Parking
At the south end of Shadow Mountain Lake, turn east onto County Road 66 for Green Ridge Campground, then continue past the campground on the gravel road to the trailhead.
Overview
About Ranger Meadows Loop
Why go
- Shoreline, dam and meadow views in one low-climb outing
Heads up
- A creek can cover the path through the meadows
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Rocky Mountain map
Full mapElevation8,340–8,465 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Rocky Mountain alerts
- ClosureOld Fall River Road closed to vehiclesOld Fall River Road is closed to motor vehicles for the season.Official details
- ClosureSun Valley burn-area access remains closedThe area and trail west of Sun Valley Trail remain closed, including the route used for angler access to the Colorado River, because of impacts from the 2020 East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires;…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Your drive to Ranger Meadows Loop, narrated.
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Water Beneath the Mountains
- East Inlet: Two Views of Adams Falls
- North Inlet: The Walk to Cascade Falls
- Kawuneeche Visitor Center: Get Your Bearings
- 79 audio storiesacross Rocky Mountain’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 136 trails, 88 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…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
Hiking Ranger Meadows Loop
Easy miles between water and meadowRanger Meadows Loop is a 4.
Ranger Meadows Loop is a 4.3-mile circuit starting on the Shadow Mountain Dam Road access near Green Ridge Campground. Walk to the dam, cross to the far side, follow East Shore and the Continental Divide Trail around Shadow Mountain Lake, then retrace the dam access to finish. With about 250 feet of gain, it is an easy outing for a couple of hours when you want shoreline and open meadow instead of a steep climb.
Where the route opens upThe dam gives an open view across Shadow Mountain Lake and down to the Colorado River leaving…
The dam gives an open view across Shadow Mountain Lake and down to the Colorado River leaving below. The East Shore leg follows the water before a signed junction sends you into the forest and Ranger Meadows. A creek can spread over the tread here; the route then alternates between broad sagebrush and cinquefoil meadows and marshier ground. At the Shadow Mountain Dam sign, turn right for a gentle rise through trees, then stay straight to close the loop. For a photo, frame the reservoir and river outlet together from the dam.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Rocky Mountain
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.
