August 23, 2025
When in Rome… and when the backcountry lakes are a 20-mile roundtrip otherwise…
While many complete the CDT Loop through Rocky Mountain National Park as a three-day, two-night excursion, I decided to add in an extra night so I could hike to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita as a side quest to this section hike – and provide a recovery day as I was unsure how I would feel on this trip (healing up some bursitis in my heel). My wilderness campsite at Pine Marten was perfect for a two-night stay, as it is right off the trail that leads up to the lakes (and like I said in my previous blog, it is currently my favorite wilderness campsite I’ve stayed in at RMNP!).
Trip itinerary (day discussed in this blog is italicized):
- Day 1: North Inlet Trailhead to Pine Marten wilderness campsite
- Day 2: Lakes Nokoni and Nanita
- Day 3: Pine Marten wilderness campsite to Tonahutu Meadows wilderness campsite
- Day 4: Tonahutu Meadows wilderness campsite to North Inlet Trailhead
It was nice having a casual morning in camp, especially with knowing the next day would necessitate an earlier start. I made some soupy biscuits and gravy (not intentionally), and enjoyed a couple cups of coffee. Since I would be staying in the same campsite at Pine Marten again, I did not have to pack up camp which added to the lazy morning.
A highlight was looking out of my tent and seeing a pine marten! A pine marten in Pine Marten! It scampered off as soon as it realized I spotted it, and I was unable to get a photo or video. My first pine marten! Okay, this trip was fabulous, end of story! (Side note, while working on this blog post I decided to google “American pine marten poop” in my quest to figure out what pooped on my hammock while backpacking in Yellowstone… yep, I am 98% sure now it was a pine marten!)
Finally around 8:30am I hit the trail with some snacks and water tossed in my backpack (ohhhh the light backpack felt so nice!). Pine Marten wilderness campsite is off the trail to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita, so all I had to do was turn left and start climbing (and boy does it climb!).
The trail was lush with brilliant green ground cover, and plenty of moss kept a smile on my face. Numerous switchbacks, which I didn’t bother to count, took me higher and higher up the trail, with occasional breaks in the trees giving me views of Chiefs Head Peak, Mount Alice, and the Continental Divide portion I’d traverse the next day.
After two miles and roughly 1200 feet of elevation gain, I arrived in Lake Nokoni. This stunning and clear alpine lake is nestled below Ptarmigan Mountain. I chatted with a couple of backpackers on the tail-end of their five day trip before choosing a spot on the flat, sloping rock shore of Lake Nokoni. I ate a snack, hydrated, and even did some yoga to stretch out my muscles.
Lake Nanita is a much larger alpine lake located a little over a mile from Lake Nokoni, with an additional 100-ish feet of elevation gain as you hike over the ridge of Ptarmigan Mountain. I enjoyed the hike up as the pikas were plentiful, and there was a great view down on Lake Nokoni.
Lake Nanita did not stun me like Lake Nokoni did. This fact was made worse when I realized how much trash was in the lake along the part of the shore I made it to… gross! Even so far from a trailhead… humans find a way to make sure their trash ends up there… Even more worse, there were mosquitos! I snapped some quick photos, and headed back to Lake Nokoni to enjoy a much longer break.
Back at Lake Nokoni, I had the bright idea to take my shoes off and soak my feet in the cold alpine waters. While removing my second shoe it flew out of my hand, and landed… of course… right in the lake! Argh! I rescued it, and laid it out to dry in the sun, shaking my head at myself for doing something so silly. The cold water did feel heavenly on my feet!
Before leaving I chatted it up with Kent, who was on a backpacking trip with three friends. I started my hike down the trail back to my campsite with a message to rely to his three friends about where to find the water filter Kent had stashed for them. After almost twenty-hours of seeing no humans, it was fun to have some conversation!
I really enjoyed my side quest to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita. Being a nearly 21 mile hike round trip from North Inlet Trailhead, there would have been no way I would’ve ever day hiked to these lakes. I think backpacking is the only feasible way, and it seems like most other people and groups I ran into on the CDT Loop added in the trip to these lakes. In my personal opinion, Lake Nokoni is the winner of ones to visit, but if the effort is made to reach it, it only makes sense to add on Lake Nanita.
Back to camp, I took to having a lazy day, cooking up some dehydrated chicken pho before settling in with my book as clouds threatened rain. While some light rain did fall, I was mostly treated to quite the show with insanely loud thunder! In the end, I had more sun than rain, which did wonders at drying out my soggy tent.
After an early dinner (which took me forever to eat… my appetite did not come along on this trip…), I took to organizing all my stuff in hopes for a speedy departure from camp in the morning. With over 11 miles on tap, most being above treeline, I wanted an early start. Originally I had the crazy notion of waking up at 4:30am, but recent weather forecasts helped me to decide to push back my wake up alarm to 6am, with a firm departure of 7am. Time to get back on the CDT!
Trip details (all data recorded on Garmin Enduro 3):
- Mileage: 6.49 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,906 feet
- Time: 3 hours 49 minutes (plenty of laying around at the lakes!)
- Start: Pine Marten wilderness campsite #1
- End: Pine Marten wilderness campsite #1
Read about Day 1 here
For information on obtaining wilderness camping permits in Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit my guide!
The Adventuring Heidi 
Love love love these lakes! I’m disgusted to hear about the trash at Nanita, that’s all sorts of disappointing.
When I did this hike, we did just an overnight. As you can imagine, we were very dead by the end. I think your two night plan is a much better alternative.
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