A Photographer's Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park

If you're heading to Rocky Mountain National Park, here are a few spots you'll want to have on your list. I've spent enough time in this park now to have a good sense of where the light works, where the crowds thin out, and where a short detour off the main road is worth the extra few minutes. Here's my rundown.

BEAR LAKE

On the way up to Bear Lake, there's a quick pull-off worth stopping for at the Storm Pass Trailhead. It's not a hike, just a parking area, but the creek there forms a natural leading line straight toward Hallett Peak. Takes two minutes and it's an easy one to miss if you don't know to look for it.

Bear Lake is iconic for a reason. It's a short loop, easy enough for anyone to walk, and about halfway around there's a spot where boulders in the foreground perfectly frame the peaks across the water. Low effort, high reward, and it's the one spot on this list I'd tell a first timer not to skip.

The loop itself is only 0.7 miles with about 49 feet of elevation gain, rated easy, and takes most people 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much you stop to shoot. It's flat, well maintained, and doesn't require any real hiking experience, just time and good light.

Go for sunset if you can swing it. The light on the peaks and the reflection in the water together make this a completely different photo than the same lake at midday.

Stripped down to black and white, this same lake takes on a completely different mood, all shape and reflection instead of color. Worth shooting both ways if you have the time.

EMERALD LAKE TRAIL

Emerald Lake Trail is one of the best hikes in the park if you ask me. Three alpine lakes in about three miles, and the views along the way don't really stop. Fair warning, if you're hiking this midday the lakes themselves can go flat and washed out in harsh light, so the trail itself carries a lot of the visual weight here too, not just the destination.

The full out and back is 3.3 miles with about 715 feet of elevation gain, rated moderate, and takes most people an hour and a half to two hours round trip. From the Bear Lake Trailhead you'll hit Nymph Lake first at about half a mile in, then Dream Lake around the one mile mark, before the final stretch up to Emerald Lake. Start early if you can, this is one of the most popular trails in the park and the parking lot fills up fast in summer.

This is the kind of view that makes you want to keep climbing. The gap between the peaks pulls your eye straight up the trail.

Nymph Lake is the first of the three and comes up fast, lily pads covering most of the surface and mountains rising up behind the tree line.

Even the trail itself is worth slowing down for. The boardwalk sections through the meadow and trees make for a nice change of pace between the lakes.

And then you round the last bend and Hallett Peak is right there over the water. However many people you passed on the way up, this is the payoff, and it's worth every switchback.

MORAINE PARK

Moraine Park doesn't get talked about as much as Bear Lake or Sprague Lake, but it's a low key nice spot worth walking through and exploring, especially the area near the campground along the stream. Sunrise here, with the peaks catching that first light and the stream winding through the wildflowers, is one of the more underrated shots in the park.

This same tree shows up in a lot of my Moraine Park shots, and for good reason, it's a strong anchor point no matter what's happening around it, whether that's snow on the peaks behind it or a small herd of elk grazing nearby.

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD

Trail Ridge Road is something else. Once you get above the treeline, the whole park opens up, just endless views and big skies. If you've got time, swing over to Grand Lake on the other side. It's quiet, scenic, and worth the drive.

This is the view that sums up the drive for me, open tundra, a road curving off toward the peaks, and sky that takes up half the frame. Pull off wherever it's safe to and take a minute here.

This overlook near Horseshoe Park is a good example of what the drive gives you even before you're above treeline, wide open valley views with the peaks stacked up behind them.

BEAVER MEADOWS

Beaver Meadows is great for spotting wildlife. We saw tons of elk and deer, especially early in the morning. It's a super peaceful area to just slow down and look around, and that early alpenglow on the peaks is worth the early start on its own, wildlife or not.

SPRAGUE LAKE

Sprague Lake is a must sunset stop for your trip. The light on the peaks, the reflections in the water, it was one of those moments where everything just kind of stopped. If you only catch one sunset in the park, this is a solid bet, the lake is calm enough most evenings to give you that mirror reflection without much effort.

Worth a visit in winter too, if you're up for it. Completely different mood, quieter and moodier than the golden hour version above.

A COUPLE OF LAST THINGS‍ ‍

If you're heading out there soon, save this for your trip. And if you've already been, I'd love to hear your favorite spot, always down to find something new for next time.

If you want to bring a piece of Rocky Mountain National Park home with you, prints are available in my landscape gallery.