I promised every once in a while a venture into Rocky Mountain National Park that covers hiking trails that aren’t as well travelled. With traffic lines into the park stretching for miles since Coloradoans are desperate for something to do during the pandemic, using different less-used entrances into the park are warranted for the savvy local hiker (unless of course you love waiting in lines, if so then you are really going to love getting your vaccination shot!) .
The Estes Cone is a destination that we always wanted to hike to, but in all the years Suzie and I have lived in the area (including Suzie living for many years in Estes Park proper), we haven’t gone there. Well we took care of that omission on New Year’s Eve Day.
The route we took involved going in through the Lily Lake or Twin Sisters hiking trails off highway 7. Lily Lake can also be busy this time of year with families walking around the lake or sledding, but the parking lot across the street for Twin Sisters is usually less busy and just as easy to park at (pass required). Taking the Storm Pass trail out of the Lily Lake parking lot quickly leads you away from the Lake to start ascending the hillside.
It’s a steep climb and if you want to go all the way to the top, it’s 8+ miles round trip with a bit of scrambling climbing the cone itself. This time of year it was still navigable via hiking boots vs. snowshoeing and with the plethora of hand-built steps along the way, snowshoes would be cumbersome on this trail without a lot more snow.
The views from the trail are spectacular, inclusive of the cone itself, Twin Sisters and Longs Peak. There is also Eugenia copper and gold mine remnants along the way. At the site are the remnants of an old homestead and a steam boiler.
So if you want something a little more out of the way of the crowds, this is a pleasant hike with great views and some good history. Enjoy the pictures and leave your comments online.
