Bierstadt & Sprague Lakes (winter)

Bierstadt & Sprague Lakes

Routes:

- Bierstadt Lake: Snow-covered trail (~3.2 miles round trip, ~725 ft gain/loss, snowy)
- Sprague Lake: Snow-covered trail (~0.5 miles round trip, ~10 ft gain/loss, snowy)

Two short snowy hikes to lakes in RMNP.

Region: Colorado
Elev: Bierstadt Lake Trailhead Elev: 8,860 ft; Bierstadt Lake Elev: 9,416 ft; Sprague Lake Trailhead Elev: 8,700 ft; Sprague Lake Elev: 8,700 ft
Type: 
Date(s): January 13, 2023 (Fri)
Partner(s): solo

Intro

It was a beautiful, uncharacteristically warm (48°F in Estes Park!) winter day. I finished up work just after noon and decided to go enjoy the snow in RMNP for a couple of hours. I never hiked to Bierstadt or Sprague Lakes in RMNP, both are short hikes (Bierstadt Lake is 3.2 miles, 725 feet gain the hike around Sprague Lake is a mere 0.5 miles and 10 feet gain), and the trailhead for either was a mere 15 minutes drive away, so that sounded like a good plan. First I hiked up to and around Bierstadt Lake and then on the drive back I stopped and tacked on the short loop around Sprague Lake. The trails were packed down so snowshoes were not needed, although I did use them up at Bierstadt Lake to tromp through some untouched snow in the woods for a bit. Both lakes have panoramic views of the mountains along the Continental Divide, including, from left to right: Longs Peak, Chiefs Head Peak, McHenrys Peak, Powell Peak, Taylor Peak, Otis Peak, Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain.

The hike to Bierstadt Lake took 1 hour 25 minutes and the hike around Sprague Lake took 15 minutes. Either could be done much faster, but I was just enjoying rambling along and taking photos.

Below is a sampling of photos from my two short snowy hikes.

Photos - Bierstadt Lake

Photos - Sprague Lake

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *