Fern Falls & Cub Lake, RMNP 16 January 2011

The road to the Fern Lake trailhead is closed in winter, we parked at a lot (with restrooms) just 0.2 miles past the Cub Lake trailhead. When we got there ~9am there was only one other car in the lot, when we returned around 2:15pm it was full.

We hiked up the road to the Fern Lake trailhead and stopped there to put on our snowshoes - the trail was well packed but carrying them gets old. On the map below, we parked 0.7 miles to the right of the "You are here" at the curve in the road. We came back out at the Cub Lake trailhead (farthest right star) and it was a quick hike back up the road to our car.

Fern Lake trail has good snow cover, a few rocks but very few bare patches. From Cub Lake back to Cub Lake Trailhead was varied from good snow cover to rocks and bare patches and ice. It was a very windy day and most of Fern Lake and Cub Lake trails are in the trees and fairly well protected. But the east end of Cub Lake, oh wow gale force winds there! Really glad we were going east there and not west.

 
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  Stopped here to put on our snowshoes. Dave & Patty. The (closed in winter) parking lot at the Fern Lake trailhead - bet this is packed in summer. Our route today: The Pool, Fern Falls, The Pool, Cub Lake, Cub Creek. Gentle climb up to "The Pool".

 
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  Bridge at The Pool. From the bridge, looking downstream. Looking upstream. Fern Falls. Tough to tell but this is VERY steep and would be gorgeous in the summer - need to put this on the summer hike list! Back from Fern Falls, back at The Pool. We're heading to Cub Lake next (more uphill).

 
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  Sue. No pictures of Bob, he was running on 1 hour of sleep and decided to snooze in the car while we three had fun. This picture does not do the area justice! This is the north-west edge of Cub Lake, looking down on the lake. Too overcast today to tell, but this is gorgeous. Dave & Patty at Cub Lake overlook. Heading down Cub Creek, far off in the distance is the light-brown area of the Moraine Park.

 
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  Down to the Moraine Park. Not much further back to the car, this was a long day, racking up ~9 miles and over 2000' elevation gain... and it's a LOT tougher on snowshoes than hiking that same distance/elevation.

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