Dream

Exit78 Photo of the Day #10

Nymph and Dream Lakes hike, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sept. 15, 2011, panorama from three photos using Autostitch (Pentax K-r)

Nymph and Dream Lakes hike, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sept. 15, 2011, panorama from three photos using Autostitch (Pentax K-r)

Dream Lake Hike[1]

The trail is from Bear Lake to Emerald Lake, but we didn’t go all of the way to Emerald on this hike.  Roundtrip, the Dream lake hike is a little over 2.2 miles starting from the trailhead at Bear Lake, plus a little bit, how much depending on where you parked in the very large Bear Lake parking lot. The elevation gain is 450 feet, with Dream Lake elevation at 9910 feet.

This is one of our favorite hikes, but, at nearly 10,000 feet in elevation, it’s not one to take if you’re not acclimatized to higher altitudes or have medical issues that affects your breathing. On this hike, we turned back after getting to Dream Lake as it was getting late and we were already seeing a bit of rain and, perhaps, snow higher up.

The trail continues past Dream Lake to Emerald Lake, adding 1.3 miles round trip.  Emerald Lake is at 10,110 feet above sea level.


  1. Dream Lake – Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails.com
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Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Rummuser Feb 17, 2018 Link

    Wouldn’t be my cup of tea Mike. I suffer from COPD and can’t manage even flat surfaces for long treks.

    • Mike Feb 17, 2018 Link

      It would be hard for me to do as well, right now, especially with the elevation.

      Because of undiagnosed high blood pressure, the left ventricle of my heart was overworked and, like any muscle that gets excessive exercise, thickened and stiffened. The result is that the heart became less effective at pumping oxygenated blood from my lungs, so I experience shortness of breath, which is somewhat alleviated by medication. The condition is somewhat reversible through exercise and losing weight. I’m getting plenty of exercise, but the weight loss is really hard and progressing slowly.
      Mike recently posted…Sun, Sand, & WaterMy Profile

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