Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
A mellow lakeshore walk with open views over Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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 area
Water Beneath the Mountains“Near Grand Lake, water enters a thirteen-mile tunnel beneath the mountains and emerges near Estes Park. The Alva B.”
Plays on the road 0.9 mi from the trailhead 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.”
Trail guide
East Shore Trail is a 5.9-mile out-and-back from East Shore Trailhead to the first cutoff toward Shadow Mountain Dam. The mapped corridor is about 2.9 miles each way, following the reservoir’s eastern shore. Allow around three hours. The tread has gentle rises, so the six-mile distance and starting elevation of roughly 8,400 feet matter more than steep climbing. The first broad lake view is reported about half a mile in.
The shoreline is the payoff: open water and mountain views appear between wooded stretches, with small beach-like openings where you can pause. Use the first dam cutoff as the turnaround for this version. A separate, steep branch climbs to Shadow Mountain Fire Tower; it is a different outing, not part of the stored route.
Reach East Shore Trailhead from Grand Lake by following signs toward Hilltop Boat Ramp and continuing on Jericho Road. The route crosses into Rocky Mountain National Park about a mile from the trailhead. Check current timed-entry requirements before hiking across the park boundary. Beyond the dam cutoff, the East Shore and Continental Divide Trail corridors continue toward other access points, so confirm the endpoint when comparing distances.
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
ChallengingShadow Mountain Lookout Trail9.6 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA lakeside route climbs to a historic lookout closed to hikers.
ChallengingNorth Inlet–Tonahutu Creek Loop26.1 mi · 16 hr · 1.3 mi awayCreekside forests give way to six exposed miles of Divide tundra.
ModerateCascade Falls Trail via North Inlet7 mi · 4 hr · 1.3 mi awayA seven-mile valley walk ends at a tiered granite waterfall.
ChallengingLake Nokoni Trail19.8 mi · 11 hr · 1.3 mi awayA long climb through falls and fire-scarred meadows to Lake Nokoni
ChallengingLake Nanita Trail21.2 mi · 11 hr · 1.3 mi awayA long walk to two high lakes below jagged stone spires.
EasyAdams Falls Trail0.8 mi · 36 min · 1.4 mi awayTwo views of a stepped waterfall in a narrow gorge.
ChallengingLone Pine Lake Trail10.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long climb through meadow to a lake below granite peaks.
ChallengingLake Verna Trail13.8 mi · 8 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long climb through meadow and granite to a remote alpine lake.Sight · 0.9 mi awayShadow Mountain Fire LookoutA 1930s fire lookout above three lakes, reached by a long hike.Sight · 1.5 mi awayAdams FallsA short approach, with a higher view above the gorge.
Visitor center · 1.9 mi awayKawuneeche Visitor CenterStart here for west-side maps, answers, and a park-scale preview.
Entrance station · 2.3 mi awayGrand Lake EntranceA practical west-side gateway close to Grand Lake.
Picnic area · 3 mi awayHarbison Meadows Picnic AreaSheltered picnic tables, a meadow view, and a ranching story.
Sight · 3.9 mi awayCascade FallsA seven-mile walk brings you to a close-up granite waterfall.Sight · 5 mi awayLone Pine LakeAn 11-mile round trip to a granite-framed backcountry lake.
Sight · 6.1 mi awayGranite FallsA layered creek cascade, reached by a long west-side hike.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
