Mills Lake — Attraction in Estes Park

Mills Lake, located about 3 miles from Bear Lake on foot, is located on the East side of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The lake is nestled in a valley west of Long’s Peak, the tallest mountain in the park at 14,259 ft. and south of Bear Lake.

The trail is very nice and very well kept up in most places, although towards the lake it does get a little rocky. Tennis Shoes will fair well in the summer, but can get a little slippery. During the spring and mid to late fall, hiking boots are highly encouraged, if not needed. The trail rating is MODERATE.

You can access the trail from Glacier Gorge or Bear Lake. Shuttles from Park and Ride will also stop and pick up people at Glacier Gorge as well as Bear Lake. You may park a personal vehicle at both Glacier Gorge and Bear Lake.

Biggest Tip: Get there early. Recommended time: 6:00 to 7:00 A.M....

This is a great hike to do and the trail has some of the most beautiful scenery in the whole park. While doing the around 5 mile round trip hike you go near cliffs and rocky canyons. But the real treat is to see the lake. When you are there there are multiple rocks out on the lake that you can just sit on and rest to enjoy the beautiful lake and the cresting mountains above it. It is a real sight to see if you ever end up in the...

(Visit May 2017) Breathtaking! A MUST!

Beautiful day hike in and out to Mills Lake in Estes Park.

I highly recommend taking hiking poles as some paths get very narrow and if we did not have poles we would not have been able to cross the snow covered mountain side to get to this beautiful place!!!

A bit more to hike out to but if you have the stamina and basic good hiking shoes with good traction then I would...