Richard White
Very fun ride with plenty of lookout stops. The vistas are nice but not spectacular. Worth doing once to say you've done it.
4.0
If you hike all the way around the lake it might be a decent walk, but when I went the dam was damaged making this impossible. There is a high point halfway between the trail head and the dam that makes for a decent vista. I'm not sure if I would consider this a good beginner hike because even though it is easy, the reward isn't enough to get someone interested in hiking. I'd recommend taking this walk if you are already camping at Roman Nose, but as its not much of an adventure I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for it.
2.0
I drove to the trail head in the late summer in a very low clearance Honda Fit with no problems, so the road is in pretty good condition now. If arriving late in the afternoon, plenty of camping is available at the trail head. There is a little footpath that runs southeast from the parking area along the river with some nice, secluded spots. The five and a half mile hike up the mountain from 9000 ft to 11400 ft is not a walk in the park if you are not used to the elevation. I drove from Oklahoma City (elevation 1200 ft) and with 35-45 lbs on my back it took me a surprising three and a half hours to get up the mountain. I'm not in superb shape, but I'm active. The hike up is beautiful with the rushing river running nearby the entire way (with a couple of crossings). On labor day weekend there was a group ahead of me and behind me and a couple campsites on the trail heading up. The lakes area is stunning. There were another three or four groups camping there, but there is plenty of areas to find your own peaceful spot. I was gassed after the hike up and never made the scramble to ridge to the northwest, but it looked the most doable. I couldn't find the spring the other reviewer, Bryan Seaton, mentioned. At least it wasn't anywhere I considered accessible (it seemed like it would be somewhere southwest of the higher lake), so I ended up having to boil the lake water. All in all, great hike, great camping area, and I'd love to go back sometime to get to the top of the ridge for what are probably incredible vistas. Going back down the next day was much easier and only took me an hour and 45 minutes.
5.0
This short little walk up to the top is worth doing if you are driving through and want to take a fun hour break, but I wouldn't make a trip to come out here (especially from OKC or Tulsa). Be wary though: I did it in the summer with no water because it was so short. When I was done I expected to stop at a gas station and get something to drink and there wasn't another one for 45 minutes heading west!
3.0
This hike is mostly gentle and easy with the last bit being fairly steep and confusing getting up to the rock formation. The end is mostly scrambling which made my less sure-footed hiking partner a little nervous, but at the top we met a couple in their 60s so it's not impossible.
4.0
The hike to the lake is easy and beautiful. That, combined with its distance from Boulder and Denver, make it very popular on the weekends. In mid July the temperature was great and there was still ice on the lake and snow at the top. There are many stunning vistas but sometimes the trail can feel like an amusement park with how crowded it is.
4.0
I spent a weekend here in early summer of last year and loved it. The car accessible campsites are along the lip of the gorge. There are also walk-in campsites at the bottom of the gorge along the river. There are several trails both at the top and the bottom and the views from the top can be quite breath taking. One of my favorite trips last year and a great place to spend a weekend!
5.0
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