In the standard Friday afternoon tradition a group chat was sent at work asking what everyone was up to for the weekend. The standard replies of activities with children, housework, and so on was sent. Then there was me: “I’m hiking to the beach!” As expected the response was met with crickets and GIFs expressing confusion.
Naturally, Wyoming and Colorado is not anywhere near the typical beach that people imagine, so the confusion and non-responses were warranted. But I really was heading towards a beach – a very curious alpine beach above 10,000 feet on the shores of Sandbeach Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park!
After a smooth morning drive, I arrived at the entrance to Wild Basin, the area of RMNP that this hike is located in. I was surprised to see the entrance booth manned as we were in the middle of a federal government shutdown. Entry fees were not being collected, so the ranger waved me through. The Sandbeach Trailhead is located immediately to the right of the entrance booth, and there was plenty of when I arrived shortly before 9am (it would be full, however, once I completed my hike midday). (Side story about the park ranger… it was good she was there as a car full of rowdy CU students showed up with the belief they could drive through Wild Basin to get to Glacier Gorge. She patiently redirected them to the actual route to Glacier Gorge while they argued they were convinced it could be reached via Wild Basin. For those not realizing it, Wild Basin is not connected via road to the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park.)
I knew the hike to Sandbeach Lake was uphill, but I think I completely underestimated how uphill it would be (after all, it is easy to ignore what over 2,000 feet of elevation gain would really feel like when researching the hike). The trail immediately starts gaining elevation straight from the parking lot, only relenting after the lake is reached over four miles later. I giggled as I realized I gained over 500 feet of elevation in the first mile, and shook my head at the things I do for fun. Many would argue there are much easier ways to reach a beach…
Despite cars in the parking lot, I only saw four people on my ascent to the lake. The trail is nicely forested for its duration, which added to my delight along with the bird songs and crisp, October morning air. Despite the uphill challenge, I was feeling like I was making a decent pace. As I gained elevation, I fished my hat out of my backpack to help ward off the chilly wind. I guess it is that time of year for needing all that extra stuff in my backpack!
At 3.5 miles, the trail begins to sharply climb up a very rocky section of the trail. I’m sure I was muttering stuff about how Colorado shouldn’t have rocky trails like this, but I picked my way forward. I knew that once I was up the rocky ridiculousness, it would be smoother (ha!) sailing towards the lake, which was just about one mile away.
Despite seeing plenty of photos of Sandbeach Lake while researching the hike, I was still in awe as the lake came into view and I descended its sandy shores. I’m hardly unfamiliar with alpine lakes, but this is the first time I was greeted by a gentle sandy slope all the way to the water – most of the time I am climbing over jagged boulders and having to be careful to not unintentionally plunge into the water!
Sadly the wind was howling, and it was not great “beach weather” at 10,343 feet. I grabbed my down puffy jacket out of my backpack, and enjoyed snack as the cold settled into my core (I definitely worked up a sweat on the hike up!). I did see one person take off their shoes and dip their toes into the lake. I imagine this would be an awesome thing to do on a mid-summer day, but I was going to opt for keeping my feet warm and dry on this day.
After snacking and bundling up, I headed on the trail through the trees to reach a small peninsula that juts into the middle of Sandbeach Lake for a different view. I snapped some quick photos as I saw two more people arrive at the lake. Busy day, ha!
After a few minutes, I decided to head back since I was cold. Since this is an out-and-back hike, I would just follow the same trail all the way back to my car. I actually prefer climbing versus descending, so the hike out got tiresome with the steep descents, but I was still enjoying my day in the forest!
As I stated before, I definitely underestimated the hike to Sandbeach Lake, but found it to be quite lovely despite not being in shape for elevation gain! I was pleasantly surprised by how forested the hike was, which I really enjoyed. The shade was nice, especially as I dropped elevation and temperatures became warmer. I could see myself spending a weekend at Sandbeach Lake at one of the wilderness campsites as well! Very nice to finally get this hike under my belt, and I am definitely happy that I opted to do it in the autumns months when the temperatures are cooler and the crowds are nonexistent.
Details:
All Trails Link
Date Hiked: October 25, 2025
Trailhead: Sandbeach Lake
Total Mileage: 9.54 miles (Garmin Enduro 3. I also popped into a few wilderness campsites to check them out, which increased my mileage.)
Total Elevation Gain: 2,346 feet (Garmin Enduro 3)
Total Time Spent: 4 hours 15 minutes
Weather: Sun! Chilly and windy at the lake.
Trail Conditions: Dry
Special Considerations: This hike is located within Rocky Mountain National Park, which has an entry fee, and during the summer and fall months a timed reservation system is in place. 
The Adventuring Heidi 