Bear Lake

Park at the visitor center and take the tram to Bear Lake, it will be very difficult to find parking in the actual lot unless you are the first ones in the park. I recommend finishing the loop, working your way up to Alberta Falls, then down and out through Glacier Gorge to catch that shuttle back.
The loop is very easy to walk with many breathtaking stops.

Bear Lake is a beautiful little lake within the Rockies with lots of great hiking trails around it. It’s off Highway 36 in the National Park. The hiking loop around Bear Lake is less than a mile, with lots of lookout points and beautiful landmarks everywhere (including the image that is on the Colorado state quarter!). It’s pretty flat the majority of the way throughout the lake, with just a few hills here and there. However, you can certainly extend your hike or increase the difficulty of it by taking any of the other trailheads (i.e. Nymph Lake) that are around the area. I went just this November, and there was already packed snow and ice forming on the lake. It was gorgeous and imagine in the spring/​summer it will also be lovely!

Just took the trip up to Estes and to Bear Lake this past weekend! It was a little windy and chilly but that did not stop the beauty! Easy hike/​trail and lets you see lots of the landscape! This was my first time in Estes Park and I will be sure to come back!

This is my favorite trail to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park; we usually start by hiking up around Alberta Falls, then around the lake itself to kinda wind down from the longer walk to the falls. You can also park up by Alberta Falls, then walk down and back up, but I usually find walking back downhill at the end to be more fun, and there’s generally more parking at Bear Lake than at the Falls, at least when I’ve come through (mostly during the fall season).
There are markers placed around the circumference of the lake along the trail, each one showcasing part of the natural beauty that surrounds Bear Lake, and they make great excuses to stop for a bit, read up on local flora or fauna, take a photo, or take a rest if the elevation is becoming an issue. Take it easy, and enjoy the views!
The walk up to Alberta Falls is a little more strenuous than the one around the lake, so if you have young children it might not be the way to go. The lake trail itself is one my siblings and I have been hiking pretty much since we could actually walk in the first place, so I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a kid-​friendly trail that’s still a decent hike and not just walking around a visitors’ center until the kids get bored with the view.

Beautiful lake near the base of the top peaks at Rocky Mountain National Park. When we visited the lake was still mostly frozen and the whole area including the lake were covered in fresh snow.
Although we visited in mid May, the temperature at the lake was about 70 degrees even though it was much hotter at the visitor centers. We did get caught by a quick moving rain storm while we were hiking to the next nearest lake (Nymph Lake 0.5 miles from Bear Lake), but nothing too bad.
Totally worth the drive, you get great scenic views of the mountains and area while heading to this location and it is steps away from the parking lot once you park, no hiking necessary.

Bring a windbreaker and gloves in winter. And snowshoes or skis if you have them. The trail is very nice, there are a few options from Bear Lake Road– you can go to Sprague Lake, Mill Creek, Alberta Falls, or Bear Lake. They are all relatively closeby to one another. Ended up here because I came too late to find any parking further up but still a great time!

Bear Lake is an outstanding nature location to see in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Went hiking there in late October and it was wonderful. Wonderful for the beauty of the place yes, but I had an exceptional day to do it. It happened to be snowing and cold which added an awesome ambiance to the already beautiful lake and trail which circumnavigates 360 around the lake.
This is a place of natural wonder to be seen. Definitely do yourself a big favor and visit it you are anywhere near the area.