Hike to Timber Lake

I love Timber Lake! I never see that many people on the trail and I can't figure out why. The hike starts at the Timber Lake trailhead and climbs gradually through Pine and Aspen trees on the way up. We saw a few elk on the way up that didn't seem to be bothered by our presence. We also started hiking in the evening and ended up doing most of the hike in the dark, making as much noise as we possibly could to scare off whatever was hiding in the shadows.

If you're spending the night, camp at the first Jackstraw campsite, which is now my favorite campsite in RMNP. It's not the closest to the lake but it offers great views of the meadow just before the lake and has very close access to water. The lake is a short 3/4 mile hike from Jackstraw.

Once you reach the lake you have a few options. Lunch, fishing, and lounging in the sun are all great activities for this area. We climbed to the top of the mountain on the left side, had lunch and took in the views Mt. Ida is also near and has spectacular views! This is a must do on the West Side of RMNP!