One of the hardest parts about visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is figuring out what trails to hike out of 350 miles of trails and dozens of trailheads. Thanks to the generous advice from some local friends, I didn’t have to do too much research to find what I have heard and believe to this day to be one of the most beautiful hikes in the park. The Hike to Sky Pond is not easy, but with the right apparel, preparation, and mindset, getting to the lake in the sky is achievable and so worth it.
One seriously rewarding view!
Overview:
Distance: 10 – 11 miles out and back (depending on hiking route)
Time: 5-6 hours (allow extra time for photography or picnicking!)
Elevation Gain: 1,780 ft. (total 10,887 ft.)
Getting There:
RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park) is very well known and thus can be very crowded. RMNP is located two hours NW from Denver, one hour West from Fort Collins, and three hours North from Frisco/Breckinridge areas, so plan accordingly. You can also stay in the nearby town of Estes Park if you are planning to spend a weekend hiking the trails in RMNP. My favorite drive was highway 34 from RMNP to Fort Collins as the road curves and follows the incredibly scenic Big Thompson River for most of the drive. No matter where you stay though, the drive through the mountains is always breathtaking.
Just give me a sunrise and a wide open road through the mountains and I’ll be content for days
I recommend getting to the park as early as possible. We arrived at around 8am on a Saturday (after a 3 hour drive from Frisco) and wasted 45 minutes searching for parking only to end up taking the shuttle to the trailhead from the overflow lot. The shuttle runs between Glacier Gorge, Bear Lake, and the Park & Ride pretty frequently, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a spot in any of the trail head lots before 8 am. For this hike, the most ideal parking will be in the Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake trailhead lots.
The Hike:
The first section of the trail to Alberta Falls is generally mild and scenic as it runs along the river’s edge up to the falls itself. There are several points you can stop off at to take photographs or relax and enjoy the view of the water. When you reach the falls, you will see a sign indicating you are there along with a large rock platform where many people were snapping pictures or simply resting and enjoying the view.
The second segment of the hike is mostly elevation gain as you wind and zig zag your way up the switchbacks in the mountain side. Be sure to look out for small clearing stop offs as the views up here can start to become really stunning. 
About 2/3rds of the way through you will come to a fork designating the pathway to Lake Loch or Mills Lake. Keep right on the trail to continue on to and past the Lake Loch to get to Sky Pond. If you are feeling extra adventurous, hang a left and hike the 1.1 miles to Mills Lake. From here you can enjoy the lake and double back to continue on to Sky Pond after returning back to the trail fork to Loch Lake.
Absolutely STUNNING views from every angle at Lake Loch
Once you reach Lake Loch, be prepared to stop and gawk for a while at the sheer beauty of the forest and water nestled between a chain of several 13,000 foot mountains. Here you can fish, take a stroll around the lake itself, or even camp out for the night with the appropriate gear and permit.
Behind the scenes
Capturing some epic shots
If you still have energy after enjoying Lake Loch, continue on the trailhead to discover a few beautiful streams trickling down the mountainside.
Following two more miles of hiking trails through the forest (this section is generally pretty mild), you will find a clearing leading to Timberland Falls. The falls themselves are a towering 100 feet in height and drop down into a cute miniature pond/stream at the bottom. The view from here alone is absolutely stunning as you can look out over the mountains and treetops to see how far you have come. If you are unable to scale the falls themselves don’t sweat it too much, this is the perfect place to enjoy a picnic and still quite an accomplishment!
From here you can see hikers scrambling up the falls to the right up a rocky boulder path. This portion seems a bit daunting from the bottom, but I felt it was much more approachable than it looked. Make sure to wear the proper footwear (waterproof hiking boots or shoes with a good grip) if you do decide to attempt this portion of the hike. This is the only way up to Sky Pond and is the toughest part of this trail.
Wear water resistant or water-proof hiking boots if you want comfortable and dry feet for the rest of the hike down!
After reaching the top you will see the stunning Glass Lake. Though this looks like the end goal, don’t be deceived!
If you continue up the boulders to your right, you will find another pathway. If you look at the photo above you are coming up the falls on the left side of this picture from the cloud cover area. You will continue to stay to your right to find the pathway. Take this about ½ a mile further and you will come across another small hidden waterfall.
Scout your way up the boulder shelf here and Sky Pond will reveal itself just at the top. Here you will be at around 11,000 feet of elevation, so make sure to stay hydrated and take your time to avoid any side effects! Ice covers the sides and tops of the surrounding mountains creating a natural wall around the pond itself.
We stopped here to have a celebratory drink and some lunch, through the base of the falls is also a beautiful place to oversee a view of the valley itself below. If you are adventurous, you can try and navigate yourself to a higher elevation up the left hand side of the mountains here. We actually saw some ice climbers close the peak at the top when we did this hike in the fall. It was pretty incredible to think they had to climb their way up this trail and continue on an almost vertical incline to summit the top from there!
Pro Tip:
START EARLY and be very aware of the weather as it can change drastically within minutes. Dress in layers and if there is any chance of precipitation wear a waterproof windbreaker or poncho to keep dry. During our hike we were lucky to have cool weather at around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and some sunshine with rolling clouds. As we started to descend, a wall of storm clouds quickly ascended over the top of the platform completely shrouding all visibility of Sky Pond, Lake Loch, and Glass Lake.
Within moments this entire area was so foggy you could barely see your hand in front of your face! We quite literally watched the storm roll right in over the top of the mountain.
There were a lot of hikers that had just reached the falls as we were descending. Sadly they missed out on any chance of sunshine and visibility for the remainder of the day and had to turn around due to starting the hike too late. It continued to sleet rain and drop temperature for the rest of our hike down. Luckily having layers and rain jackets made what could have been a total nightmare way more bearable.
Loch Lake looking a tad bit different than when we passed by at the beginning of the hike…this is why I try to always take photographs in the moment because you are not guaranteed another one!
All things said and done, this hike is an absolutely incredible way to spend a Saturday or any day for that matter! Give yourself the whole day to complete this and go grab a nice juicy burger and craft beer for dinner for the perfect ending to the day! You deserve it!
Do you have any favorite, must-do hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park? Share in the comments below!
