Bear Lake—Lake Mills—Glacier Gorge—Loch Vale; 2.6 miles, Loch Vale Trail. Time: on foot, 1.5 hrs.; on horseback, .75 hrs.

This trail to one of the most beautiful lakes in Rock Mountain National Park starts at the GLACIER GORGE PARKING AREA, 0 miles, 1 mile north of the Bear Lake Ranger Station (see Park Tour 3), and follows the valley of GLACIER CREEK in a southwesterly direction.

The trail winds through a rugged fire-swept region where gaunt white tree trunks stand as ghostly reminders that one careless moment can destroy a century-old forest. Peaks visible here, from right to left, are: Flattop, Hallett, Otis, Taylor, Thatchtop, and Chiefs Head; all are part of the Continental Divide and rise above 12,000 feet. At 1 miles is a fine view of the MUMMY RANGE (see Park Tour 1) to the northwest. To the east spreads out the great glacial valley of Moraine Park (see Park Tour 3). The trail passes ALBERTA FALLS (L), 1.6 miles, a small cascade on Glacier Creek, a glittering fan of water dropping from the lip of a stone ledge above.

At 2.1 miles is the junction with the Glacier Gorge Trail.

Left on this trail across a branch of Glacier Creek and up a steep ridge; the route is marked by several cairns, small heaps of stone piled at regular intervals to serve as guide posts.

LAKE MILLS, 0.4 miles, mirrors in its clear waters a scene of wild beauty. South of the lake opens the great rift of GLACIER GORGE, gouged out by ancient ice floes. Walled in by Longs Peak (L) and Thatchtop and McHenrys Peak (R), the gorge lies between high jutting cliffs, broken and torn, crowned with fantastic battlements. JEWEL LAKE adjoins Lake Mills on the south.

Left, on a pathway along the southern edge of Lake Mills to BLACK LAKE, 3.1 miles, lying at the upper end of the canyon, set high in the shadow of McHenrys Peak, and fed by melting ice from year-round snowbanks.

At the junction with the Glacier Gorge Trail is an impressive view of the west face of Longs Peak (see Trail Tour 1) and the Keyhole through which one trail leads to the summit. The grade becomes steeper, necessitating several switchbacks. Along this stretch the outlet of The Loch (see below) cascades downward through heavy pine forest.

The trail ends at THE LOCH, 2.6 miles, a shining body of water, jade green and placid, lying in the center of Loch Vale, a glacier-watered valley about three miles long, surrounded by heavy forests and honey-colored cliffs that rise to breath-taking heights. The open glades are tapestries of wild flowers; here columbine grows in profusion. To the south (L) is the sloping cone of THATCHTOP MOUNTAIN (12,800 alt.), and beyond rears the bulk of TAYLOR PEAK (13,150 alt.), slashed by the white ribbon of TAYLOR GLACIER. In the center of Loch Vale is CATHEDRAL WALL; and to the extreme right is OTIS PEAK (12,478 alt.). Between Taylor and Otis Peaks, and right of Cathedral Wall, ANDREWS GLACIER, another ice mass, moves down a steep-walled gorge; its slowly melting waters join Icy Brook from Taylor Glacier above The Loch; the brook connects the three lakes in Loch Vale.