Hike Profiles for Rocky Mountain National Park and Surrounding Areas

Lake of the Clouds Lake elevation: 11,430 feet - Trailhead elevation: 9,040 feet - Net elevation gain: 2,390 feet Colorado River Trailhead - Rocky Mountain National Park - Distance: 7.0 miles one-way

Tucked away in a remote basin in the Never Summer Mountains, this high alpine lake is a blue-green jewel in a sea of boulders and talus fields.

RMNP boundaries in green / major roads in gold

Red star shows location of Lake of the Clouds

Major Trail Landmarks Red Mountain Trail junction (0.5 miles one-way from trailhead) Grand Ditch Road (4.0 miles one-way from trailhead) Hitchens Gulch junction / Grand Ditch crossing (5.6 miles one-way from trailhead)

Principal Destinations Near Lake of the Clouds Mount Cirrus (8.1 miles one-way from trailhead) - via off-trail route past Lake of the Clouds

Backcountry Campsites on the trail to Lake of the Clouds Hitchens Gulch - (5.8 miles one-way from trailhead) - elevation 10,480' - 2 individual sites Dutch Town - (6.2 miles one-way from trailhead) - elevation 10,760' - 1 individual site

The Colorado River Trailhead is on the west side of the Continental Divide between Grand Lake and Milner Pass. Follow Highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) either 10 miles north of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center or 7 miles south of Milner Pass. The large trailhead parking area is on the west side of the highway. Follow the trail north to a junction at 0.5 mile, then turn left (west) on to the Red Mountain Trail. Cross the bridge above the Colorado River and follow the trail another 3.5 miles to the Grand Ditch service road. Turn right (north) and follow the road as it winds on level ground generally north for another 1.6 miles. Look for the trail in to Hitchens Gulch, cross the bridge over the canal, and head west past two campsites. Past the campsites, the trail begins to fade out as the terrain becomes increasingly rocky. Continue west and follow cairns across a massive boulder field. Scramble up a steep bouldered ridge, just west of the outlet stream, to the lake.