re: Pics - Hiking Colorado last July

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Thanks for posting. Any general comments about or recommendations for the trip?

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1) Rocky Mountain National Park does not get the credit it deserves. I guess because it's a bit small and because the whole state is beautiful??

2) I highly recommend Mt. Ida (elevation 12,880) for a quiet hike. It's 10 miles there and back, fairly strenuous, but very rewarding. We saw Elk at the bottom, that deer, and several big horn sheep up top.
The panoramas at the top are bar none.
This hike is just off Trail Ridge Rd on the SW side of the park. I think it's four miles south of the Alpine Visitor Center.

3) The lakes hike is stunning. We found a way to view 5 or 6 different lakes in a single convoluted loop...starting at Glacier Gorge and Alberta Falls. GET THERE EARLY. The crowds down low are a nightmare. This is Dream Lake/Bear Lake parking lot (east central part of the park...not far from Estes Park)

4) Late July was perfect for me. About 40 in the morning and 75-80 in the afternoon...and a good bit of snow up top.