Colorado Hiked: Sandbeach Lake
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…
A Hidden Gem: Backpacking to Mirror Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Every year when planning for my Rocky Mountain National Park wilderness campsite permits, I like to look off the beaten path of the crazy busy east side. This year the choice was Mirror Lake, one of the park’s northernmost alpine lakes. With plans filling July and August, I decided to make the journey to Mirror…
Rocky Mountain National Park CDT Loop: Day 4 -Along the Big Meadows
August 25, 2025 All good things must come to an end 😦 After three amazing days out in the wilds of Rocky Mountain National Park section hiking the Continental Divide Trail, it was time to finish out my loop with a nine mile jaunt back to my car at North Inlet Trailhead. Trip itinerary (day…
Rocky Mountain National Park CDT Loop: Day 3 – Across the Great Divide to Tonahutu Meadows
August 24, 2025 The day I had been most anticipating had arrived! After a day of side questing to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita, I’d be heading back on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) section through Rocky Mountain National Park. Anticipation was high because I’d have nearly 2,900 feet of elevation gain in my day as…
Rocky Mountain National Park CDT Loop: Day 2 – Side Quest to Lakes Nokoni & Nanita
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…
Rocky Mountain National Park CDT Loop: Day 1 – North Inlet Trailhead to Pine Marten
August 22, 2025 Stretching roughly 3,100 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (or CDT) has been an object of my obsession for quite awhile now. While I have chewed off small bits here and there on foot and mountain bike over the years, recently I have…
It’s All in My Backpack: Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Campsite Reviews & Information
The first time I ever backpacked was in a national park – Crater Lake National Park in southwestern Oregon in the middle of winter. I was instantly hooked on traveling with everything I needed for my survival and comfort strapped on my back, with my car and comforts miles away. Since then, I have tried…
Colorado Hiked: American Lakes and Thunder Pass
I’m a creature of habit, and if I am going to drive two hours to hike I more often than not end up in Rocky Mountain National Park – specifically the entrances from Estes Park. Which is quite fine, though there is the hassle of timed entry reservations and crowds during the summer and fall.…
Cirque Du Sore Legs – 2023 Hiking Recap
In June 2023 my friend and coworker Janice made it a goal to become more active and start hiking. She roped in our other friend (and coworker) Taylor and myself into the shenanigans and a thing was started! Eventually by autumn we decided we needed a cool hiker gang name, and Cirque Du Sore Legs was born. Our…
Wild Ice Skating at Sky Pond
Sky Pond has been taunting me ever since I bought a scratch off “100 Greatest Hikes of National Parks” poster… and when, in 2022, I hiked as far of Lake of Glass and then turned around. So when the familiar “ding” of the group chat for wild ice skating went off as I was trying to…
Colorado Hiked: Rocky Mountain National Park’s Bridal Veil Falls
Drawing over 4.5 million visitors a year, and ranking as one of the most visited national parks in the United States, it can seem like Rocky Mountain National Park is a headache to visit in the high season. I mean, who goes into nature for crowds, amIright? Thankfully, there are approximately 355 miles of hiking…
Colorado Hiked: Mount Alice
This blog is really covering two topics – my first solo backpacking trip and summiting Mount Alice, so might get a bit long winded… Honestly, a lot of Rocky Mountain National Park’s highest summits are off the beaten path, and not easily accomplished as day hikes (Longs Peak being the perfect example of this as…
A Weekend at Lost Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
When you’re scrambling to figure out wilderness camping permits the night before they go on sale, everything seems like a good idea… especially hauling a forty-pound pack for ten miles up 3000 feet of elevation gain! Okayyy… the trip to Lost Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park was well worth it, and I should not…
Colorado Hiked: Ouzel Lake
Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses 415 square miles, with 300 miles of hiking trails. So much park to explore, so little time… Wild Basin is one area of RMNP that I had not made it to, as I am a creature of habit that returns over and over to the Bear Lake Corridor and areas…
A Night Out in Rocky Mountain National Park’s Glacier Gorge
This season I was not entirely successful in nabbing the exact wilderness camping permits I wanted in Rocky Mountain National Park, but I was successful in getting one of the hardest ones to get – Glacier Gorge! As my first overnight backpack of the year, this would be a great way to get weight on…
Colorado Hiked: Deer Mountain
Summiting a mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park is usually quite the feat, but it does not always require long hours, pre-dawn starts, and going above treeline. Deer Mountain, a forested 10,013 foot peak that dominates the view as you enter the park (though if you’re like me, you’re distracted by those high alpine peaks…
Colorado Hiked: Alpine Lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park
August 20, 2022 Time for one last tune-up hike before my adventure to Longs Peak! A cool, moody day called for a grand tour of some of the many alpine lakes in the Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park. My friends Tom and Sarah had done this loop a few weeks prior, and…
Colorado Hiked: Flattop Mountain
August 7, 2022 “I got us a reservation for 5am in the park!” exclaimed Sarah once she realized I had been sitting on her couch for a little while and came out to greet me. It was another weekend sleep over at one of my favorite friends’ house, and we needed to hatch a plan.…
A KÜHL Day Outdoors: Cub Lake Loop at RMNP
I partnered with KÜHL for this blog post. I received free product in exchange for my honest review of the products. December 18, 2022 After a week of subzero wind chills, blizzard warnings, and the monotony of work, it was time to break free, explore some new trails, and try out some new gear! The…
Colorado Hiked: Longs Peak
August 29-31, 2022 I remember back in 2017 when I first started going up 14ers (slang for the 14,000+ foot peaks in Colorado and other US states) on foot, I remarked to my friend Lydia that I didn’t think Longs Peak would ever be on the agenda because it was “hard and scary.” Then the…
Colorado Hiked: Chasm Lake
If there’s one thing I’ve done in the last six months, it has been exploring Rocky Mountain National Park and area surrounding Estes Park more than I ever had. With the impending start to summer and timed entry reservation season at RMNP, I decided to squeeze in one last adventure before the hoards of tourists…
Colorado Hiked: Twin Sisters Peaks
I am a bit of a planner, what can I say? After fretting over mountain-forecast.com for the past week, I was really at a loss of what to do when the weekend neared. The ridiculously windy spring had continued in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Needing a final training hike to “cram prepare” for Mount…
Colorado Hiked: Loch Vale and Mills Lake Winter Hike
I just had to get away. But where could I go? I’m always at Vedauwoo, and I kind of hate hiking on trails I normally mountain bike on. Hmmm… and then it popped onto my Facebook newsfeed somehow, and I realized Rocky Mountain National Park was also not having a winter just like the rest…
The Adventuring Heidi 