`Aspen gold on Gem Lake Trail hike

On the Gem Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, aspens were at peak fall color, glowing against oddball rock formations. … Read More

The post Aspen gold on Gem Lake Trail hike appeared first on Digging.

September 30, 2026

The mountains were calling again, so on Sunday we picked up our daughter and headed west. We got hung up in Boulder thanks to road closures for a marathon but eventually freed ourselves and forged on to Estes Park. Just north of town, we parked at the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead and started up the Gem Lake Trail.

It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool. The aspens were glowing at peak gold right out of the gate.

They weren’t the only fall color along the trail either.

The 3.4-mile round-trip trail winds among exposed rock formations. I couldn’t help seeing shapes in them, like clouds. This one gave teddy bear energy.

Glowing stands of aspen kept giving me an excuse to stop and catch my breath — handy on a trail with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet.

I mean, you can’t just rush past such beauty.

Still climbing

A yellow wood

Along an open ridge, a car-sized rock is improbably balanced on end. A hole in it frames a view of the sky — or offers a wormhole to another dimension.

The view from here takes in a vertical ridge of rock.

A little higher and we were treated to this view of the surrounding Rockies.

At last we reached Gem Lake. The lake — more of a pond — is a little underwhelming, but the setting is impressive. There’s a small beach on the left, and a rock wall curves around the other side.

One young couple was picnicking on a rock ledge. On the beach, kids were playing. It was a peaceful spot to rest.

On the way down, we enjoyed streaks of gold among the pines.

A few more scenes

And soon we were down again.

On our way out of Estes Park, a couple of wild turkeys strutted across the road, daring us not to stop — an amusing end to the day.

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