Lakes of Glacier Gorge

Last night was colder than the past week, and today dawned crisp and cloudy.  We decided to hike Glacier Gorge and see the lakes and waterfalls it has to offer.  This was a 7-mile hike, with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain and loss.  We started at 9,000 feet elevation and reached a maximum elevation of over 10,000 feet.

Here is the trailhead, noting that we will see Alberta Falls and Mills Lake.  We also hiked beyond Mills Lake to little Jewel Lake.

The trail climbs quickly and switches back and forth along the walls of Glacier Gorge.  Here is a colorful view looking back at our trailhead area.  The splashes of orange and yellow from aspen on the hillside were a counterpoint to the blue sky, green conifers and purple mountains:

A little less than a mile up the trail, we came to Alberta Falls, a dramatic drop that spills Glacier Creek over a shelf of granite:

At every turn, we had spectacular views of mountains, crags, erratic boulders, rock shelves and aspen in every stage of turning color.  Some aspen haven't started turning yet, and others have lost their leaves entirely, but overall, this was very close to the peak of the leaf season:

Further up the trail, as we neared the large cirque or amphitheater where Mills Lake and Jewel Lake lay, we encountered much larger boulders of granite.  Here, Kathy spends some time with her rocky friend.  The mountains in the distance have a dusting of snow from a snowfall last night.

Cliffs on all sides, and aspen climbing them!  Note the snow at the top of the peak in the distance. This was one of many small glaciers and snowpacks that didn't melt all summer.

From time to time, we crossed back and forth across Glacier Creek on sturdy bridges - this one just before our final ascent over the lip of the cirque in which the lakes rest:

As we crested at 10,000 feet, we caught our first glimpse of the Keyboard of the Winds (the jagged row of peaks running left-to-right) and Pagoda Mountain, in the center of this photo and to the right of the Keyboard of the Winds:

Just a little further on, we caught our first view of Mills Lake, said to be the most beautiful lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Based on how it looked today, we aren't disputing that!

Closer to the lake, we could see it spread out in the valley below the Keyboard of the Winds:

The lake widens out and provides breathtaking mountain panoramas:

Across the lake, we could see splashes of color spilling down the mountainside where past avalanches had decimated conifers and aspen have grown up to fill the voids:

Here is a second view of the aspen spilling down the avalanche chutes, practically into the lake:



We got some beautiful views back down the lake, looking in the direction from whence we had hiked:

At the top of the lake, a lush meadow spread out on either side of Glacier Creek, drawing our gaze up the gorge toward the towering mountains:

In less than a quarter mile more, we reached Jewel Lake, with a huge boulder marking its inlet, and yet another striking view of the looming mountains:

This was an out-and-back hike.  We stopped for half-lunches at each of the lakes and then headed back down, revisiting some of our favorite scenery - this time in afternoon light under a brilliant blue sky.  It wasn't long before we were back at the trailhead, catching the hiker bus, and plotting our next hike for tomorrow!