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Dave Spates

Dave Spates

Hiking. Adventure. Photography.

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Rocky Mountain National Park

Spectacle Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park

August 17, 2022 by davespates Leave a Comment

Spectacle Lakes and Ypsilon Mountain Rocky Mountain National Park

August 13th 2022 Emily and I hiked to Spectacle Lakes from the Lawn Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. Spectacle Lakes are located in the Mummy Range section of the park, underneath Ypsilon Mountain (13,520′).  Hiking Distance – 12.8 Miles Round-trip Elevation Gain – 3,661 ft (The hike fail to Chiquita Lake added about […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Camping at Thunder Lake Stock in Rocky Mountain National Park

August 14, 2022 by davespates Leave a Comment

dramatic landscape from the shore of thunder lake

Emily and I acquired a walk-up permit to camp at Thunder Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park for one night. Walk up permits are just as they sound, you walk up to one of the wilderness offices, and see what’s available. Another option, but not concrete, is to check Recreation.gov for potential walk up sites […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Lost Lake Wilderness Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park

July 11, 2021 by Emily Leave a Comment

sunset at lost lake with mount dunraven

  For three months we have been anxiously awaiting our first backpacking trip of the year in Rocky Mountain National Park – a two night stay at Lost Lake campground. This year, due to the high number of visitors to the park, persons interested in wilderness camping needed to enter a lottery to be randomly […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking to Lyric Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park

July 2, 2021 by davespates Leave a Comment

Lyric falls, a remote waterfall in rocky mountain national park

Emily and I hiked to Lyric Falls on June 7th, 2021, from Sandbeach Lake Trailhead near the Wild Basin entrance station. Which is located on the southeast side of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. Hiking Distance: 10.55 Miles RT Elevation Gain: 2,188 feet Total Time: 6 hours 4 minutes Video of Our Hike to […]

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Gem Lake and Balanced Rock Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

December 17, 2020 by Emily Leave a Comment

dave spates at gem lake

From Lumpy Ridge Trailhead we hiked to Balanced Rock, passing by the highly trafficked Gem Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, Colorado. December 6th 2020. 8.3 Miles hike round-trip | 1,870 feet total elevation gain Hiking to Gem Lake in December A grueling off trail hike to Fay Lakes yesterday had us aching […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Backcountry Hike to Fay Lakes in the Mummy Range Rocky Mountain National Park

December 11, 2020 by davespates Leave a Comment

X marks the ice crack in the middle of Ypsilon Lake, looking at Ypsilon Mountain

  A 5AM wakeup call signified our departure for Sheep Lakes. A first stop before heading to Lawn Lake trailhead to hike Ypsilon Lake trail to Fay Lakes. Off trail hike to Fay Lakes on December 5th 2020. Hiking Distance: 12.5 Miles Total Elevation Gain: 3,300 ft Total Hiking Time: 9.5 Hours We were out […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Emerald Lake Trail – Most Popular hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

November 25, 2020 by Emily Leave a Comment

Dave Spates laying on ice at dream lake

As fires die down and more sections of Rocky Mountain National Park reopen, we returned to Bear Lake Trailhead. We opted for the popular 3.5 mile hike to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake Trail Day Hike A few cars speckled the Bear Lake parking lot at our 6:30AM arrival to obtain […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

Keplinger Lake Day-Hike from Sandbeach Lake Trailhead

November 14, 2020 by Emily Leave a Comment

Dave Spates, Keplinger Lake

Hiked to Keplinger Lake (11,686 ft) from Sandbeach Lake trailhead (8,345 ft) in the Wild Basin of Rocky Mountain National Park. Two scenic stops at Sandbeach Lake (10,283 ft) and the summit of Mount Orton (11,724 ft). Hiking to Keplinger Lake in the fall It’s been a sorrowful few weeks as the East Troublesome Fire […]

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Timber Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

November 1, 2020 by Emily Leave a Comment

Timber Creek leading into Timber Lake on a snowy day

Snow fell overnight on Grand Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park on October 11th 2020. On our final day of hiking, Trail Ridge Road was closed between the Colorado River Trailhead and Rainbow Curve. This did not deter us from driving US 34 until a few yards before the closure – Timber Creek Trailhead. After […]

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20 Mile Day Hike on the East Inlet Trail

October 28, 2020 by Emily Leave a Comment

Fourth Lake off of East Inlet Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado

  The East Side of Rocky Mountain National Park has much to offer; proximity to Denver and a plethora of gorgeous day hikes. This long weekend, we opted for the longer drive to Grand Lake – the home of the West Side of the park. Prior to check in at the Timberline Inn, we snuck […]

Filed Under: Rocky Mountain National Park

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