RMNP: Hike to Nymph Lake

The hike to Nymph Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is the perfect morning stroll to start your day. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip with an elevation gain of 225ft (69 meters). It is considered an easy hike and, in our opinion, perfect for kids. You will walk through beautiful forest and the lake itself is magical.

To start your hike drive to the Bear Lake parking lot. Once parked walk towards the main trail head and follow signs for Nymph Lake. We started our hike in the morning and the forest was peaceful with a soft golden glow.

Once you arrive to Nymph Lake find a nice rock to sit and take in your surroundings. If I lived near this lake, I would truly walk here every morning to enjoy my coffee and a book. The water has lily pads surrounding the edge and it reminds me of the cottage and lake my family used to visit every summer.  If you are lucky and the water is quiet you can capture some mirror-like reflections of the trees and mountains behind it.

From Nymph Lake there are many other places to hike to such as Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha. There is a nice view of Nymph Lake from above on the hike to Lake Haiyaha (pictured above). We hiked to all three of these after Nymph Lake. Definitely hike earlier in the day if you want to lake to yourself. There were many people present when we were coming back from our other hikes. Happy hiking!

For our complete hike check out our vlog below!