Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha Lakes
Larimer County, Colorado
Details
Distance
4.51 miles
Elevation Gain
1125 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Ryan Mckinney
This 5.5 mile roundtrip hike in Rocky Mountain National Park offers stunning views of alpine lakes. If you have a little extra time, bring your fishing gear with you.
From the Bear Lake Trailhead, the path to Nymph Lake is a moderate paved trail. At the lake there are several places to sit and take in the scenery. This is also where you'll find the most people. From here, continue up the trail towards Dream Lake. On the way, the trail forks. The left will take you to Lake Haiyaha, but head to the right, which will take you to Dream Lake. The views here are amazing, and the lake is full of trout.
From Dream Lake, continue on to Emerald Lake. Rocky Mountain National Park is home to five active glaciers, one of which is Tyndall Glacier. Located in the saddle of Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, this dominates the views from Emerald Lake. This is a great place to stop for a quick snack.
From Emerald Lake, retrace your steps back down to the Lake Haiyaha and Dream Lake junction and follow the trail to the right towards Lake Haiyaha. This moderate trail switchbacks trough a dense pine forest and offers some amazing views of the Glacier Basin area. Continue straight where the trail splits (taking the trail to the left will take you to Mills Lake and The Loch). The majority of this trail is very well maintained and easy to navigate, but the last 150 feet will take some negotiating. The trail ends at a small pond on the left hand side, but continue to walk through the large rocks on the right toward an old twisted pine tree. Once you reach Lake Haiyaha, you'll see Chaos Canyon lies between Otis Peak (on the left) and Hallett Peak (to the right).
To get to the final lake, head back towards Dream Lake and continue towards the parking area. Bear Lake could be a good place to start the hike, but most of the crowds in the area head there first so it's smart to make it your last stop. The Bear Lake Loop is a relaxing lakeside trail with awesome views.
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Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha Lakes Reviews
Amazing scenery. Great hike! Would recommend for all ages and skill levels. Timed permits are required from recreation.gov. Also, dogs are NOT allowed, however, we did see a few big dogs, but a couple with a small dog was not allowed in, and there are no dog signs posted.
5.0
Great Rocky Mountain hike that takes you along a number of lakes in the park. Be sure to start your day early and pack lunch to eat at the lakes. Be on the lookout for wildlife as well.
5.0
This is a beautiful hike with quite a few lakes to see. Estes has become quite a popular place, like most of Colorado, so go early to try to beat some of the crowds.
5.0
This is a very popular trail with the tourists during the summer and there can be traffic jams at constrictions in the trail. This is fine if you are going for a casual walk, but if you are peak bagging or extending your hike from here then walk fast! We packed a kayak and kayaked these lakes before which can be cool
4.0
we hiked this trail at the end of May, 2020... the park was so quiet the first night we were there. we only saw one other person! the next day, we did the hike again when the sun was shining. it was much busier the next day, but we found a spot in the middle section of rocks to take a break. Emerald Lake was beautiful, but frozen over and snowy, and quite a few people were there so it was harder to spend time hanging out there for too long. it was lovely overall!
5.0
What people think of when speaking of RMNP. One of the jewels, but very crowded. Make sure to get to the lot early or risk not having a spot. Often people will go up pre dawn and park, sleep, etc. then set out at dawn.
5.0
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Nearby
Emerald Lake via Bear Lake Trailhead
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Photograph Bear Lake
Dream Lake
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Hike from Bear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead
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