Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
A lively river pool makes a good shorter Fern Lake Trail turnaround.
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
Fern Lake Trailhead: Turn Around at The Pool“You're nearing Fern Lake Trailhead, where The Pool makes a good shorter turnaround.”
Plays as you drive up to The Pool in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
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“…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
The Pool is a natural river pool on the Fern Lake Trail, where Fern Creek meets the Big Thompson River near the Cub Lake trail junction. It makes a good stopping point before the longer hikes to Fern Falls or Fern Lake: The Pool is 1.7 miles one way from Fern Lake Trailhead, compared with 2.5 miles to Fern Falls and 3.8 to Fern Lake. Turning back here makes a 3.4-mile round trip; the trail gains 245 feet before reaching The Pool. This is a hike, not a roadside stop.
The trail follows the Big Thompson through forest and open stretches, passing Arch Rocks before it reaches the junction. At The Pool, water gathers among the rocks and rushes onward beneath a footbridge. From the bridge, frame the cascade with the pool in front of it to show how the water threads through the narrow rocky channel.
Roughly 200 yards uphill, the Forest Inn once served hikers on this trail. It opened in 1917 with a lodge, cabins, tents and meals, then closed in 1951. The Park Service removed the buildings in 1959; the Old Forest Inn backcountry campsite now occupies the former site.
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
ModerateFern Falls Trail5.1 mi · 3 hr · 1.5 mi awayArch Rocks and The Pool earn the long walk to Fern Falls.
ChallengingGrace Falls Viewpoint Trail12 mi · 7.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long high-country hike for a view of Grace Falls.
ChallengingLoomis Lake Trail10.3 mi · 6.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA 10.3-mile lake hike with an unmaintained final stretch.
ModerateFern Lake Trail7.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA 7.6-mile return to Fern Lake passes The Pool and Fern Falls.
EasyThe Pool Trail3.4 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.6 mi awayA short river walk to a lively, boulder-lined confluence.ModerateSpruce Lake Trail9.4 mi · 6 hr · 1.6 mi awayFern Falls and a mountain lake reward the rough last climb.
ModerateCub Lake–The Pool Loop6.1 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayPair a lily-covered lake with a creek-carved pool.
ModerateOdessa Lake via Fern Lake Trail9.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.6 mi awayTwo alpine lakes, a cascade and a serious climb from Fern Lake.Sight · 0.5 mi awayFern FallsA tiered waterfall marks a natural halfway goal on Fern Lake Trail.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayCub LakeA lily-covered lake at the end of a varied Moraine Park hike.Sight · 1.3 mi awayFern LakeA demanding hike ends at a high lake beneath three named peaks.Sight · 1.9 mi awayOdessa LakeA high alpine lake worth the long hike.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayBierstadt LakeMountain reflections reward the steep walk in.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayLake HeleneA tucked-away alpine lake beneath Notchtop’s sheer rocky wall.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayBear LakeA classic alpine lake, with Hallett Peak just beyond the shore.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayDream LakeA mile from Bear Lake, Hallett Peak fills the skyline.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
