Mileage: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,300
Wildlife: Chipmunks, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Trout
Trailhead: Lawn Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
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| Ypsilon Lake |
It's been almost a whole year since I've added a new post! Grad school has taken over my life in the past year, and making the time to blog about my hikes has taken a back seat for now. Hiking and exploring new places has still been a priority though. To keep up to date on my hikes follow me on instagram at angela.marie.o up at some future date.
For now, here is the most recent hike I did at Rocky Mountain National Park. It's amazing that each summer always brings a new trail to hike. I think there are enough trails here that it could possibly be impossible to hike them all even if you lived here your whole life.
I chose Ypsilon Lake, because
1- I like the name
2- It's shorter than the hike to Lawn Lake
3 - I've been wanting to explore the Mummy Range some more
It's 4.5 miles one way to reach Ypsilon Lake. I arrived at the parking lot, which is quite small, at 7 am and there were only two spots left. There are other areas to park down the road, it just means some extra walking. I am still surprised every time I arrive at a trailhead to see how many people wake up early here.
The uphill hiking begins right away and it will be a climb for the majority of the way up.
As you begin, you can see out in the distance through the trees.
I stopped along the way to capture photos of the wildflowers that are fleeting.
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| I noticed these berry plants, prime food for the bears. |
I love these purple fireweed flowers. I saw these at Lake Isabelle as well.
As you get closer to the junction where the trails for Lawn Lake and Ypsilon Lake split, you'll see the water way down below to the left of you.
Which way shall we go!
The route all the way to Chipmunk Lake is entirely in the trees. You'll have some nice shade and the scent of a Ponderosa forest to bathe in.
I did not take too many photos of the forest here. I stopped plenty of times because the trail was continuously steep going up. I think that the majority of the cars in the parking lot must have had people going to Lawn Lake as I didn't see a single soul after the junction until I got to Chipmunk Lake. It really was nice, to have that solitude and just the sounds of silence.
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| Ponderosas |
The trail will start to level out (after ~3.5 miles of uphill) and then decline a short ways to Chipmunk Lake. It's a small lake, and also very serene.
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| Chipmunk Lake |
I took a break here, sitting for a bit. Blue dragonflies zoomed by. Two pairs of hikers eventually passed through.
I move on and continue towards Ypsilon Lake, which is only another half a mile away. The trail descends some more.
A first view of the lake.
There is a trail that goes in either direction of the lake. I picked left first. This leads to falling water and appears to go up. I was curious about Spectacle Lakes which I read are a climb up somewhere in this area. I am pretty beat from the uphill that I've already done, and decide to skip the Spectacle Lakes.
I head to the right of the lake and get a more open view looking out. I watch some trout swim through the water. It looks calm.
I take a snack break, sitting near the lake's edge.
I then say good-bye to Ypsilon Lake and head back the way I came.
On my way back, a butterfly landed on my shirt and then on my hand! They never choose to land on me, so I loved that moment not captured in a photo.
I arrive back at Chipmunk Lake in what seems like a short time. Before leaving I check out the other side of the lake and can see a nice view of Ypsilon mountain in the background.
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| Close up of Ypsilon Mountain |
Hey, look it's a mouse!?...or a baby chipmunk!
The way down is quicker. A lot more people have arrived coming up the trail and the feeling of solitude is gone. Some people stop and ask me how much further they have to go to reach the lake. I sympathize, remembering the never-ending incline.
Before I know it, I'm back near the junction. I didn't notice this view of Long's Peak on my way up before. So beautiful.
I'll put my stats, even though they show my slow pace ... as long as I get there.
All in all, this was a nice hike to do once you've already explored other areas of the park. If you're more interested in just the lake part, I might recommend Gem Lake or Bierstadt Lake which are shorter hikes and easier. You really can't go wrong anywhere in this park.
