Gem Lake Hike Estes Park

Gem Lake Overview

Gem Lake in Estes Park is a small lake/pond with no inlet or outlet stream. Beginning at Lumpy Ridge trailhead, the hike to Gem Lake is about 1.7 miles, making the round trip total 3.4 miles with roughly 1000 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead to Gem Lake. I’ve heard it’s a great starter hike if you’re just arriving to Rocky Mountain National Park from a lower elevation and acclimating to the altitude.

Although part of Rocky Mountain National Park, Lumpy Ridge Trailhead is located just north of downtown Estes Park, outside of the RMNP entrance.

Gem Lake Hike : Before you go

As part of Rocky Mountain National Park, there are two things you’ll need before you hike to Gem Lake:

1. Rocky Mountain National Park Day Pass (or a 7-day pass, or an America the Beautiful Annual Pass, or any other type of pass that will get you into a National Park).
2. Timed Entry (if visiting between between 9am and 2pm on a date between the end of May and mid-October). Timed Entry Permit Reservations ($2) are required to enter most areas of Rocky Mountain National Park. There are a limited number of timed entry slots and they are only sold online. You’ll need to plan in advance, because when they are released, they sell quickly. More information about booking a timed entry can be found here: Timed Entry to Rocky Mountain National Park.

I have an annual America the Beautiful national park pass, and I booked my timed entry the night before (right at 7pm when they open up the remaining slots). Unlike the main part of Rocky Mountain National Park, there isn’t a gate or entrance station at Lumpy Ridge Trailhead, so I don’t exactly know how this is being enforced. I never had to show my park pass or timed entry to anyone. I went on a Thursday morning in early September (not exactly peak season), but I wonder if during the height of the season they have rangers in the parking lot or on the trail checking with people. I’m not sure.

This sign was attached to the trailhead kiosk right beside the parking lot, so they do expect you to have a pass:

Getting to Gem Lake

Lumpy Ridge Trailhead is just a short drive north of downtown Estes Park. The parking lot is a fairly good size, though I’m sure it can fill up during busy times (this was a Thursday morning in early September).

Use this map to get directions to Lumpy Ridge Trailhead:

Hiking to Gem Lake

The hike to Gem Lake begins at Lumpy Ridge Trailhead, which is a perfect name for the area. There are tons of lumpy boulders and rock formations everywhere, every step of the way.

I wish I would have brought my kids here when they were younger. Throughout the hike I kept envisioning them on the rocks and boulders–climbing on, jumping off of, hiding in–they would have loved it!

About a half mile into the hike you’ll hit a sign post. To get to Gem Lake you’ll continue on the main path heading right for another 1.2 miles. Taking the path to the left will get you to Twin Owls, which apparently is a popular rock-climbing spot.

After this point you’ll hit a few spots with openings to the right that give you great views of Estes Park and Lake Estes.

I love those aspens!

This might have been my favorite spot of the whole hike:

The final ½ mile got a bit rocky and the incline felt a bit steeper:

Arriving At Gem Lake

Gem Lake is small but pretty!

There were lots of areas around the lake to sit and enjoy a snack or a picnic lunch.

How Long Does it Take to Hike to Gem Lake?

Start to finish, my total hike time was about three hours, which included a lot of stopping for photos, and about 30 minutes at Gem Lake.

Is Gem Lake a Good hike for Kids?

This probably depends on their endurance levels. At about 3.4 miles roundtrip, it might be a little long for kids younger than five or six. Additionally, the final climb into Gem Lake (maybe the last 1/3 mile or so) gets a bit steep. The granite steps sometimes seemed a foot and a half tall, so I can imagine it might be difficult for littler legs.

That said, if your kids have reasonable endurance or you’re willing to stop for frequent breaks, I think kids would love all the granite boulders to climb on. My kids would have loved this hike when they were about seven or eight years old.

Facilities at Gem Lake

There are a few vault toilets at trailhead/parking lot.

There is another vault toilet off the trail, just a few minutes before you arrive at Gem Lake. Bring your own TP!

Plants & Animals Spotted at Gem Lake

On my hike to Gem Lake I spotted quite a few chipmunks, fireweed, and western aster:

Gem Lake Overall Thoughts

Gem Lake itself didn’t blow me off my feet, but it was definitely a pretty spot and I absolutely enjoyed the hike. My final thoughts:

• The distance and incline made me feel like I was getting exercise without being overly strenuous or tiring.
• The views of Estes Park in the middle of the hike were lovely.
• Hip hip hooray, there were no mosquitos!
• My favorite part was before the final climb, a small “canyon” of granite after a grove of aspens–a super peaceful spot.
• I loved the smell of the crisp mountain air and all the mountain sounds–the wind blowing through the trees, the chatter of chipmunks and squawks of birds. This hike gave me all kinds of mountain vibes and I loved it!

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