Emerald Lake Trail
Reviews
You might see me struggle but you won’t see me quit! Once it starts getting to be a little challenge it only gets better and more difficult. The Park Ranger described the trail as the most bang for your buck”. It definitely was worth every step. We went at the end of October and it was perfect. Sunny and 60 degrees. The top was insanely windy but a gorgeous view. My pictures and memories of this hike are in my top 5 hiking experiences. There are vault toilets at the trail head and you get your passport stamp there :) Emerald Lake is Not a handicapped accessible trail but if you want to try Bear Lake I’d say go for it.
Spikes or snow shoes needed. Other than trail conditions were really good!
It was a beautiful hike today. I left the parking lot before sunrise. Everything went well until above Dream Lake. I followed the summer trail and ended up postholing and crawling. Later a local pointed out I should’ve steered right off the trail through that steep area. Thankful for the experience!
Hiked on 2/9/25. Great conditions, trail to Dream / Emerald lake mostly packed snow, spikes are helpful.
Snowy! Trail is packed in places, a little looser in others. Spikes were very helpful. Most people had spikes or snow shoes. We didn’t make all the way to emerald lake. The altitude adjustment is no joke! We got there around 9:30, we left at 12:30 and it was very busy where we left.
Trail was well packed all the way to Emerald. Suggest spikes since it was quite slippery in spots. You could walk on the lakes today, epic views all around.
Great conditions, a little slippery where the snow is packed but other than that it was perfect.
Beautiful blue bird sky day! Used microspikes to hike with no slipping over the packed down sections of the trail and snowshoed on the way back just for fun. Snowshoes are not needed. Had a blast with my wife's first alpine snowshoe adventure.
Beautiful but very snowy and the wind/snowfall on Saturday afternoon covered our tracks quickly. Make sure you have a map downloaded. Snowshoes were preferable but doable in spikes if you’re careful to stay on narrow trail.
Beautiful conditions with good snowpack. First two thirds are doable with microspikes, but the back third would be safer and easier with snowshoes. Hiked Saturday morning, fresh powdery snowfall of about 4” (10cm). Trail is mellow and easy to follow. Snowshoed.
saturday 2/1, gorge parking full at 10:30am, went up to bear lake parking which was half full. it was windy and snowy up there even though it was 40 and clear in estes. beautiful hike though with everything still covered in snow. spikes needed but snowshoes not as the trail is packed through.
Fun winter hike. Windy and snowy. Deep snow, anything off trail requires snow shoes or skis. Spikes on trail work fine. Well established trail to Dream Lake not quite as packed from Dream to Emerald Lake.
Potholed quite a bit on trail with the fresh snow coming down today. Definitely recommend spikes/crampons and snowshoes are up to you, we had them with us but didn’t use them. Cloudy day so minimal visibility.
Without any recent snow, the whole hike up to Emerald Lake can be easily and entirely with micro-spikes right now. I started around 2pm (parking was easy) and reached Emerald by 3, and I had the whole place to myself.
Beautiful day and not many people in the parking lot when I arrived at 9 am on a Friday. Most of the snow is packed up to emerald lake but I had to turn back from lake haiyaha almost immediately because of postholing. Went back and did part of the trail to flattop which was great
This was such an amazing experience. The trail was challenging in the snow but absolutely worth it. Beware, AllTrails is using a summer path which is completely covered in snow so you’ll have to hike through Nymph Lake to get back onto the trail.
Nice trail, not technical. Well groomed. Elevation gain is not severe. This is a fun and beautiful trail for beginners and has wonderful vistas and views for more experienced hikers!!
Not a nortic ski trail. Maybe mountaineer sinks. Chain a much for all the way to Dream lake and beyond.
Doable with spikes but snowshoes would be best. Very very windy on the lakes, but views were worth it.