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.
2 replies on “Estes Cone, RMNP, Colorado”
What a neat thing to do on New Year’s Eve Day. Beautiful, enticing, but I can see one must be careful not to outdo your capabilities. After all, it is wild wilderness in the middle of winter. The photo of snow being kicked up and over Long’s Peak underscores the elements. That trekking-out of four miles means one must be still have the fortitude for the return repeat. I’m becoming cold just thinking about it.
So did you ever make it to the top of Estes Cone?
In truth we didn’t, but it was more about it being late in the day and losing light (4PM) and that the last scramble up the side of the Estes Cone is supposed to be rocky and rather dangerous this time of year, so we opted to turn around at the pass and save the summit for another (summer) day! Having done search and rescue for 11 years I also come prepared with extra gear, clothes, ability to start a fire, food, simple shelter, headlamp, etc. in case we end up having to be out longer than we expected. Most everyone I ever searched for in the backcountry (usually in the middle of the night) did NOT expect to be out past dark and was ill prepared to spend the night. It never hurts to be over prepared AND safety aware, accounting for all the risks one might encounter when travelling in the backcountry, that is for sure Tim! And turning around when it’s time to turn around to save the journey for another day is sometimes a difficult decision, but the wise thing to do.