RMNP - Fern Lake

I had some unexpected challenges in the month of August that kept me off the trail between August 5 and September 5, but all of that is now good to go so I can get back on the trail.  I decided that since it had been so long, I probably shouldn't go tackle a new 15 mile trail with 3000 ft of gain right off the bat, so I chose the Fern Lake trail in RMNP.  If you follow this journal you will know that I have been to or through Fern Lake several times and know what to expect of the trail.  A good one to get reacquainted with hiking.

It was actually Labor Day and I expected alot of people in RMNP so I thought I would get a mildly early start and head up.  Boy was I wrong...  When I got to RMNP, they had already closed all the parking areas and road above Moraine Park and the parking lot at Fern was nearly full.  These crowds are taking some getting used to.

I jumped on the trail at the winter TH, which is about a half mile or so from the actual Fern Lake/Pool TH.  I thought the trail to the Pool, being relatively low and flat, would give me a good warm up for the moderate climb to Fern Lake.  The trail is peaceful as it runs along the Big Thompson River.  A good place to zone out a little.

The hike to Fern Lake is a good, solid climb through the forest with minimal views.  The best part of this section of the hike is Fern Falls, which were flowing very well.

Fast Fern Falls

Fern Falls

I reached Fern Lake in reasonably good time and decided to explore areas around the lake that I had not done before.  Fern is a good fishing lake and there are many different social trails that take you to various shoreline locations all around the lake.

Fern Lake, looking to Little Matterhorn

Fern Lake, looking to outlet.  very peaceful place for lunch

Fern Lake inlet

After I was done exploring, I sat down on a log, had lunch, and returned the way I came.  It was a fast 10 miles and I did better than I expected, although I told myself that the next one would be harder.

Overall Track Statistics for RMNP - Fern Lake,   1626 data points

 Length 9.531 miles  :  Garmin Length 10.126 miles

 Start Elevation - 8118.54 feet

 Maximum Elevation - 9514.73 feet

 Minimum Elevation - 8112.47 feet

 Date of Hike - Sep 05, 2016

 Start Time - 08:41 AM

 End Time - 12:41 PM

 Total Duration -     4:00 hours:min

 Total Ascent - 2045.93 feet

 Total Descent - 1994.13 feet

 Net Ascent - 51.80 feet

 Maximum Grade - 16.34%

 Average Speed -  2.38 mph :  Garmin Average Speed  2.50 mph

 Maximum Ascent over Mile - 734.65 feet

 Maximum Speed over Mile -  3.33 mph

 Maximum Gain over Mile (%) - 13.51%