Lily Lake

Distance: 0.9 mile loop
Elevation: 8,930 ft
Elevation Gain: none
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: No, National Park
Date Hiked: 7 July 2013

Lily Lake with Mt. Meeker, Long's Peak, and Estes Cone in the background 

Lily Lake on the outskirts of Rocky Mountain National Park is a handicapped accessible stroll filled with views of Long's Peak, Estes Cone, and Twin Sisters. Suitable for families and older folks, I took my parents there and was agog at the baby ducklings, swooping Peregrine Falcons, and fluffy blue clouds. Just lovely.

Looking up at Lily Ridge, which is not in the park. There is a 1.7 mile trail that ascends the ridge.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels are always willing to pose for the camera. Just don't feed them!

While Lily Lake won't get your heart rate up, it will put you in a contemplate mood. From the numerous oil painters lining the shore and fishermen floating on their pontoons, it was obvious that others felt the same way.

Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) along the trail

A log bench allows for repose along route. Twins sisters soars in the background. 

You get to Lily Lake from Highway 7 at the Twin Sisters Trailhead. There is a small parking lot at the lake itself and a larger one for Twin Sisters across the street. Cars whip by at bone crunching speed so be careful crossing the road. We arrived at 10:00 am and a half a hour later both lots and all the slots along the road were filled. Who were these people? Lilly Lake is not exactly in the main part of the park.

The smooth, gravel trail is suitable for all abilities.

These Mallard ducklings were a hit as they drifted near the shore.

One of the many painters we saw.

Estes Cone

Distance: 6.1 miles round trip
Elevation 9,425-11,002 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,023 ft (cumulative)
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Tags: #RMNP, #coloradooutdoors

Estes Cone

Estes Cone, on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, is a large volcanic remnant with a cap of flat, erosion resistant rock. The trail to the summit is a journey into an eerie world of twisted, lightening darkened trees. Bring poles and sturdy boots because this trail put the word "rocky" in Rocky Mountains.

While in the trees until the very end, this trail has the advantage of being close to the Denver Metro Area and in possession of some excellent views of Mt. Meeker, Longs Peak, and Mt. Ypsilon not to mention Estes Park. There is also one nice meadow crossing, one creek, and one old cabin to break up the monotony.

Rocky upper reaches of Estes Cone

The trail is easy to moderate except for the last 0.7 miles, which ascends 1000 ft straight up the cone. Here the trail switches from dirt and rock to almost entirely rock. In fact the slope and the trail look so much alike that the Rangers have interspersed cairns every 10 feet or so to guide hikers upwards. On this trip, the sky was turning dark and we felt pressured to get to the top as quickly as possible. Not the best option when trail finding.

The summit of the cone consists of four to five rocky outcroppings. The hiker can choose to climb to the highest, which is located to the southwest, or scramble up the closest. On this trip we chose this option again because of the threatening weather. The views are just as grand no matter your choice.

View from the summit

Insider Tip: When descending pay close attention to the junction between Storm Pass and the Estes Cone Trail. This junction is relatively clear going up but not obvious heading down. On the decent, there is a large pine tree blocking the view of an extremely large cairn that marks the spot. Before the tree, Storm Pass shoots off to the left so it is easy to get sucked off in the wrong direction. To continue to the Longs Peak trailhead, you have to go around the tree, around the cairn and up a trail on which the trail signs face away from the descender. Not ideal.

Everyone should climb Estes Cone at least once. The perspective gained of Meeker and Longs, which normally blend into one large massif, is enlightening. The twisted shapes of the pines on the upper slopes of the cone will have you looking for ogres while the summit does have some stellar views.

Storm brewing over Trailridge Road

There are two ways to get to Estes Cone, one is from the Longs Peak trailhead and the other from Lilly Lake trailhead via Storm Pass. The Longs Peak Trailhead is located on the west side of Highway 7 between Allenspark and Estes Park. Beware, parking is very limited fills up early (as in 1AM) in the summer mountain climbing season.