Hi---we've hiked around Bear Lake, and we did the Black/Mills Lake trails, but would like some more suggestions. Our level of difficulty is probably moderate to "moderate plus" (if there's such a thing), and we love waterfalls, streams, lakes, and beautiful views. We've been pondering one of the Longs Peak hikes, altho I don't think we want to take quite that much time. Plus....the video we saw of this hike didn't look very beautiful (perhaps it was just a bad video????),so correct me if you think I'm wrong on that. Thanks for your suggestions!

In the difficulty range you're talking about, you may enjoy walking up from Bear Lake on the Hallett's(?) Peak Trail, then veering off toward Odessa Lake. You get some beautiful alpine scenery, with both lush and rugged areas. You can come out at either the Cub or Fern Lake trailhead if you can manage a shuttle to one end or the other. Long's Peak is always crowded, and I liked the relative solitude on the Odessa Lake hike.

The hike from Glacier Gorge Junction to Alberta Falls is about .6 of a mile.
From there you can go higher to The Loch. It is a very scenic lake with a good view of high ridges.
If you are still ambitious, you can hike farther to Timberline Falls at the far end of the Loch. If you want even more, ascend the escarpment of the falls and continue on to Sky Pond.

Another option is to turn off of the trail along the Loch to the Shark's Tooth and explore the cleft in the rock. The more agile and strong can make it all the way to the top of the ridge.

Thanks to travellyn and Bob----I've pasted your responses and will now get out my RMNP map. Thank you!! Anybody else??

Last time I went we hiked the National Forest to the east, but don't remember the name of the NF or the trail. But, we hiked to a lake and it was spectacular.
Not very much help am I?

try this link -
http://www.rocky.mountain.national-p...m/hike.htm#hik

Starting at the same trailhead for Longs Peak you could go as far as the Keyhole which is a gap between Longs and Storm Peak. It gives you a spectacular view down the other side into the adjacent valley. Turning off this trail is Chasm Lake trail which in season is covered with wildflowers and small streams. Another great trip is to Bluebird Lake. This lake is manmade and there was talk of taking the dam down so not sure if still there. On any of these hikes plan to be off the exposed rock before storms start to build on most afternoons.
Kent and Donna Dannen are authors of a book, Rocky Mt National Park Hiking Trails Including Indian Peaks which give a good overview of the trails.

I have a dumb question... Can we "hike" with just tennis shoes?

Just tennis shoes? I have seen people do it, but a lot of it depends on the trail surface. If you have to cross slanting snow banks, or if the trail is very rocky, or if the trail is steep, you need lug soles for grip, a hard boot toe to protect your toes when you kick a rock, and an ankle collar to prevent twisting an ankle or getting a bruise on the ankle bone.

The same applies to muddy stretches as well. You need soles that grip.

My boots are nothing great, but they protect my feet and ankles and, best of all, they don't rub blisters even when I carry a pack on 6 to 8 mile treks over rough trails.

The soles are about half worn, but the toes are down to the critical point and they don't have the lug depth to bite into snow or mud. Time to resole.

So the critical factors are foot, toe, and ankle protection, no blisters, and traction.

Most people tend to overboot. These big heavy leather rascals that seem to weigh 5 pounds each may provide protection, but they tire you out just lifting them up and down.

As long as the boot has a good Vibram sole, a firm toe, a very good fit, and some padding for the ankle it should be sufficient even if very light weight.

If the boot is all leather, it needs some snowseal protection. If part fabric, I suggest spraying repeatedly with some water proofing agent.

From the Bear Lake trailhead you can go to Dream Lake, Nymph Lake and Emerald Lake. I also second the recommendation to Alberta Falls and beyond.

Sue

You'll see most of the people on the shorter day trails wearing tennis shoes. If you are moving toward the more strenous trails, you would probably want more support. I have a couple of pairs of shoes that are more of a cross between sneakers and hiking shoes. Basically, light weight hikers great for summer - on and off the trail. I bought my last pair at LL Bean.

Thanks again to everyone!!

One added note, you can go as far beyond Alberta Falls as you wish. You can stop and go back at any point without feeling shortchanged. I suggest making it to the Loch because it is a very scenic place to visit.
If you go beyond that point, the next attraction is Timbeline Falls.

Ascending the rocky bank beside the falls is a little tricky, but it leads to higher and more scenery.

As I said, you can make the decision to stop and go back at any point with the satisfaction that you have seen some lovely scenery.

In essence, you do what you can and quit. Just protect yourself from the sun. It burns quickly because you are up so high and the atmosphere is getting thin and it does not filter as much of the UV radiation.

If you have not had a chance to acclimate for a few days, any of those uphill hikes can be a challenge.