Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
A mountain lake tinted green by a 2022 rockslide.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this place
Bear Lake and a Shorter Mountain Walk“You're coming up on Bear Lake, where a short path from the parking area reaches the water beneath Hallett Peak. I'd stop even if you're not planning a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to Lake Haiyaha in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Guide
Lake Haiyaha is an alpine lake in a boulder-strewn basin of Rocky Mountain National Park's Bear Lake area. The hike from Bear Lake is 2.1 miles one way with 745 feet of climbing. The last approach and the lakeshore are uneven, with a scramble over large rocks; expect a rough finish and little level ground for sitting. The payoff is a close view of the mountain basin and water that can take on a milky sea-green cast.
Large blocks line the shore, with twisted pines growing from some of their crevices. The rocks frame the water, but they also make the edge awkward to move around and leave few comfortable places to sit. From a stable spot by the shore, let a foreground boulder lead into the water and mountain slopes; higher angles require scrambling over the rocks.
On June 28, 2022, a landslide in Chaos Canyon sent fine silt and clay into the lake. The slide moved an estimated 2.7 million cubic yards of material at speeds up to 11 mph. The ground-up rock remains suspended in the water and scatters light, creating its milky sea-green appearance. How long that color will last is unknown, and it can look different as light and conditions change.
Haiyaha is commonly explained as an Arapaho name referring to rocks around the lake. Recorded translations vary, including “Rocks All Around,” so treat that as a broad sense rather than a settled word-for-word translation.
Wildlife
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateEmerald Lake Trail3.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayThree alpine lakes, then Hallett Peak and a waterfall.
EasyBear Lake Loop0.6 mi · 30 min · 1 mi awayA short lakeside loop with Hallett Peak in view.ModerateLake Haiyaha Trail4.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 1 mi awayA boulder-lined alpine lake beyond Nymph and Dream lakes.
ChallengingBear Lake to Fern Lake Trailhead9.2 mi · 7 hr · 1 mi awayTwo lake detours, then a long descent to Fern Falls.
ModerateBear Lake to Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene Trail6.3 mi · 3.5 hr · 1 mi awayTwo high lakes, faint spurs, and a close view of Notchtop.ChallengingOdessa Lake Trail from Bear Lake8.2 mi · 5.5 hr · 1 mi awayA long climb, then Odessa Gorge opens to the lake.
ModerateBierstadt Lake from Bear Lake Trailhead4.4 mi · 3 hr · 1 mi awayA Bear Lake climb to a lakeshore under the Continental Divide.
ModerateFour Lakes Loop5.7 mi · 4 hr · 1 mi awayFour lakes and Alberta Falls on a high country loop
Sight · 0.4 mi awayDream LakeA mile from Bear Lake, Hallett Peak fills the skyline.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayEmerald LakeThree lakes in, the trail ends beneath steep mountain walls.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayNymph LakeA short uphill walk to summer lily pads and mountain views.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayThe LochAfter a real climb, alpine peaks mirror across the lake.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayBear LakeA classic alpine lake, with Hallett Peak just beyond the shore.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayAlberta FallsA short, uphill hike ends at a thunderous waterfall.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayMills LakeA ten-acre glacier-carved lake beneath the peaks of Glacier Gorge.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayTimberline FallsA 100-foot waterfall above The Loch, after a hard climb.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
