About Bear Lake
Bear Lake is the front door to the Bear Lake Corridor: a short, high-elevation lake loop at 9,475 feet and one of the most visited stops in Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake is only 0.1 miles from Bear Lake Trailhead, but it feels larger than that on the ground because so many classic routes begin here.
Use Bear Lake as both a destination and a landmark. The loop gives quick water-and-peak views, while the same trailhead also feeds the routes to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Lake Haiyaha, Flattop Mountain, and the Fern-Odessa area. The path is accessible in park data, but it is still a mountain trail surface rather than a flat city sidewalk.
NPS identifies the Bear Lake Road Corridor as the gateway to many of the park's most visited destinations, including Bear Lake, Sprague Lake, and the short hikes toward Dream and Emerald Lakes.
