With multiple mountain lakes, non-stop views, and a relatively short distance, it’s no surprise that Emerald Lake Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. We put this trail guide together so you can plan out every detail of your Emerald Lake hike.
In an epic hiking destination like Colorado, summit rewards are often hard-earned. RMNP’s Emerald Lake Trail is an exception, however. In just 1.8 miles (each way), you’ll get to explore THREE shimmering alpine lakes…four, if you count the one at the trailhead!
While we wouldn’t call the Emerald Lake hike easy per se, it’s one of the most accessible trails in the park, a truly moderate challenge suitable for most hikers. Plus, the shorter distance makes it even more manageable!
Between the lakes, a creek, small seasonal waterfalls, and the option to continue to even more lakes, this hike is a water enthusiast’s dream!
Emerald Lake Trail Guide
We’ve included some extra info for planning your Emerald Lake Trail hike. Jump to the following sections (or just keep scrolling to see it all!).
- Emerald Lake Trail stats
- Trail map
- Hike overview
- Know before you go
- Permits
- The route
- Tips for hiking Emerald Lake Trail
- Where to camp
- What to pack
Emerald Lake Trail stats
- Location: Bear Lake Corridor, Rocky Mountain National Park
- Distance: 3.2 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 700 feet
- Difficulty rating: moderate
- Timing: 2-3 hours
- Pets: not allowed
- Permits: timed-entry permits required to access the Bear Lake Corridor from mid-May through mid-October
- Trail notes on Alltrails
Emerald Lake Trail map
Emerald Lake Trail overview
Although fairly short, the Emerald Lake hike includes plenty of variety: forest, mountain views, boardwalks, wood and stone steps, waterfalls, likely at least some snow, and of course, the lakes.
Each lake—Bear (at the trailhead), Nymph, Dream, and Emerald, the star attraction—is somehow more impressive than the last, making this hike fantastic from start to finish.
Because it packs so much into a relatively low-effort hike, it comes as no surprise that the Emerald Lake trail is POPULAR. It lives up to the hype, but you definitely won’t have this trail all to yourself, even in the off-season.
The Bear Lake corridor is also the starting point for several other extremely popular hikes. So in addition to the trail being crowded, this entire section of the park is also very busy.
We offer more details further down, but you actually need a specific timed-entry permit to even get to Bear Lake during peak season.
With all of that said, it’s well worth the minor inconveniences to experience this gorgeous hike!
Things to know before you go
The hike to Emerald Lake is fairly short and straightforward, but there are several little things to take into consideration before hitting the trail.
Best time of year for the Emerald Lake hike
The Emerald Lake trail is awesome most of the year, but the best time to hike it is June through October. This timeframe offers the best weather, trail conditions, and scenery.
While the trail is mostly snow-free in the summer, it gets BUSY and is infamous for afternoon thunderstorms. If you hike Emerald Lake in the summer, plan most of your hiking early in the day.
In the fall, this hike is a bit less crowded than other trails in the park. This is because it has fewer trees that lose their leaves, so other trails have slightly more impressive fall foliage and draw more hikers.
At this elevation, snow typically remains on at least part of the trail well into June, often July. It’s usually manageable with microspikes or trekking poles, but something to keep in mind.
If you’re into snow, this hike is doable in the winter with snowshoes. Rent a pair in Estes Park and tackle Emerald Lake without the crowds (or permits!).
How long does it take to hike Emerald Lake Trail?
Factor in 2-3 hours to hike to Emerald Lake. AllTrails lists the average time at just 1.5 hours, but the altitude may make your hike longer.
People acclimated to it very well may breeze through the trail in under two hours, but if you’re a ‘flatlander,’ your pace will likely be significantly slower.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the Emerald Lake trailhead is about 45 minutes from the Beaver Meadows (Estes Park) entrance.
How difficult is the Emerald Lake hike?
The Emerald Lake hike is truly moderate. Not a cake walk, but not too challenging.
The most difficult factor is the altitude. You start at an elevation of 9,450 feet and climb to Emerald Lake at 10,110 feet. Acclimating to altitude can be tricky, especially over 10,000 feet and for people who live at lower elevation.
You also climb uphill the entire way in. It isn’t overly steep, but feels harder due to the altitude. Luckily, since the lakes are spaced out about half a mile from each other, you get built-in breaks throughout the hike.
If you take your time and drink plenty of water, even beginner hikers should manage just fine. In fact, a lot of people use this trail to acclimate for longer treks or to tackle 14ers!
Wildlife on the trail
You’re most likely to see squirrels, marmots, and pika on the Emerald Lake hike. This trail is so heavily used that, although other wildlife like black bears, deer, and moose live in the area, sightings are fairly uncommon.
Hopefully it goes without saying, but give wildlife plenty of space, do not approach animals, and definitely don’t feed them! The cute little rodents are seasoned beggars and, while it’s tempting to share your goodies, doing so can actually be harmful.
Obtaining a timed-entry permit for Rocky Mountain National Park
Between late May and mid-October, all visitors need a timed-entry permit to enter RMNP.
You have two options: timed-entry permits that don’t include the Bear Lake Corridor or ‘all access’ permits including Bear Lake. To hike the Emerald Lake trail, you need Bear Lake access.
Recreation.gov releases all permits on the 1st of the month at 8:00 am MST, the month prior. For example, July permits become available at 8:00 am on June 1st, August permits are available on July 1st, and so on. Permits cost $2.00.
In addition, 40% of permits are held back and released at 7:00 pm MST the night before.
Pro tip: Sign into your Recreation.gov account ahead of time. If you don’t already have one, make one in advance. You can’t add a reservation to your cart without being logged in.
If you’re unable to snag a permit, remember, you can enter the park before or after the specified times.
Also, if you have a campground reservation or visit Rocky on a commercial tour, you don’t need a permit at all.
‘Regular’ timed-entry permits vs. Bear Lake access
In 2024, non-Bear Lake permits are required from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm May 24 through October 14.
Timed entry + Bear Lake permits are required from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm May 24 through October 20. These permits come with an extra step, however: you have to choose a specific 2-hour window to enter the Bear Lake Corridor.
You MUST enter the corridor within your chosen timeframe, but once you arrive, you can stay as long as you’d like. If you miss your window, park rangers will instruct you to come back later in the day. Because of this, you should make Bear Lake your first stop of the day.
Regardless of which permit you get or when you visit, you’ll ALSO need to pay the park entry fee or show your America the Beautiful Pass.
While the permit system can be confusing and, yes, frustrating at times, it really does help mitigate traffic and crowds during peak season.
National Park Annual Pass
If you’re planning to visit more than one of the U.S. national parks, we’d highly encourage you to look into getting an annual park pass. At $30 per vehicle for the entrance fee, visiting Mount Rainier National Park along with most other national parks in the U.S. can get expensive.
For just $80 per year, you can purchase the America the Beautiful Park Pass. This pass grants you free access to all of the national parks. Plus it also covers your entrance to over 2,000 natural, historical, and recreational sites across the United States.
If you still need convincing, check out our article: America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass: Is it Worthwhile?
The route
We broke down the route for hiking the Emerald Lake trail into parts to give you an idea of what to expect on the route.
Bear Lake trailhead
This is by far the busiest area of the park, so if you can’t arrive by 6:30 am during peak season, consider parking in the Park & Ride lot and taking the free shuttle. The lot is a few miles up Bear Lake Road, across from Glacier Basin Campground.
The Emerald Lake hike starts from the Bear Lake trailhead and parking lot. As you set off on the trail, the path is wide and flat, with some interpretive signs and benches.
Almost immediately, you’ll come to a trail junction. Emerald Lake is to the left, but many people add the 0.7-mile Bear Lake loop, which is to the right, an easy trek that takes 15-20 minutes. You can easily do it before or after Emerald Lake, making your total distance 3.8 miles.
Even if you don’t want to walk the full loop around Bear Lake, we recommend taking in the view from the lakeshore, just past the trail junction to Emerald Lake.
Nymph Lake
Once you get on the trail toward Emerald Lake, you’ll climb steadily up through a densely forested area to Nymph Lake. The trail is wide and mostly smooth, but there are some wood and rock steps to navigate…a taste of what’s to come!
A half-mile in, you’ll reach Nymph Lake, dotted with tons of lily pads. It’s fairly easy to lose the official trail here, because people have (unfortunately!) created several social trails to the water. Stick to the right side of the lake to follow the real path.
Dream Lake
It’s another 0.6-mile climb between Nymph Lake and Dream Lake, although this one is less steep than the other two. This section is quite different, taking you up a ridgeline and popping out above treeline. There are more steps, as well as a boardwalk over some wetlands.
Along the way, look for head-on views of Longs Peak, one of Colorado’s most famous 14ers and the tallest peak in RMNP.
Dream Lake itself is also very different from Nymph Lake, this one elongated and much larger. The Emerald Lake trail runs fairly level right alongside its entire northern shore, offering a welcome, very scenic distraction before your next big push.
Emerald Lake
Toward the end of Dream Lake, the trail once again steeply ascends. It follows Tyndall Creek here, and there are often small mini waterfalls along the trail.
This last stretch to Emerald Lake has lots of steps and a fair amount of elevation gain, but is thankfully only 0.7 miles.
At the very end of the trail, you’ll come out above treeline again and be right at the foot of Emerald Lake. Tucked into a cirque-like gorge surrounded by tall, rugged peaks, there’s no question how this truly green body of water got its name.
You’ll see people all around the shore, perched on large rocks enjoying snacks and the view. Some brave hikers even jump in. It’s officially allowed, but be aware that the snow-fed water is frigid cold even in the dead of summer. Personally, we’d just dip our feet in!
When you’re ready, retrace your steps and head down to the parking lot.
Tips for hiking Emerald Lake Trail
- Drink LOTS of water, even in cold weather. Hiking at high altitude dehydrates you quickly.
- Along the same lines, don’t forget sun protection…even in the winter. The UV rays burn stronger in Colorado, and you can absolutely burn!
- Look out for signs of altitude sickness. If you get a headache, feel dizzy, lose your balance, get disoriented, or throw up, take a rest, have some water, and descend to lower elevation ASAP.
- Rocky is known for rapidly-changing weather, particularly in the afternoon. The weather can be completely different from one lake to the next. Try to hike in the morning, and pack a rain jacket and something to keep your pack dry.
- Emerald Lake is notoriously windy. The high elevation and deep, narrow gorge it sits in creates wind and chillier conditions than other lakes. Wear layers!
- Bring bug spray in the summer. Biting insects can be brutal on the Emerald Lake hike.
- The famous green hue of the lake is most visible on clear, sunny days. It’s still beautiful when it’s overcast, but not that iconic emerald.
Where to camp in Rocky Mountain National Park
Like many western national parks, RMNP has abundant camping opportunities. In-park campsites are highly competitive and only open in the summer.
The two closest campgrounds to the Emerald Lake trailhead are Glacier Basin (10 minutes) and Moraine Park (20 minutes, closed in 2024 for construction). Also on the park’s east side, there’s Aspenglen Campground, about 35 minutes from Bear Lake.
If you can’t snag camping reservations or prefer to sleep outside the park, there are several options nearby, including some free dispersed camping.
Our personal pick is Olive Ridge Campground, in the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest just outside the park near its popular Wild Basin trailhead.
What to pack for hiking Emerald Lake Trail
- Navigation: we recommend using Alltrails+ to download the offline trail map
- Get your first week of using Alltrails+ for FREE when you sign up using our link!
- Permit*
- Hiking daypack
- Water bottles and/or bladder for your Camelbak
- Bug repellant
- Sun protection: sunscreen, hat, sun glasses
- Headlamp
- Camera/tripod (this one’s our favorite for hiking)
- Hiking layers (here is a great resource if you’re wondering what to wear hiking)
- Rain jacket
- Comfortable hiking boots or shoes
- Hiking poles (optional)
- Plenty of snacks: check out our favorite hiking snacks here!
*Don’t forget to sign up for your timed entry permit!
Be sure to download our FREE hiking packing list before your next trip and never leave another essential behind again!
You may also like…
- Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
- National Parks in Colorado: Guide + Tips
- Best Colorado Hiking Trails
- Best Hikes Near Denver
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We want to hear from you!
Have you hiked the Emerald Lake trail in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park? What was your experience like? Are you planning some Colorado hiking and have more questions? Comment below and let us know!