A Guide to Winter Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

On a nice clear and calm day from west Denver, one can see Long's Peak towering over the range. Calling out to challenge you to come up and stomp your hiking boots around its snow covered trails. At Rocky Mountain National Park they have a trail for everyone. Whether you are novice to expert winter hiker. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America's great wonders.

Whether you are day hiking, camping or mountain biking, here are a few things regarding your gear that are must-haves.

- Good Hiking Boots
- Layered Clothing
- Backpack with water and food
- Jacket
- Tent and camping equipment (if you are camping)
- GPS Device (Cell Phone)
- Snow Shoes

Winter in the Rocky Mountain National Park brings with it epic snow conditions west of the Continental Divide and lighter snowfall on the east side of the park which leaves lower elevation trails open for hiking. There are day hiking opportunities to those whom wish to travel without the aid of ski's or snowshoes. These next few trails I have listed are some of the more accessible day hikes available to winter hikers. Always remember before each outing to check with the Park Rangers for snow conditions and avalanche hazards.

The Pool, peak elevation of 8,200 ft. the difficulty is easy with a one way trip of 2.5 miles, which would make a 5 mile round trip hike. The Pool is a turbulent water pocket formed below the Spruce and Fern Creeks along the Big Thompson River. On your way, look for frozen water falls on the cliffs and arch rocks, also look for beaver cut Aspen.

The Cub Lake Trail, peak elevation of 8,600 ft. the difficulty is moderate with a one-way distance of 2.3 miles making a round trip 4.6 miles. On the Cub Lake Trail you will travel through stands of pine and aspen while grasping the landscape of moraines, cliffs, streams and pounds. Ice and deep snow will sometimes make the last mile of this trail a little more difficult and may require the assistance of snowshoes or ski's.

Gem Lake Trail, peak elevation of 8,800 ft. the 1.8-mile hike is a moderate with an elevation gain of 950 ft. On this trail you will enjoy seeing the 1.8 Billion year old granite that has been sculpted by wind and chemical erosion into a back-bone like ridge, which include spectacular views of Estes Valley and the Continental Divide and a curiously balanced rock called Paul Bunyan's Boot!

References for this article came from, nationalparks.com and winterhiking.com