Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Twin Sisters Peak
is an up-and-back hike that provides an excellent warm-up to climbing
Longs Peak. In addition, the 11,428ft summit of Twin Sisters Peak offers unequaled views
of Longs Peak. It's an arduous walk, gaining 2300ft in just 3.7 miles. Erosion-resistant
quartz rock caps the oddly deformed rock at the summit and delicate alpine flowers
(plenty of mountain harebell) fill the rock spaces near the stone hut. The trailhead is near
Mills Cabin, 10 miles south of Estes Park on Hwy 7. No fees are required for this hike.
Accessed from the Bear Lake trailhead,
Glacier Gorge Junction
is a busy network of trails
that threads through pine forest and over rushing streams, offering a spectrum of diffi-
culty. The easy stroll to Alberta Falls is good for families. Far more strenuous 5-mile op-
tions would be to hike up Glacier Gorge, past Mills Lake and many glacial erratics to
Black Lake, or via Loch Vale to Andrews Glacier on the Continental Divide. The trailhead
is served by the Glacier Basin-Bear Lake shuttle.
FLOOD REPAIRS
A severe flood washed through Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2013, and several campgrounds and
trails were damaged or closed as of press time. These included Twin Sisters Trail, Aspenglen Campground, Longs
Peak Campground, McGraw Ranch Rd and Cow Creek Trailhead, North Fork Trail, and the Ypsilon and Lawn
Lake trails. Work was underway to repair damage, and the park is open for visitors.
Rock Climbing
Many of the park's alpine climbs are long one-day climbs or require an overnight stay on
the rock face. Often the only way to accomplish a long climb and avoid afternoon thun-
dershowers is to begin climbing at dawn - this can mean an approach hike beginning at
midnight! An alternative is to bivouac (temporary open-air encampment - no tents) at the
base of the climb. Free bivouac permits are issued only to technical climbers and are man-
datory for all overnight stays in the backcountry.
To minimize the environmental impact of backcountry use, the Rocky Mountain Na-
tional Park Backcountry Office allows only a limited number of people to bivouac at four
popular climbing areas. Phone reservations may be made March to May 20 for the follow-
ing restricted zones: Longs Peak area, including Broadway below Diamond, Chasm View,
Mills Glacier and Meeker Cirque; Black Lake area (Glacier Gorge), encompassing
McHenry's Peak, Arrowhead, Spearhead and Chiefshead/Pagoda; the base of Notchtop
Peak; and the Skypond/Andrews Glacier Area, including the Taylor/Powell Peaks and
Sharkstooth Peak. Reservations are not needed nor accepted for other bivouacs.
