Parking
Use Fern Lake Trailhead at the end of Fern Lake Road, off Moraine Park Road. Seasonal Bear Lake Road Timed Entry+ reservations apply during certain hours; a free shuttle runs along the corridor in summer.
Overview
About Spruce Lake Trail
Why go
- The Pool, Fern Falls and Spruce Lake break the route into distinct rewards.
- The final spur ends at a lake framed by Gabletop Mountain and Castle Rock.
Heads up
- The return is about 9.4 miles with a sustained climb.
- The final spur is unmaintained, with a short rough section to follow carefully.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Rocky Mountain map
Full mapElevation8,159–9,701 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 Spruce Lake Trail, 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
Fern Lake Trailhead: Turn Around at The Pool0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing Fern Lake Trailhead, where The Pool makes a good shorter turnaround.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cub Lake: Lily Pads Beyond the Meadow
- Upper Beaver Meadows: A Picnic Below the Divide
- Hollowell Park: Lunch and a Creekside Stroll
- Watch for the Coyote's Pounce
- 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 Spruce Lake Trail
A full-day lake hikeSpruce Lake Trail is a 9.
Spruce Lake Trail is a 9.4-mile out-and-back from Fern Lake Trailhead to a high-elevation lake in spruce-fir forest. The lake is about 4.7 miles from the trailhead, with roughly 1,515 feet of climbing; allow around six hours for the return. It is a long walk with a rough, unmaintained final spur, best for hikers comfortable with a full day on uneven ground.
The river and The PoolThe Fern Lake Trail follows the Big Thompson River through mixed forest and occasional open…
The Fern Lake Trail follows the Big Thompson River through mixed forest and occasional open views. Around 1.2 miles in, Arch Rocks make an easy landmark: two house-sized boulders beside the trail. At about 1.7 miles, The Pool is where Fern Creek joins the Big Thompson and the water churns. The former Forest Inn site is a short distance beyond.
Fern Falls and the Spruce Lake spurPast The Pool, the trail climbs nearly 400 feet over 0.
Past The Pool, the trail climbs nearly 400 feet over 0.7 mile to Fern Falls, a 60-foot cascade on Fern Creek. It climbs another roughly 650 feet over the next mile to the Spruce Lake junction. The spur starts with a steep 0.2-mile rise, then eases through open young pine forest. One short, rocky section is rougher and takes close attention to follow. The spur is unmaintained.
Fern Lake is just before the Spruce Lake junction. If you want to see its shore too, take the short side trip and return to the junction; that extra is not included in the 9.4-mile distance.
A trail from the park’s early tourism yearsLodge keepers and local tourism boosters built and maintained the Fern Lake Trail in the early…
Lodge keepers and local tourism boosters built and maintained the Fern Lake Trail in the early 1900s. It became the Fern Lake Trail Historic District, listed on the National Register in 2005. Near The Pool, the Forest Inn opened in 1917 with a lodge, dining room, lounge and cabins. The park acquired it in 1952 and removed it in 1959. Farther up, parts of the forest burned in the 2020 East Troublesome Fire; young pine growth now fills some of those slopes.
Getting to the trailheadStart at Fern Lake Trailhead at the end of Fern Lake Road, reached via Moraine Park Road.
Start at Fern Lake Trailhead at the end of Fern Lake Road, reached via Moraine Park Road. Bear Lake Road has seasonal Timed Entry+ reservations during certain hours from late May to mid-October. A free shuttle runs along the corridor in summer; check current dates and service details. Pets are prohibited on all park trails.
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.
