Snowshoeing to Dream Lake in March
It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, without much of a breeze. I hit the trail rather late, after visiting with the Smith Girls before they left on their Spring Break trip to Kansas. I stopped in Moraine Park to take a couple of pictures of the distant mountains. Pictured below are Stones Peak (left) and Ypsilon Mountain (right).
For those who haven't been, Bear Lake Road through Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is a beautiful mountain road, complete with switchbacks, steep drop-offs and amazing views. As I came around a corner, Hallett Peak loomed in front of me.
I didn't even get to Bear Lake until about 1:30 p.m. But I decided that I wanted to make it all the way to Dream Lake that afternoon. At the trailhead, the snow was packed hard. The picture below can give you a good perspective; the railings shown are at the sides of the trail and usually come up to my hips.
The signs at the trailhead can also give you a good perspective on the depth of the snow. The sign on the right is generally about waist-high.
The first part of the trail was covered in well-packed snow (left). The Tyndall Gorge trail system is probably the most traveled trail in all of RMNP. Eventually, you come out at Nymph Lake (right). Note though, that the winter trail actually comes out (where I took the picture from) at the opposite end of the lake as the summer trail.
As the trail winds up from Nymph Lake, the side of the trail seems to drop off more steeply. The trail is barely a foot wide in some places!
Pictured below are two views of Longs Peak from the trail, which has amazing views!
Finally, I reached my destination. I've been to Dream Lake many times during the summer months, when travel is easier. But this was my first winter visit. It was amazing! I got to walk right out onto the middle of the lake to take pictures and look at the scenery. Pictured below are Hallett Peak (left) and Flattop Mountain (right). Last summer, I summitted Flattop with Lori and Elizabeth Smith (my favorite little sherpa). It was really neat to see this view in a different season, with the different colors and light than summer provides.
On my descent, I was able to take in views of the valley below and the Estes Valley in the distance. Because of the steepness and narrowness of the trail, I hadn't spent as much time looking over my shoulders as I normally would, had the trail been dry.
I hope you enjoyed my little snowshoe adventure to Dream Lake! It was a great Spring Break excursion for me.
(Written March 15, 2007)