Winter Hikes 2026

On our way back from visiting family in OK we took a route through New Mexico to visit the Capulin Volcano National Monument near Raton Pass.  We lingered too long at a few stops along the way which put us there close to sunset.  Just as we arrived, the park rangers closed the gate to the road that goes around the volcano to reach the top.  Bummer.  KD decided to be adventurous and hike up the entire road with me full well knowing that we would be hiking in the dark.  The sunset was stunning once we got higher up on the road before going around to the back side.  The winds really picked up making the hike quite cold and bitter.  It was fully dark by the time we reached the top, but with the bright moonlight we were able to see down into the crater.  It was a neat experience and a cool landmark to explore.  How many 12 year old girls can say they climbed a volcano in the dark in the middle of winter?

Capulin from a distance

Sunset on the way up

On MLK day, a group of us decided to take the boys winter hiking in RMNP.  This would be Kolby's first time trying out the snowshoes.  We started at Bear Lake and headed north to a junction where we gave the boys a choice.  They could go the short route to Bierstadt Lake or the long route to Two Rivers Lake.  Of course they chose the long route.  After a grueling windy adventure, lots of breaks for snacks and a stop to add extra socks for frozen toes, the boys finally reached  the lake.  We took a quick picture before our fingers froze then returned to find a good wind shelter to make some hot cocoa.  Kolby learned that sometimes adventures require a bit of suffering and discomfort, but in the end it's worth it!

Notchtop Mountain - Prints available

Hot Cocoa

Longs and friends

Snowshoeing Lake Isabelle - Winter 2023

 

Tim and I went on a snowshoe up to one of our favorite local winter spots.  The Brainard Lake portal is closed in winter so you have to park a few miles away at the Gateway Trail.  I'd done this same hike about a decade ago, but I'd forgotten how far it was.  I was thinking about 8 miles round trip, but with the whole thing including a few detours, we ended up snowshoeing over 13 miles or something like that.  I always like hiking with Tim as he, being an electrical engineer, naturally takes detailed stats of our hikes including time spent hiking, average pace, distance traveled, calories burned, and years added to our lives due to exercise.  

Sunrise on the Indian Peaks on the drive in

Brainard Lake

The hike to Brainard is all on a snow packed road and pretty eventless.   Once we reached Brainard we decided to skip Isabelle and go hike up a ridge and hike a 12er called Niwot Ridge.  It didn't look too far from where we were anyway.  So we left the trail around Long Lake and started ascending up the hill. Soon the trail disappeared and we started trudging through thick powder.  Woah!  This was taking a lot of time and energy.  Oh also I forgot to mention that I forgot ALL my food.  I left it in the fridge back at home.  Tim is such an amazing guy that he just shared his rations with me throughout the day.  So as we're halfway up the hill toward the ridge, we realized we didn't have enough food or energy or time to attempt this summit.  We'd bitten off more than we could chew.  See what I did there?  Back to plan A... head to Lake Isabelle.  No problem there.  This is one of the most scenic lakes in the Indian Peaks wilderness and a worthy destination.   

Post holing

Lake Isabelle - Prints Available

sastrugi

There were a number of parties that day that brought ice fishing equipment up there.  One of the groups made it as far as Long Lake and were actually catching some trout.  That is definitely being added to my to-do list in the future!

Snowshoeing to Lake Helene - March, 2018

We took a casual snowshoe below Notchtop Mountain in the park. The day started out beautiful and slowly became more and more windy and overcast. Fun to get into the mountains again, though technically Springtime, it will still be Winter up here for a few more months!

Postholing to Emmaline Lake - June 2017

James and I spent a day hiking, snowshoeing, and postholing to Emmaline Lake in the Comanche Peak Wilderness west of Ft. Collins.

 "The best way to train for long days in the mountains is long days in the mountains."

Moose or Elk tracks

Cirque Meadow

Once we reached the lake, the storm clouds rolled in and we got hailed on and had to take cover in some bushes.

Emmaline Lake...Hail began 10 seconds after this shot

Winter Photography in Rocky Mountain National Park 2016/2017

Sunrise on the Mummy Range

Longs Peak from Hwy 7

Crags

Sunrise on Moraine Park with elk herd

Beaver Meadows area

Dream Lake - Before dawn

Dream Lake - Sunrise

Dream Lake - Morning

Time-lapse video of the sunrise

We also went for a snowshoe to the Loch Vale in Glacier Gorge in February.  A few photos from that trip:

Alberta Falls completely covered in snow.

The Loch

Super wide angle