About Lake of the Clouds
On the map, Lake of the Clouds belongs to the Never Summer Mountains (West) section of Rocky Mountain National Park, at 11,430 feet on the west side of the Continental Divide. In this guide it is treated as a hard lake.
The setting is remote Never Summer Mountains country. The approach from Colorado River TH is 9.0 miles one-way and belongs in the hard tier for this guide. The Never Summer side is remote west-side terrain tied to the Colorado River headwaters and the park's highest divide country. The distance and setting make this a plan-ahead destination, not a casual lake stop.
NPS park materials describe Rocky as a park of extremes, and the Never Summer side is part of the west-side high country feeding toward the Colorado River headwaters.