"If you're going to Calypso, you may as well keep going the mile or so to Ouzel Falls."
I had considered this, but was wary after reading the bridge was closed up there. We may give it a shot regardless.
"And I'm not sure if you're planning a loop from Bear to Fern to Cub, or a partial loop and shuttling from Cub back to Bear, but if so that does mean you'll miss one leg of the Cub loop along the river and through the aspen grove. Be sure to at least stop by the Alluvial Fan while you're there."
This one was just a play-it-by-ear for us. We were going to park at the Fern Lake TH, and shuttle to Bear Lake. Someone else suggested Cub Lake as well, and I saw on my map we could branch off after Fern Lake to go by Cub Lake. Does the shuttle go from the Cub Lake TH to Bear Lake? If not, it appears we'd be walking a bit back up the road. And what is the Alluvial Fan? I don't see it on my map.
"Also it occurred to me later this evening that you *might* want to switch your morning/afternoon around that day. Wild Basin parking fills up fast in the summer, and you would probably be better off hitting it early in the morning. If the lot at the end is full, you can expect to add up to a mile of road walking from the smaller overflow spots earlier on the road, possibly all the way back to the Finch Lake trailhead."
I guess I figured it would be busy EVERYWHERE in the afternoon, and Wild Basin would be a bit more remote.
Best hikes in RMNP?
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Craig Cook
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acidchylde
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Re: Best hikes in RMNP?
The bridge is out and I doubt the new one will be built by the time you go (I was up there last November and they had the footers mostly built and some I-beam spans cached nearby), but you only have to cross the bridge if continuing on past the falls. You can ignore the detour sign at the fork right before an earlier bridge (before Calypso, you'll know it when you see it because the bridge I refer to is big and visible up to the left from the sign). The view of the falls is on the side of the creek you approach from Calypso. I was able to rock-hop in November to cross at the old bridge location, but with current runoff I can almost guarantee that wouldn't be possible.
The actual Fern Lake TH is back at the end of the aspen grove/road I mention, and the shuttle doesn't go that far back. It stops/turns around just past the Cub Lake TH earlier on that road. I don't know the particulars of the shuttle system because I've only used it once or maybe twice. Here's the route map though: http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/s ... _route.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I think/it looks like there's two different ones that originate from the park and ride near Sprague Lake. One runs back to Cub TH, and the other to Bear. I know a shuttle goes to both.
If you start at Bear and go to Fern, coming down from Fern you'll arrive at a junction at The Pool. Go left, you follow the river out to the Fern Lake TH. Go right, you climb back up a fair bit of gain to crest a ridge over Cub Lake, then head down and back to the road from there. If coming from Fern, you'll only hit one side of the Cub Lake Loop or the other. I usually park at/near the Cub TH, go up to the lake first, down to the pool, and back out along the river. For the route you describe you're better off parking at the Park and Ride, shuttling up to Bear, and then catching the shuttle from Cub back to park and ride - if you can do it within the shuttle hours. Alternatively, park as near the Cub Lake TH/shuttle turn around as possible, shuttle all the way up to Bear (with the transfer at Park and Ride), and your vehicle will be waiting where you come out. You can then drive on back to the Fern TH if you want to see the aspens and just miss the hike along the river. If you park at Fern, with the route you describe you'll be walking that road through the aspens twice.
The alluvial fan is over near the head of Horseshoe Moraine. It's the result of the Lawn Lake damn failing and a giant flood washing a bunch of material out into the valley. Basically a giant waterfall now. You get to it by starting up Old Fall River road. Both parking lots had been opened back up in November (flooding in 2013 buried the western one). Old Fall River Road was also heavily damaged in 2013 and is still undergoing work. It looks like it's open some of the time, so be sure to drive it if you get a chance. Even if it's closed for you, you can still get to the fan before the closure (or should be able to).
Yes, everywhere will be busy and it is more remote, but the thing about Wild Basin in particular is since it has less parking and several THs for longer hikes, people show up earlier in the morning and then are parked and out hiking all day - there's less turnover than at other lots. Not saying you can't find parking in the afternoon, but my experience has been odds are much greater in the morning. Glacier Gorge (the lot right before Bear Lake) is similar in that it usually fills up in the morning and has very little turnover during the day because of the length of the trails from there.
The actual Fern Lake TH is back at the end of the aspen grove/road I mention, and the shuttle doesn't go that far back. It stops/turns around just past the Cub Lake TH earlier on that road. I don't know the particulars of the shuttle system because I've only used it once or maybe twice. Here's the route map though: http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/s ... _route.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I think/it looks like there's two different ones that originate from the park and ride near Sprague Lake. One runs back to Cub TH, and the other to Bear. I know a shuttle goes to both.
If you start at Bear and go to Fern, coming down from Fern you'll arrive at a junction at The Pool. Go left, you follow the river out to the Fern Lake TH. Go right, you climb back up a fair bit of gain to crest a ridge over Cub Lake, then head down and back to the road from there. If coming from Fern, you'll only hit one side of the Cub Lake Loop or the other. I usually park at/near the Cub TH, go up to the lake first, down to the pool, and back out along the river. For the route you describe you're better off parking at the Park and Ride, shuttling up to Bear, and then catching the shuttle from Cub back to park and ride - if you can do it within the shuttle hours. Alternatively, park as near the Cub Lake TH/shuttle turn around as possible, shuttle all the way up to Bear (with the transfer at Park and Ride), and your vehicle will be waiting where you come out. You can then drive on back to the Fern TH if you want to see the aspens and just miss the hike along the river. If you park at Fern, with the route you describe you'll be walking that road through the aspens twice.
The alluvial fan is over near the head of Horseshoe Moraine. It's the result of the Lawn Lake damn failing and a giant flood washing a bunch of material out into the valley. Basically a giant waterfall now. You get to it by starting up Old Fall River road. Both parking lots had been opened back up in November (flooding in 2013 buried the western one). Old Fall River Road was also heavily damaged in 2013 and is still undergoing work. It looks like it's open some of the time, so be sure to drive it if you get a chance. Even if it's closed for you, you can still get to the fan before the closure (or should be able to).
Yes, everywhere will be busy and it is more remote, but the thing about Wild Basin in particular is since it has less parking and several THs for longer hikes, people show up earlier in the morning and then are parked and out hiking all day - there's less turnover than at other lots. Not saying you can't find parking in the afternoon, but my experience has been odds are much greater in the morning. Glacier Gorge (the lot right before Bear Lake) is similar in that it usually fills up in the morning and has very little turnover during the day because of the length of the trails from there.
