Image: Lake Isabelle in Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Highlights
– How to spend six days in the Colorado Rockies to explore Rocky Mountain National Park and Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Time of Visit: June 2025
Duration of Visit: Five Nights/Six Days
Description
The Colorado Rockies is a big expanse of land that covers the central third of the state. There are several destinations to choose from where to spend your hard earned vacation. You would not go wrong if you pick Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) as one of those destinations. This park is huge and offers a lot of outdoor activities. From hiking to waterfalls and alpine lakes to wildlife sightseeing, you can easily spend a week here and would not even scratch the surface. Trail Ridge Road runs through the park and crests at about 12,183 ft above sea level. It is the highest continuous paved highway in North America.
The most sought after section of the park is in the Bear Lake Corridor which has several scenic hikes. The park service limits visitors to this corridor to avoid overcrowding. Within 6AM and 6PM, you must obtain the Timed Entry + permit to be able to enter the corridor.
What if you are not able to get the Timed Entry + at RMNP or you are unable to hike some of the gruelling day hikes in the park? Indian Peaks Wilderness (IPW) which is South of RMNP is another place to get your outdoor fix. Lake Isabelle feels heavenly and should not be missed.
IPW covers about 310 square kilometers and is named as such because of the jagged peaks, many of which have Native American names. Elevation ranges from 8,000 feet in the lower forested area up to 13,500 + at the summit.
The most common access points to IPW recreational areas are Brainard Lake, Fourth of July Trailhead and Hessie Trailhead. Brainard Lake requires a paid parking (on-line purchase) while the other two are free. There are some fabulous alpine and glacial valley hikes from these access points.
Here we describe what you could do in six days between RMNP and IPW including the towns of Estes Park, Grand Lake and Nederlands.
RMNP Timed Entry
This video clearly explains the park’s timed entry requirements. Jump to the 2:50 mark for the explanation, i.e. what the time entry reservation system is all about. Jump to the 5:15 mark to learn how to obtain a timed entry permit.
As a clarification, you are already in the park but do not have a timed entry permit, you cannot re-enter the park if you left the park between 9AM and 2PM.
If you have a Timed Entry +, you have a two hour window to get to the Bear Lake Road checkpoint which is just a few meters from where it branches from Trail Ridge Road. For example, if your permit is 8AM, you have until 10AM to make it to the checkpoint. If you miss your window, you have to wait until 2PM to enter the corridor. Same thing if you left the corridor.
If you do not have a Time Entry + permit, you can enter the corridor between 6 PM and 5 AM.
High Altitude AcclimAtization
The hikes described here are in a high altitude environment. The trailheads range between 9,000 feet and 10,000 feet above sea level. Hikes that are rated moderate becomes really challenging if your body is not used to an alpine environment.
It would be wise to get used to the high elevation first before tackling any hikes. I remember my first time hitting 9,000 feet in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. It was like hitting a brick wall as I ascended the last mile to Lake Solitude. This was after four days being in Yellowstone National Park and I was in my 30’s.
Activities (Itinerary)
Day 1: Arrive at Denver International Airport
Drive to either Estes Park or Grand Lake, depending on where your accommodation is. If staying at Grand Lake, might as well drive through RMNP for a chance to see wildlife.
Note that Trail Ridge Road normally opens after Memorial Day and closes sometime in October. Please check its status before driving there or before making lodging reservations at Grand Lake.
Day 2: Light Exploration of RMNP
This is your opportunity to drive Trail Ridge Road, do some short walks or not too strenuous activities. You can bisect the park by driving Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake.
At the Alpine Visitor Center, you can traverse partway the Ute Trail (aka Tombstone Ridge Trail). Ute Trail heads downhill to Milner Pass (Continental Divide marker) from the Alpine Center. It offers sweeping views of the alpine tundra. If you hike this trail in late May and June, snow will most likely cover the mountains which provide a more scenic backdrop.
At Grand Lake, you can do the short hike to Adam’s Falls.
Chasm Falls is a short hike from Endovalley Picnic Area, although it is on gradual uphill. You can drive to Chasm Falls on the Old Fall River Road if it is open. Just remember that Old Fall River Road is one way going to the Alpine Visitor Center.
If you do not plan on driving Trail Ridge Road again (meaning the following day), today would be your only chance to climb the series of stairs behind the Alpine Visitors Center to get to the 12,005 ft sign Just take it slow and stop often. It is less than half a mile.
Day 3: Bear Lake Corridor
Assuming you were able to get the Timed Entry +, this would be your time to hike in the Bear Lake corridor. Popular moderate hikes are Emerald Lake and Haiyaha Lake. For a more challenging hike, head over to Sky Pond.
You will pass Nymph and Dream Lakes on the way to Emerald Lake. But the color of the water in these lakes pales in comparison to the turquoise color of Haiyaha Lake.
Day 4 Explore Estes Park and Nederland
This day is to allow recovery from the previous two days of hiking and be ready for more hiking at Indian Peaks Wilderness. Today would be spent by enjoying the towns of Estes Park and Nederland and Lily Lake.
Estes Park is a mountain town where its main street is lined with restaurants and shops. It is just a wonderful place to take it slow and hang around. Nederland is only an hour away from Estes Park and is another cool town to explore. Similar to Estes Park, Nederland has restaurants and shops but the place has a Western old town feel.
Just outside of Estes Park and on the way to Nederland is Lily Lake. Lily Lake is part of RMNP so entry restrictions also apply. However, Lily does not have a physical entry gate, only a small parking lot off the roadside. There are rangers that patrol the area so people without a timed entry permit just park on the roadside.
Longs Peak is visible from Lily Lake. There is also a nice footpath around the lake although it is mostly exposed.
For us, we took this day to move from Grand Lake to Boulder as we were not able to secure a reasonably priced place to stay in Estes Park because it was a spur of the moment trip. This worked out well for us because we were able to drive the scenic canyon road between Nederland and Boulder. The canyon carved by Boulder Creek has near vertical walls in some places. The creek just outside Boulder is a popular tubing spot, especially on hot days.
Day 5. Hessie or Fourth of July Trailhead
Both Hessie and Fourth of July Trailheads provide access to several hiking trails and alpine lakes in the IPW. The two most popular lake hikes are Lost Lake accessed via Hessie Trailhead and Diamond Lake accessed via Fourth of July Trailhead. Both trailheads can be accessed by driving Eldora Road from Nederland High School. Eldora Road is dirt road past the community of Eldora and is passable by car during dry conditions.
Between the latter part of May to the early part of October, there is a traffic control point on Eldora Road at Nederland High School during busy days which are Fridays through Sunday and holidays. This traffic control point limits the number of private vehicles going to both trailheads because there is limited roadside parking spaces. There is a free Hessie Trail Shuttle that hikers can take at Nederland High School during this limited entry to Eldora Road. The shuttle runs every 20 to 30 minute depending on the time of day and drops of hikers at the Eldora Road parking area which is half a mile from Hessie Trailhead.
There is about four miles between the Eldora Road parking area and the Fourth of July Trailhead. This strecth of road is called the Fourth of July Road and is 4×4 only. This is one of the reasons why the Hessie Trail Shuttle does not continue on to the Fourth of July Trailhead. So if you plan on hiking to Diamond Lake, arrive early to secure a parking spot and bring a high clearance vehicle. If not, you will add eight more miles and about 1,100 feet of elevation gain on top of the Diamond Lake hike by walking the Fourth of July Road.
If you have not completely acclimatized to the high elevation yet, Lost Lake would be your destination (3.4 miles RT). It is shorter and has less elevation gain than Diamond Lake (5 miles RT). However, Diamond Lake is more beautiful and has everything you could want from a Colorado hiking trail.
If you hiked to Lost Lake and are staying in Boulder like we did, more than likely you will be back with plenty of time to walk its Old Town that is lined with shops and restaurants. Take the time to feel the vibe of this college town.
Day 6. Lake Isabelle
If there is one hike to do in the Colorado Rockies, Lake Isabelle would be it. The hike is not terribly long (7 miles RT from Brainard Lake parking area) and the ascent is not difficult. Its payoff to effort ratio is high (meaning a beautiful destination for less effort). The place feels and looks like a shooting location for a movie.
The adventure begins by driving to the Brainard Lake parking area. You have to purchase the parking permit on-line to be allowed to enter the recreation area. The park ranger will scan the parking permit QR code at the gate.
Depending on the season, the road around Brainard Lake may be closed. From the Pawnee Lake Picnic Site and parking lot, walk around Brainard Lake (either side is fine) to get to the Niwot Picnic Area which is at the West end of the lake. You will then spot the Long Lake trailhead. It is 3 miles from this trailhead to Lake Isabelle.
The trail gradually ascends through the forest on the way to Long Lake. The trail branches at Long Lake. Right is Isabelle Glacier Trail and left is Jean Lunning Trail. Both trails meet again at the other end of Long Lake. There was more snow on the Jean Lunning Trail compared to the Isabelle Glacier Trail during our visit. Plus we got to cross the bridge at the lake’s outlet by going right.
Alongside Long Lake, the Isabelle Glacier trail is fairly flat. It then ascends again at a steeper incline between Long Lake and Lake Isabelle.
At Lake Isabelle, going left will provide nice views but with limited viewing spots because you will not be able to proceed any further once you hit the lake outlet (unless you want to wade). Going right will allow you to continue further (depending on trail conditions) to Isabelle Glacier.
Take the time to savor the view at Lake Isabelle before returning. It is a perfect destination to cap six days in the Colorado Rockies.
How To Get There
Other than the free shuttle between Hessie Trailhead from Nederland High School, you will have to drive your own vehicle or rent one to do the itinerary described above.
Where To Stay
Estes Park is more expensive than Grand Lake. Estes Park has a mix of AirBnBs, hotels and motels. Grand Lake is much smaller than Estes Park with mainly locally owned/run hotels/motels and AirBnBs.
Nederland has limited accommodation choices and there are no chain hotels. You will have more choices at Boulder which is an hour away from Nederland.
Expected Expenses
The costs are in US$.
RMNP Park Entrance – 35 per vehicle, valid for 7 days.
Timed Entry + – 2
Brainard Lake Parking – 16
Summary
Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP and the Indian Peaks Wilderness (IPW) are two great destinations in the Colorado Rockies. RMNP is a huge park that offers wildlife viewing and fantastic day hikes to alpine lakes. Though the park has a timed entry system, you should be able to secure one on-line with advanced planning, including the very popular Bear Lake Road.
IPW also covers a large area and has its fair share of alpine lake destinations. It is much less crowded than RMNP. Lost Lake is quite accessible as there is a free public shuttle that hikers can pick up at Nederland High School. Perhaps the most scenic lake that can be hiked to with moderate effort is Lake Isabelle. It is what we consider a must do if you are in the rockies.
The college town of Boulder and quirky Nederland also provide loads of things to see and do. From various restaurant and shopping choices to looking for something that is out of the ordinary, these two places will not disappoint you.
If you plan on being in the Colorado Rockies, we think you will not go wrong in including RMNP, IPW, Estes Park, Boulder and Nederland in your itinerary. It provides a good mix of activities that everyone can enjoy.