Nestled in the southeast corner of Rocky Mountain National Park in the shadow of Mt. Meeker's expansive southern side, Sandbeach Lake provides a tranquil setting for a picnic, a day hike, or an overnight camping trip. The lake earns its name from the appealing, sandy beach on its east side. From the lake one can see views of Mt. Copeland and St. Vrain and Meadow Mountains to the west and south, and Longs Peak, Mount Meeker, and Pagoda Mountain to the north.

Someday, this summer perhaps, I have ambitions to do a nice long dayhike up to Keplinger Lake, via the North Ridge of Mt. Orton, and maybe even ascend the classic South Ridge (5.6) of Pagoda. Along the way I will pass Sandbeach Lake. So when it was yet again another inclement weekend shutting down any rock climbing on the Front Range, I decided I would hike up to Sandbeach Lake for some exercise and gaining familiarity with the route for a future summer hike. This makes Sandbeach Lake one of the few lakes in RMNP I will have visited in the winter/early spring before visiting it in the summer.

My round trip time was 4.5 hours, which included a break at the lake enjoying a hot drink and imagining glorious mountain views. I got back home to Estes Park shortly after noon, and spend the afternoon in my cozy home with my cute cat working on a puzzle.

Below is a sampling of photos from my morning of snowy mountain exercise.

My parents were visiting me from their home in British Columbia, Canada. On Saturday, we wanted to go on a hike together. The forecast was sunny but windy, so Sandbeach Lake in sounded like a great destination for the day. My parents had never been to Wild Basin before (on their visit the previous year, we had hiked to Sky Pond and to the top of Mt. Ida).

While my parents relaxed on the sandy beaches of the lake (it was windy but they found a sheltered sunny spot), I continued to the summit of Mt. Orton, a mere a mile and a half and 1500 feet above and west of Sandbeach Lake. Getting to the summit involves a bit of bushy terrain at the start, but then follows gentle rock and tundra northwest to the stony summit. From the summit, seven of RMNP's 20 peaks above 13,000 feet are visable, including the towering Longs Peak. Mt. Orton is a highpoint on the broad North Ridge that extends southeast from the mighty Chiefs Head Peak; this ridge is bordered on the north by Hunters Ceek and on the south by tributaries to North St. Vrain Creek. Wildflowers flourish on the tundra of the summit ridge and bighorn sheep can often be seen in the vicinity. This is a great place to ramble, and I defintely want to return and continue along the broad North Ridge to Kelpinger Lake, and perhaps up the classic South RIdge (5.6) of Pagoda.

Below are some photos from my day tagging a summit and spending some time with two of my favorite people in the world.

It was the first truely sunny weekend of 2024. So I spent it in the best way possible: Saturday snowshoeing up to frozen lake and a summit high in Rocky Mountian National Park, and Sunday climbing with Nate at Lumpy Ridge. I was unable to convince Nate to join me on Saturday, so I grabbed my earbuds and downloaded an audiobook and off I went for a solo adventure.

I decided that Sandbeach Lake and Mt. Orton sounded like a great destination for the day, ticking off both a frozen lake and a summit with a 360° view. I had been to the top of Mt. Orton the previous June, and I was curious to see it in its winter splendor. Indeed, it was a glorious day and I reveled in every bit of it. I don't normally take long breaks, but on this day, I stopped at Sandbeach Lake both on the way up and down to soak in the sun and examine the cool ice, and enjoyed a long summit break soaking in the views.

I did not see another soul, and on my way back down the only fresh tracks were mine from the morning. I love how in the winter, even on a glorious day, you can have the entire area to yourself.

Time stats:

• Trailhead to Sandbeach Lake: 2 hours
• Sandbeach Lake to Mt. Orton summit: 1 hour 11 minutes
• Mt. Orton summit to Sandbeach Lake: 55 min
• Sandbeach Lake to Trailhead: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Total car-to-car (includes lots of breaks to revel in the view): 6 hours 55 minutes

Below are some photos from my glorious day in the wintertime RMNP.