September 24, 2020

Today Beg and I hiked the Bierstadt Lake Trail (4.0 mile) from the Trailhead off Bear Lake Road.  The total elevation change for the hike is 800 ft.  We entered RMNP with an 8:00 am reservation and proceeded immediately to the trailhead parking area where we found the last parking space.  From the trailhead, the trail steadily climbs more than 600 feet along numerous switchbacks to reach the Bierstadt Moraine.  Along the way there were large stands of lodgepole pines and aspens.  Because a moraine is the leftover from the ice age glaciers, it is littered with piles of stones, and gravel, which made hiking a constant challenge.  As we approached the top of the moraine, we entered a dense pine forest and then approached the southwest shore of the lake with its grassy shoreline that was taking on a golden color.  We used the loop trail around the lake and from the opposite side of the lake there were good views of the surrounding mountains.  The lake is named after the renowned western landscape painter Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902).









Southwest shoreline of Bierstadt Lake





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