Lawn Lake Trail

Lawn Lake Trail is an out-and-back from Lawn Lake Trailhead to a high subalpine lake in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. The National Park Service lists 6.2 miles one way, so plan on about 12.4 miles round trip, with roughly 2,450 feet of climbing. Lawn Lake sits at 10,990 feet, and the trailhead is already at 8,540 feet. Allow five to six hours on the trail, plus whatever time you want at the shore. This is a demanding day hike: the first mile is the steepest and most exposed, and the altitude stays high even after the hard opening.

A short spur about 0.45 mile from the start climbs to a cliff-like look over Horseshoe Park; it can be a modest outing of its own if the full hike is too much. For the lake, continue to the Ypsilon Lake junction around 1.4 miles and take the Lawn Lake branch. At roughly 2.7 miles, a side trail leads to the Cutbank and Golden Banner backcountry sites. Near 5.5 miles, the Black Canyon junction marks the final approach. The trail is signed but not blazed, so check the signs at each junction and stay on the Lawn Lake route rather than following a longer Mummy Range extension.

The climb out of the trailhead is the sharpest and sunniest part. The overlook above the switchbacks opens across Horseshoe Park. By about 1.1 miles, the path reaches high banks above the Roaring River, with the first clear look down the valley. After the Ypsilon junction, the grade settles into a steady series of rises and switchbacks through lodgepole pine and aspen. Flood-deposited logs line parts of the riverbank, and the river appears and disappears below the trail as it crosses the slope. Views toward the Mummy Mountains open between the trees; a riverside switchback around 4.75 miles makes a natural place to pause.

Lawn Lake was naturally smaller until a 26-foot earthen irrigation dam, built in 1903, raised it from 16.4 to 48 acres to supply water near Loveland. On July 15, 1982, the dam failed. The flood rushed down the Roaring River, killed three campers, and inundated Estes Park. The river cut deep banks and left the large boulder field on the final approach; the altered channel is still visible as you hike. The lake has since returned to its natural level. This history gives the river corridor a weight that is easy to miss if you think of it only as a route to a pretty lake.

After the Black Canyon junction, the route curves past the flood-scoured boulder field and reaches Lawn Lake at about 10,990 feet. The lake is ringed by the Mummy Range: Fairchild Mountain and Hagues Peak rise across the water, with Peak 12,591 nearby and Mummy Mountain behind you. A broad beach lies a short walk beyond the first lakeside arrival. From the broad beach, frame the waterline beneath Fairchild and Hagues peaks; the lake helps show the scale of the basin. Take a break at the shore, then turn back the way you came; the route’s out-and-back distance includes the return to the same trailhead.

The Lawn Lake Trailhead lot is reached from Horseshoe Park by following the road to Endovalley; the parking is on the right. The trailhead has privies, picnic tables and a kiosk, but no water, and there is no food service on the route. Bring enough water for the climb; treat any stream water you collect. A valid park entrance fee or pass is required. Pets are prohibited on all park trails; trained service animals are allowed. Backcountry permits apply to overnight camps, not to this day hike.