Mills Lake, Colorado, United States
5.0 (46 reviews) Spent More than 3 hours Ranking #28 in Rocky Mountain National Park Bodies of Water
Loved this hike!
We did this hike on an early morning in July. With our timed entry reservation, we thought we'd have no trouble parking, but we were wrong. At 6:30 am, the parking lot at Glacier Gorge and at Bear Lake were completely full. Luckily, I remember a small parking lot about a half-mile before you get to Glacier Gorge. It only has about 5 spaces, but we got one of them. So we then walked along the road (a bit dangerous but very doable) to get to the Glacier Gorge trailhead. The hike itself was wonderful. Great scenery and not too crowded. It passes Alberta Falls. Very nice! Easy trail to follow until you get right near the top when you are just walking on large rocks. Notice your way up this last part so you can find the trail coming down again; we were a bit lost until we saw some other people coming up. Took us a little under 2 hours to get to the lake at a fairly leisurely pace. Wear your mask and enjoy!
Address
Glacier Gorge, Colorado, United States.
Mobile
Website
http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/hikes.htm
Current local date and time now
Friday, May 10, 2024, 1:33
User Ratings
5.0 based on (46 reviews)
Reviews
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5TravelingSoccerLoon 5:00 PM Sep 11, 2020
Great Hike and Beautiful Lake
I included a hike to Mills Lake on my return from Sky Pond and it was very worth the extra effort. Leaving from Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake Trailhead, the hike gets interesting when reaching Alberta Falls. It is quite an ascent but the views of the Bear Lake area and Morraine Valley become spectacular as you climb especially after turning on to the Mills Lake Trail at the Glacier Gorge Junction. Arriving at Mills Lake provides stunning views with Longs Peak in the background. Make sure you find a spot on the rocks along the eastern shore of the lake for a rest and a snack before making the trek back. If you have the energy, I would recommended throwing in a diversion to The Loch which is an equally beautiful setting.
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4George S 5:00 PM Nov 3, 2022
Lack of signage near the lake
We hiked the trail (2.8 miles, 750 elevation rise) to Mills Lake from Glacier Gorge passing Alberta Falls on the way. It was a moderate trail but got tough near the top towards the lake. The lake was scenic and had areas to rest and even picnic. However one issue we had was the lack of signage or directions on top and we, and others, had some problems finding our way back on the trail. In any case, we made it and would still recommend the hike.
