Teen Trails and Mountain Tales: Backpacking In Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

The Trip

Designed with teens in mind, this out-and-back 20-mile backpacking route in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) provides some relief from crowded trails and visits a few landmark features of the park. Group campsites are higher in elevation and closer to iconic destinations such as Andrews Glacier, Chasm Lake, and Longs Peak, RMNP’s only 14’ner. These destinations are difficult to get to as single day hikes. On our day hikes, totaling an additional 20 miles, we’ll trek to: Andrews Glacier, near the Continental divide - we might even get to touch it! Chasm Lake which lies beneath Longs Peak’s eastern edge and hold stunning views of the peak (and the lake), and the approach to Longs Peak through the Boulder Field up to the Keyhole Route. Some of you will be inspired to come back and summit this famous peak someday. Because RMNP sits in some of the highest elevations in the US between 7,860 and 14,259 feet, we will be camping at high elevation in designated back-country campsites between 10,300 and 11,000ft. 

RMNP was established in January 26, 1915 and lies approximately 55 miles north of Denver within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide runs through the center of the park and divides water flow to the west towards the Pacific Ocean and to the east towards the Atlantic. Well-known Trail Ridge Road built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, traces the route travelled by Paleo-Indians and later Ute and Arapaho Native-Americans. After the 1820 Long Expedition, led by Stephen H. Long for whom Longs Peak was named, settlers began arriving and displaced many Native Americans.

Of the many species of animals that live in the park, we may see (in decreasing likelihood) elk, chipmunk, mule deer, marmots, moose, pika, squirrels, turkeys, big horn sheep, osprey, black bears (slim chance), or mountain lions (extremely rare chance). We will learn a little about conifers and fire ecology, and with a little bit of help from guidebooks, we might identify wild flowers currently in bloom.

Day 1: We will have a day of acclimation at the Estes Park YMCA, where we check paperwork and gear then say goodbye to our parents. After some ice breakers and introductions, the leaders will go over LNT principles, safety protocols and trail etiquette. We should have time to relax for an hour or two before heading to the dining hall for a carbo-loading dinner. After dinner there will be another chance to play games/cards, read or just hang out and talk before lights out.

Day 2: Another chance to fuel up begins with an all you can eat breakfast at the dining hall. With full-bellies we will return to our gear to unpack and repack everything in its proper order including bear canisters, some group gear, and personal water. We begin our trek in earnest traveling to the far end of the YMCA and onto the trail. After about 3 miles the trail becomes steep and steady. Today our destination is Boulder Brook Camp. In 4.75 miles we will have climbed about 2,000 ft.

Day 3: Our second hiking day continues up the trail, just as steep as yesterday but with switchbacks which provides a variety of perspectives for photos of the stunning views below. We will certainly breathe heavily in the thin air as we climb to the top of Granite Pass, at a lofty elevation of 12,087 ft. Descending the southern slope, we head to Battle Mountain Camp where we will be for the next two nights. (4.7 miles +1,800 ft / -1120 ft)

Day 4: The first of two layover days takes us on a real adventure on Longs Peak trail. Although we don’t plan to summit Longs Peak, we will pick our way across the Boulder Field to the Keyhole. The approach is awesome and the view of the Keyhole Route is unique. This 6.5-mile day hike will likely take us all day so we will pack a lunch, take our time and enjoy the view. (+/-2,200 ft elevation gain/loss round trip)

Day 5: Our pack will be much lighter as we head back to Boulder Brook on an alternative route. At the trail junction we gladly drop our packs for the quick 0.85-mile jaunt to explore Chasm Lake. If we get there early enough, we may have the lake to ourselves for a little while. We may choose to dip our toes, to have lunch or postpone eating until Granite Pass. By the end of the day, we will have traveled another 5.1 miles with our packs (6.8 miles total, with +1,550 ft elevation gain and -2,240 elevation loss).

Day 6: Another layover day allows freedom from the pack as we travel west toward the Continental Divide. Depending on group preference, we may tackle the climb to Andrews Tarn for a view of Andrews Glacier, Sky Pond for a view of Taylor Glacier, or possibly Lake Haiyaha. (Statistics for hike to Andrews Tarn: 10.4 miles +/- 2,475 ft elevation gain/loss round trip)

Day 7: Retracing our steps from day 1 we move 4.75 miles downhill and should return to the YMCA and our awaiting parents by mid-morning. If we thought ahead, our parents would have brought us a set of clean clothes to changes into. After returning gear we say goodbye to new-found friends and head home.

Getting There

Estes Park is about 65 miles and 90 minutes north of Denver. Our meeting location is the YMCA of Estes Park about 5 miles southwest of town. Both the town and the YMCA are easily accessible from Denver Airport by shuttle.  We will meet on our first day by 2:00 p.m. at the YMCA. The specific meeting location and check-in instructions are to be determined. 

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader because of issues relating to getting our permits.

Accommodations and Food

Estes Park is about 65 miles and 90 minutes north of Denver. Our meeting location is the YMCA of Estes Park about 5 miles southwest of town. Both the town and the YMCA are easily accessible from Denver Airport by shuttle.  We will meet on our first day by 2:00 p.m. at the YMCA. The specific meeting location and check-in instructions are to be determined. 

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader because of issues relating to getting our permits.

Trip Difficulty

We start our journey above 8,000 ft and encourage out-of-towners to come a day or two early to acclimate. Our highest elevation is a pass, which we cross on day 2 at 12,087 ft, where most of us will certainly feel the elevation in some form. We should recover quickly on the descent, but we will watch for signs of altitude sickness. Hiking on trails with packs, we will cover 20 miles and almost 3,000 ft elevation change. On two layover days, we will cover an additional 20 miles with about 4,000 ft elevation change. Although backpacking distances are relatively short, less than 5 miles, our day hikes may be over 10 miles with steep ascents/descents, on rough rocky terrain. Our two back-country campsites are quite high in elevation, 10,300 and 11,000ft. The Sierra Club rating for the trip is 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is easy and 5 is very strenuous. It is suitable for hikers/backpackers with some high-altitude experience.

Equipment and Clothing

The Sierra Club provides bear-resistant food storage containers, cooking gear, food, a tarp for rain, a comprehensive first-aid kit for emergency use, and a satellite communication device. You are responsible for everything else. The leaders will provide a detailed gear list to approved participants well in advance of our outing. The list will include items that are essential such as a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and those that are optional. We divide the gear and food, which generally weigh 10-13 pounds each at the start of the trip. You must keep the total weight for your gear below 25 pounds, with 20 pounds being ideal. We recommend you have at least a 65L backpack to accommodate your gear and the shared group commissary. It is possible that at the start of the trip, your pack weight could be 40 lbs.

July weather in the Rocky Mountains is normally pleasant with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 30s but temperatures outside of this range are possible. Afternoon thunderstorms, all-day rain, or even snow are not unusual, therefore good quality rain gear is necessary.

References

Maps:

• https://store.usgs.gov/assets/mod/storefiles/PDF/CO_Rocky_Mountain_NP_1987.pdf
• https://www.natgeomaps.com/ti-200-rocky-mountain-national-park
• https://www.scheels.com/p/outdoor-trail-maps-longs-peak-%7C-culebra-peak-map/40700043849.html#q=longs%2Bpeak&lang=en_US&start=4

Books:

• C. W. Buchholtz, Rocky Mountain National Park: A History, University Press of Colorado, 1987
• Kent Dannen, Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park Falcon Guides, Globe Pequot Press, 10th edition

Conservation

Like many wilderness areas, RMNP faces its biggest threat, climate change. Drought, fire, and bark beetle blooms threaten forests of old-growth trees, both conifers and deciduous alike. After major fires, good post-fire colonizers spread and grew quickly. Often these colonizers are invasive species such as the leafy spurge and the Canadian thistle, which settle long before native species have a chance to recover. Current conservation efforts nurture native species over invasive ones, by recording and removing (sometimes by burning) areas high in invasive colonizers to encourage the growth of native species.

Along our journey, we will discuss the fauna and flora of the area, the environmental impacts of climate change, and efforts to combat these ill effects. We encourage participants to consider and bring their concerns for the wilderness and world to our open-ended discussions. As advocates for ourselves, we will discuss methods of daily conservation. As advocates in a larger global sense, we will discuss issues that personally resonate and motivate action, discuss where to go to find more information on these topics, describe how simple it can be to participate, and encourage you to reply to these campaigns for change.