Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
A steep climb to a lake beneath two high peaks.
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
Timber Lake Trailhead: A Full Hiking Day“You're coming up on Timber Lake Trailhead, for a strenuous high-altitude climb to a lake below Mount Ida and Chief Cheley Peak.”
Plays as you drive up to Timber Lake 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
Timber Lake is a roughly 10-acre high-country lake in a broad basin beneath Mount Ida and Chief Cheley Peak, on Rocky Mountain’s west side. It is a remote hiking destination, not a roadside stop. From Timber Lake Trailhead, the National Park Service lists 4.8 miles each way and 2,060 feet of gain, starting at 9,000 feet. Expect a strenuous outing with sustained climbing at altitude.
Timber Lake Trailhead is beside US 34, about 10 miles north of Kawuneeche Visitor Center. The route climbs the west slopes of Jackstraw Mountain, first through lodgepole pine and then through meadows. Views open at intervals toward the Never Summer Mountains and Kawuneeche Valley; higher up, the meadows open toward Mount Ida.
At the lake, the basin opens beneath Mount Ida, 12,889 feet, and Chief Cheley Peak, 12,504 feet. Late spring and early summer can bring wildflowers, but snow may linger at this elevation. For a photo, include near-shore rocks and a band of water in front of the peaks; a tight crop of the lake misses the basin’s scale.
There is no food service or developed lakeside facility, so carry what you need for the hike. Trail conditions vary with weather and elevation; check current park updates before setting out, especially in spring when snow can linger.
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
EasyLake Irene Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 3 mi awayA short lake loop with an optional meadow view.
EasyHolzwarth Historic Site Trail0.9 mi · 1 hr · 3.1 mi awayA gentle meadow walk opens onto a century-old ranch complex.
ChallengingTimber Lake Trail9.6 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayA steady forest climb opens into a high lake basin.
ModerateForest Canyon Pass Trail4.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayTundra ponds and canyon views reward this high-country climb.
ChallengingMount Ida Trail9.6 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA hard climb to a wide-open Continental Divide summit.
ModerateLittle Yellowstone Canyon Trail10.8 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayRiverside meadows give way to a colorful canyon and a steep climb.
ChallengingDutch Town Trail12 mi · 10 hr · 3.3 mi awayClimb to faint mining traces below the Never Summer Range.
ModerateRed Mountain Trail to Grand Ditch6.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayClimb to the Grand Ditch for Never Summer Range views.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayFarview Curve OverlookThe Grand Ditch cuts a pencil line across the Never Summer Range.
Picnic area · 2.8 mi awayBeaver Ponds Picnic AreaA picnic beside two ponds, with a stairway down to the water.
Picnic area · 2.9 mi awayBeaver Creek Picnic AreaA quiet meadow picnic stop with autumn elk viewing.
Campground · 3 mi awayTimber Creek CampgroundWest-side camping at 8,900 feet, near Grand Lake.Sight · 3 mi awayLake IreneA quick lakeside loop and picnic stop on Trail Ridge Road.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayMilner PassStand at the Continental Divide beside Poudre Lake.
Sight · 3.4 mi awayHolzwarth Historic SiteA mile-long loop through a valley homestead and guest ranch.
Picnic area · 3.9 mi awayCoyote Valley Picnic AreaA riverside picnic with views of the Never Summer Mountains.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
