Last updated on July 13th, 2020 at 01:12 am
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Every year I get excited for summer because it means hiking. But it seems like summer always flies by and then I am sitting on the couch waiting for winter to be over again. This lead me to the conclusion that I have not been taking advantage of the winter.
This year I decided that I wanted to learn to snowshoe. I attempted to go for the first time on New Years’ Eve and I’ve been several times since. It makes hiking in the winter not only doable, but enjoyable!
The best trail I have found yet for beginners is Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I also tried Echo Lake Park and Arapaho National Park just off Berthoud Pass, but neither of these trails were as nice as Bear Lake Trail. I went to Echo Lake Park too early in the season, and ended up just hiking, and Arapaho National Park was a little more advanced because it was so steep.
Where to find snowshoes
I was lucky enough to be able to borrow snowshoes from my brother to try it out. Snowshoes can be rented from REI for 32 dollars for non-members and 24 for members, not including pick up and drop off days. It’s a good idea to call ahead and see if they have any available. There are many other places around Colorado where you can rent snowshoes as well. There are also some good deals on used snowshoes out there or you can buy the ones that I ultimately decided to buy myself. Snowshoes must be used with snow boots or hiking boots.
Make sure to dress warm but in layers. I was getting warm while moving, but the wind chill can get pretty cold. Bring a backpack so you can carry water and shed layers if necessary. I used the detachable 13 L backpack that comes with this backpack
Getting There
Bear Lake is just outside of Estes Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. Take US-36 W to Bear Lake Road and take a left.
It is 20 bucks to get into Rocky Mountain National Park for now, but prices will be going up soon. They accept cash as well as card.
Bear Lake is incredibly popular, so I recommend getting there early. We got there around 10 and it was pretty busy, but when we left it was packed.
Since it is a national park, dogs are not allowed on the trails, unfortunately.
Bear Lake
Bear Lake is a great place to learn to snowshoe. The trail around the lake is about 0.5 miles. The lake was covered in ice and a good amount of snow, so we were able to walk around the edges of the lake.
It was also fun to climb up into the wooded area around the lake. Some of the snow was completely untouched. The best part of snowshoeing is going off the trail!
Nymph Lake
From Bear Lake, there are many trails you can take. Since we hadn’t had enough after our trek around the lake, we decided to head up to Nymph Lake. It is also about a 0.5 mile hike from Bear Lake to Nymph Lake, but it is much steeper.
Nymph Lake was just as beautiful, although much smaller. After spending some time there, we headed back to the car.
If you haven’t had your fill of snowshoeing, you can continue to Dream Lake and Emerald Lake, but the trail gets much more difficult at this point and is not as well marked.
Afterwards, make a stop at Inkwell & Brew in Estes Park for a cup of coffee and warm up in front of the fire. Try The Provençal, a lavender honey latte. So good!
I can’t wait to go snowshoeing again (and explore Bear Lake in the summer).
Have you been snowshoeing? Did you enjoy it?
Looking for more things to do around Denver? Check out my suggestions for 16 Winter Activities in Denver.
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