0 Posted By: pbakwin Info: People (like me) might be wondering about the situation at Bear Lake. I got a 5:00-7:00am permit for Tues by getting on recreation.gov exactly at 5pm on Mon. No problem at all. But, on the weekend it is much tighter. Last fall for a Sat a.m. permit I had the website time out several times due to traffic on the site, but eventually did get the permit. Anyway, don’t wait until 5:01pm. I entered the Park a bit after 6:00. At the overflow parking for Bear Lake there was a sign saying that Bear Lake was full & you should park here and take the shuttle, but that simply was not true. Glacier Gorge was full (probably fills before 5:00) but there were still plenty of spaces at Bear Lake. There were also spaces at Bierstadt Lake and some of the other small parking areas along the road. All that was full by the time I got back to the TH at 9:20am. Oh so nice to get up there and out of the heat! | ||||
Posted By: supranihilest Info: Basically empty at 4:30am. A complete nightmare zoo at 3pm. Plan accordingly. | ||||
Posted By: kingshimmers Info: Parking lot is completely dry. Flattop trail (and the Dream/Nymph/Emerald trail) is hardpacked and icy in spots. Trail is thoroughly covered. Used microspikes on the way up Flattop; snowshoes were not necessary on the trail. | ||||
Posted By: WillRobnett Info: Ice and hardpack. Some areas without coverage near the TH, going up coverage stays good. | ||||
Posted By: WillRobnett Info: Freeze thaw cycle is 50% ice & 50% hardpack going Bear Lake >Nymph Lake > Dream Lake > Emerald Lake. (not to mention heavy foot traffic) Lots of people sliding there with 100% coverage ice and hardpack. Lots of people falling, saw it three times on that route alone. People with microspikes were still moving pretty cautiously and uneasy. I had crampons on at the Bear Lake Ranger Station seeing ice everywhere, and cruised. Highly recommend having real spikes on the trail with real ice! Also hiked to Gem Lake from Lumpy Ridge TH today. Trails were mostly dry to Gem, up near the lake is a few solid-ice switchbacks.. saw two more falls later in the day there. Be careful! Freeze thaw is hitting the lower trails pretty hard right now. Photo isn’t the worst spot, just one of many. | ||||
Posted By: emgordon Info: No construction. Road and trailhead are great, but busy. Shuttles run regularly. | ||||
Posted By: krishcane Info: Bear Lake Rd. is currently closed for maintenance from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday. It is open at all other times. You can drive up before 9 am, and you‘ll still be allowed to return during the maintenance window - it‘s just that they won‘t allow any new vehicles to go up during that time. You can also park at the Moraine Park area (1 mile in to Bear Lake Rd.) and take the visitor‘s shuttle up to Bear Lake, though there can be delay of up to 2 hours on the shuttle during peak visiting time. |
