ALL QUIET ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: CIRQUE & EMMALINE LAKES

Hike date: June 9, 2006. Trailhead: Pingree Park "Trailhead B" Starting elevation: 9,020 feet; Highest elevation on the hike: about 11,025 feet Route: Cirque Meadows Trail, continuing west to Emmaline Lake. Total trip distance: About 12 miles. Weather/trail conditions: Partly cloudy and cool in the morning, Mostly cloudy and warmer in the afternoon, with no storms.

Last year, I made it a priority to spend more time in the northern reaches of Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding forest lands. I continued that journey here in 2006 with a June weekend that included hikes on two trails that were brand new to me. One of those hikes, in to the Comanche Peak Wilderness just north of R.M.N.P., was this hike to Emmaline Lake.

Entrance to Pingree Park

"Trailhead B", my starting location

Although the traditional trailhead for Emmaline Lake begins near the Tom Bennett Campground, I decided to begin in Pingree Park. This remote Colorado State University campus is accessed by a 16-mile gravel road that leaves Highway 14 in Poudre Canyon. The road was well-graded and offered no difficulties as I pulled in to the campus. However, once on the campus roads, the difficulties began. After several U-turns and lack of success at finding my trailhead, I finally acquired a campus map from one of the buildings - which indicated that I was in fact looking for the thoughtfully-named "Trailhead B". After getting my bearings, I was soon on the trail.

Golden banner wildflowers

Heartleaf arnica wildflowers

A shortcut trail leads directly west from Pingree Park to intersect the Cirque Meadows Trail, so I followed this shortcut up a steep ridge. The area showcased many wildflowers, evidence of the lack of forestation on this ridge, due to damage from the 1994 Hourglass Fire. The golden banner flowers were particularly bright and vibrant as I hiked uphill through the downed logs and healthy generation of young evergreens that were reforming the forest. Once I had reached the main trail, a wide and fairly level path welcomed me. This part of the trail was a treat in the cool morning air, as views opened up to the north end of R.M.N.P. and the valley of Pingree Park below.

Trail overlooking Pingree Park

View of Sugarloaf Mountain

Clouds danced along the summit ridge of distant Sugarloaf Mountain, but cleared quickly amid the high winds. Fortunately, I was sheltered from the windy morning, and enjoyed the calm, sunlit trail as I continued toward Cirque Meadows. Despite hiking in northern Colorado most of my life, I had not heard of Cirque Meadows until recently, and this lovely area was a welcome surprise. The namesake cirque to the west, which encompasses the summits of Fall Mountain (which I had climbed the previous summer), Comanche Peak, and a number of unnamed highpoints in between, was dramatic and perfectly accentuated with early summer snowfields. Fall Creek flowed lazily through the meadows, adding an artistic touch to the wonderful landscapes.

Mummy Pass Trail junction

Cirque Meadows

Cirque Meadows

After following the trail around the north side of the meadows, the once wide and level trail began to change personality. First, the trail began to narrow slightly and within a mile was little more than a game path in some places - what R.M.N.P. would designate as an unimproved trail. The grade also steepened as the trail climbed out of the meadows and in to the great cirque to the west. I was now about 4 miles from the trailhead, and soon encountered another hiker descending the trail; the first hiker I had seen all day. When I asked her about the trail conditions, she informed me that it would get "pretty snowy" and that she had trouble finding the trail above. As I continued, the trail did begin to disappear under retreating snowbanks, and several times I thought I had lost the path, only to rediscover it few yards ahead. Finally, at a large trailside cairn, the trail vanished completely under large snowfields.

View to the north

The trail ended in these snowbanks

At this point, it was time to ascend the snow and hope that the lakes were just beyond. To my delight, a trail sign awaited me after a lot of snow and some tangles in the krummholz. The trail had led me to a point overlooking Cirque Lake from the north. The lake was snow-free, a rare sight for an 11,000' lake in early June, but snow decorated all of the surrounding cliffs and talus slopes feeding in to the lake. Alpine wildflowers also carpeted the surrounding tundra.

Looking back east from near Cirque Lake

Trail sign near Cirque Lake

Overlooking Cirque Lake

Cirque Lake from the north

From here, it was just a short walk to nearby Emmaline Lake. While Cirque Lake looks as if it were scoured deeply from the surrounding cliffs, Emmaline Lake appeared to just sink in to the adjacent tundra meadows. Decorative rocks and shoreline wildflowers added to the beauty of the surrounding snow-covered cliffs, making Emmaline a spectacular setting. "Trail Magic" was also with me, as the clouds that had lingered all morning began to break up upon my arrival, aiding my photography efforts with highlights of sun and blue skies.

East shore of Emmaline Lake

Emmaline Lake

Emmaline Lake

The sun emerges, Emmaline Lake

Tundra scenery at Emmaline Lake

I walked back and forth along the eastern shore of Emmaline for some time, admiring the terrain detail and the great scenery. It was difficult to move on, but I was anxious to return to explore Cirque Lake in more detail in the midday sunshine. As I headed south toward the other lake, I passed several varieties of colorful tundra wildflowers.

Alpine laurel

Alpine phlox

As I returned to Cirque Lake, I followed the faint path that leaves the main trail and descends rapidly south to the lake's outlet. Crossing partially-submerged boulders, I set up for some photos at the outlet itself, a magnificently scenic location that offered blue sky, white clouds, blue-green waters, and dark green trees above the foreground rocks.

Returning to Cirque Lake

Outlet of Cirque Lake

I remained at the lake for quite a while, enjoying the solitude and silence of the day. I lost myself in the pure natural setting, which was perfect in its serenity. For quite some time, I could not even see or here any animals or birds, and the only sounds reaching my ears were the sounds of running water and gentle winds in the surrounding cirque. It was a rare delight.

Cirque Lake

Descended just below Cirque Lake

After breaking the spell of this setting, I remembered I had a life back in civilization, and that I should return to the trailhead. The afternoon offered gorgeous weather, as clouds continued to build, and the brisk winds of the morning died down. I retraced my steps across the snowfields, soon returning to the area where the trail was easier to follow. I enjoyed the return trip to Cirque Meadows, and I was treated to some wonderful cascades on Fall Creek and even more wildflower displays.

Cascade on Fall Creek

Trail near Cirque Meadows

Gllobeflowers alongs the trail

Scarlet paintbrush

The trail took on a wider profile as I passed Cirque Meadows and continued toward Pingree Park, soon widening to resemble a narrow 4x4 road. This made for very easy walking as I quickly descended the last few miles to the trailhead. Great views again greeted me as I approached Pingree Park, and wildflowers bathed in sunshine all along the trail.

Pond reflection along the trail

Returning to Pingree Park

I never encountered another person on the trail, so when I returned to the trailhead, I had hiked about 8 miles with nothing but the natural surroundings as my companion. It was certainly a rare experience to have this much quiet for so long, but that is an advantage of hiking in some of the less popular areas that surround Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a fact that most visitors to northern Colorado congregate along a relatively few popular trails, leaving most others practically empty. I was just delighted to have found this trail, and hope to continue my tour of this part of Colorado, drawn to the beauty and solitude that will await me.

Photos and text by Mike Amfahr, 2006

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