The easiest hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, by the numbers
Of the 180 trails in Rocky Mountain National Park in our dataset, 27 (15 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; these are the 25 with the lowest rating.
Corral Creek Trail has the lowest rating: 1 ft of gain over 1.3 miles, 1 ft per mile.
Across the 25, gain runs from 1 to 438 ft and distance from 1 mile to 5.1 miles; the median gain is 158 ft and the median distance 1.7 miles.
22 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (2) or out-and-back (1).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corral Creek TrailFront Range | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 10% | 9,684 to 10,029 | 1.6 | |
| 2 | Dark Mountain TrailFront Range | 1.7 | 1 | 1 | 62% | 8,230 to 9,498 | 1.8 | |
| 3 | River TrailFront Range | 2.1 | 18 | 9 | 5% | 8,686 to 8,787 | 8.7 | |
| 4 | Crags RouteNorthwest Rockies | 1.7 | 24 | 14 | 19% | 10,363 to 11,193 | 9 | |
| 5 | Milner Pass - Fall River Pass TrailFront Range | 3.5 | 13 | 4 | 7% | 11,092 to 11,764 | 9.5 | |
| 6 | Bear Lake - Mill Creek TrailFront Range | 1.8 | 32 | 18 | 17% | 9,000 to 9,764 | 10.7 | |
| 7 | North Deer Mountain TrailFront Range | 5.1 | 18 | 4 | 22% | 7,830 to 8,903 | 13.5 | |
| 8 | Chapin Creek TrailFront Range | 3.2 | 38 | 12 | 24% | 10,134 to 11,117 | 15.6 | |
| 9 | Lily Lake and Ridge LoopFront Range | 1.1 | 168 | 153 | 25% | 8,922 to 9,089 | 19.2 | |
| 10 | Lower Bierstadt Moraine TrailFront Range | 1.3 | 153 | 118 | 37% | 8,721 to 8,913 | 19.9 | |
| 11 | Balanced Rock TrailFront Range | 1 | 199 | 199 | 17% | 8,605 to 8,765 | 19.9 | |
| 12 | Eugenia Mine TrailFront Range | 1.4 | 158 | 113 | 12% | 9,675 to 9,848 | 21 | |
| 13 | South Lateral Moraine TrailFront Range | 2 | 147 | 74 | 11% | 8,044 to 8,161 | 24.2 | |
| 14 | Deer Ridge - Moraine Park TrailFront Range | 1.2 | 280 | 233 | 11% | 8,115 to 8,376 | 25.9 | |
| 15 | Holzwarth-Colorado River TrailFront Range | 2.1 | 165 | 79 | 9% | 8,904 to 9,038 | 26.3 | |
| 16 | Valley TrailFront Range | 2.7 | 138 | 51 | 12% | 8,681 to 8,837 | 27.3 | |
| 17 | Long Meadows TrailFront Range | 1.2 | 312 | 260 | 36% | 10,265 to 10,503 | 27.4 | |
| 18 | Dream Lake TrailFront Range | 1 | 432 | 432 | 20% | 9,489 to 9,920 | 29.4 | |
| 19 | Fern Lake Trailhead - The Pool Trail | 1.7 | 255 | 150 | 13% | 8,199 to 8,394 | 29.4 | |
| 20 | Little Horseshoe Park TrailFront Range | 2.2 | 200 | 91 | 7% | 8,522 to 8,715 | 29.7 | |
| 21 | Mirror Lake TrailFront Range | 1.5 | 319 | 213 | 11% | 10,711 to 11,020 | 30.9 | |
| 22 | Lake Hayiaha CutoffFront Range | 1.1 | 435 | 395 | 31% | 9,746 to 10,154 | 30.9 | |
| 23 | Thunder Lake TrailFront Range | 5 | 116 | 23 | 53% | 9,439 to 11,630 | 34.1 | |
| 24 | Beaver Meadows LoopsFront Range | 1.4 | 438 | 313 | 22% | 8,101 to 8,474 | 35 | |
| 25 | Lumpy Ridge Short LoopFront Range | 1.6 | 400 | 250 | 23% | 7,844 to 8,182 | 35.8 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Rocky Mountain National Park" here means the 180 trails in Rocky Mountain National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Corral Creek Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.