The Spirit of the Rockies
www.thespiritoftherockies.net
Hike Profiles for Rocky Mountain National Park and Surrounding Areas
Sky Pond
The hike to Sky Pond
passes several lakes and
waterfalls as it leads
through Loch Vale to a
shelf below Taylor
Glacier and Taylor Peak.
The outstanding scenery
and varied environments
along this trail make it a
very popular trail for
day hikers.
Distance: 4.6 miles one-way

Lake elevation: 10,900 feet

Trailhead elevation: 9,240 feet

Net elevation gain: 1,660 feet

Glacier Gorge Trailhead

Rocky Mountain National Park
Spires above Sky Pond
Major Trail Landmarks
Alberta Falls (0.6 miles one-way from trailhead)
Junction of Loch Vale and North Longs Peak Trails (1.3 miles one-way from trailhead)
Junction of Loch Vale and Mills Lake Trails (1.9 miles one-way from trailhead)
The Loch (2.7 miles one-way from trailhead)
Junction of Loch Vale and Andrews Creek Trails (3.6 miles one-way from trailhead)
Timberline Falls (4.0 miles one-way from trailhead)
Lake of Glass (4.2 miles one-way from trailhead)
Principal Destinations Near Sky Pond
Mills Lake (2.5 miles one-way from trailhead) - via Mills Lake Trail
Andrews Tarn (4.7 miles one-way from trailhead) - via Loch Vale to Andrews Creek Trail
Backcountry Campsites Near Sky Pond
Andrews Creek (3.3 miles one-way from trailhead) - 1 individual site
The Glacier Gorge Trailhead is on the east side of the Continental Divide near Bear Lake. From the Beaver
Meadows Entrance Station on U.S. Highway 36, head west less than a quarter mile and turn south on
Bear Lake Road (toward Moraine Park). Follow Bear Lake Road approximately 9 miles to the small
parking area at Glacier Gorge. This lot often fills up early in the morning when Bear Lake Road is open to
vehicle traffic. The trailhead begins across the road to the south.

The trail to Sky Pond begins by hiking past Alberta Falls from Glacier Gorge Trailhead. Past the falls, there
are two trail junctions. At the first junction, take the right-hand trail (the left-hand trail is the North Longs
Peak Trail). At the second junction, the right-hand trail leads toward The Loch and Sky Pond (the left-hand
trail leads to Mills Lake, and an unimproved trail also leads north to Lake Haiyaha). The trail then climbs a
steeper grade to The Loch, passes along the north shore of this lake, and leads to a junction with the Andrews
Creek Trail. The left-hand trail here leads toward Timberline Falls and Sky Pond. At Timberline Falls, the
trail climbs briefly beside the falls before leveling on to a shelf at Lake of Glass. The trail narrows in this area,
but is visible as it winds along the north side of Lake of Glass to Sky Pond.
Sample photographs of the hike to Sky Pond
Timberline Falls
Powell Peak from near Sky Pond
Sky Pond
Taylor Peak and Sky Pond
Sky Pond topographic map
Principal summer trail marked by solid red line; unmaintained trail or route marked by dashed red line.
Map is oriented with north to the top of the map
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All photographs are property of Mike Amfahr and are protected by copyright laws.
Topographic map is property of and copyrighted by Maps a la carte, Inc., and is used on this site with permission.