40.226160°, -105.742845°
End of dispersed camping area by bridge over East Inlet Creek.

WPT031

Location: 40.230437°, -105.736284°
Gray Jay group camping area

WPT032

Location: 40.231123°, -105.733002°
Lone Pine Lake

WPT033

Location: 40.233038°, -105.728199°
Pretty trailside cascade

WPT034

Location: 40.233186°, -105.727381°
Slickrock Campsite

WPT035

Location: 40.231414°, -105.725991°
Solitaire campsite

WPT036

Location: 40.228675°, -105.716040°
Upper East Inlet campsite

WPT037

Location: 40.227643°, -105.711736°
Lake Verna Campsite: best camping in the valley. End of maintained trail.

WPT038

Location: 40.225182°, -105.697720°
Spirit Lake

WPT039

Location: 40.222614°, -105.687547°
Fourth Lake

WPT040

Location: 40.222833°, -105.685271°
Start of bushwhack toward Boulder-Grand Pass, following tiny creek steeply uphill.

WPT041

Location: 40.224885°, -105.673436°
Grass hummocks in shallow, wet gully near treeline. The way to the pass is obvious from here.

WPT042

Location: 40.224826°, -105.668884°
Boulder-Grand Pass

WPT043

Location: 40.225002°, -105.668668°
Top of descent gully bypassing permanent snowfield on east side of pass

WPT044

Location: 40.224731°, -105.665297°
Lake of Many Winds

WPT045

Location: 40.223993°, -105.648855°
Thunder Lake

WPT046

Location: 40.222413°, -105.644908°
Thunder Lake patrol cabin; designated campsites are located northeast (follow signs).

WPT047

Location: 40.230179°, -105.637302°
Intersection with Lion Lake Trail in wet meadow. About half an hour from Thunder Lake campsite to here. Leave trail again.

WPT048

Location: 40.228983°, -105.635058°
Scramble through gap in small cliff band

WPT049

Location: 40.229095°, -105.634698°
Granite-lined Castle Lake, with super views of the east face of Mt. Alice.

WPT050

Location: 40.230571°, -105.627141°
Above-treeline saddle on North Ridge. Keplinger's Couloir on the south face of Longs Peak is in plain view.

WPT051

Location: 40.235468°, -105.625671°
Cross Hunters Creek at outlet of small pond below Keplinger Lake. Tough going ahead through boulders and krummholz for about half a mile.

WPT052

Location: 40.242415°, -105.619499°
Shallow ponds beneath striking cliffs at the end of Pagoda Mountain's long south ridge.

WPT053

Location: 40.246502°, -105.617554°
Base of steep scree cone.

WPT054

Location: 40.247972°, -105.616901°
Entrance to Keplingers Couloir, the gully splitting the south face of Longs Peak

WPT055

Location: 40.249846°, -105.616161°
Gully forks. Take the branch to the right.

WPT056

Location: 40.251530°, -105.614034°
Foot of the Palisades cliffs. Join a route called Clark's Arrow, headed for the summit of Longs Peak

WPT057

Location: 40.253713°, -105.614820°
Just below the Notch, the dramatic gap between the Palisades and Longs' summit block. Follow ledges to the left.

WPT058

Location: 40.253891°, -105.616571°
Join Keyhole Route at the bottom of the Homestretch. Drop pack and follow red and yellow bull's-eye blazes to the top.

WPT059

Location: 40.254901°, -105.615521°
Longs Peak: Summit! 14,259 feet. To continue, backtrack on the Keyhole Route.

WPT060

Location: 40.253834°, -105.616979°
East end of the Narrows on the Keyhole Route.

WPT061

Location: 40.254341°, -105.618289°
Top of the Trough, a huge northwest-facing couloir. Watch for icy snow patches.

WPT062

Location: 40.256152°, -105.620515°
Exit the Trough toward the Ledges, leading to the Keyhole.

WPT063

Location: 40.260204°, -105.620991°
The Keyhole. Follow blazes to avoid cutting east too soon and cliffing out on the False Keyhole.

WPT064

Location: 40.263537°, -105.615609°
The Boulderfield Campsites. This is where the Boulderfield Shelter Cabin stood until 1937.

WPT065

Location: 40.274089°, -105.605403°
Granite Pass. Trail to the right leads to the Longs Peak Ranger Station. Follow North Longs Peak Trail to the north.

WPT066

Location: 40.286656°, -105.604019°
Saddle with good view of north side of Longs Peak.

WPT067

Location: 40.289619°, -105.603094°
Treeline

WPT068

Location: 40.289092°, -105.617369°
Boulder Brook Campsites, just down the Boulder Brook Trail.

WPT069

Location: 40.301196°, -105.631957°
Along this gentle downhill section, you'll catch views of the entire valley and the Glacier Gorge trailhead below and to the right.

WPT070

Location: 40.299011°, -105.638276°
A wooden bridge spans this deep, gushing gorge and connects to a slickrock-like section of trail before jogging left.

WPT071

Location: 40.299691°, -105.639371°
Admire the valley views at the rest stop just before the 3-way junction. Turn right.

WPT072

Location: 40.303909°, -105.638199°
Alberta Falls

WPT073

Location: 40.304634°, -105.638626°
Heading downstream, the trail skirts the log-jammed river. Stop for an upstream peek at several tumbling cascades as you head downhill.

WPT074

Location: 40.306206°, -105.638908°
A few user-created trails lead to the edge of a deep ravine. Stick to the main trail: overgrowth and tree-cover make for a less than spectacular scene.