Alberta and Timberline Falls

This weekend I went on a short 7 miles round trip hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. I must admit that I always underestimate how far away Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park actually are. After the very lengthy drive up there we settled on the Alberta and Timberline Falls hike. This hike starts at the Glacier Gorge Trail Head, and if we had a little bit more daylight I would have liked to make it up to either of the glaciers hidden in the high valleys about 5 miles back. The first set of falls, Alberta Falls, is absolutely amazing. The falls looks more like a chute at WaterWorld than a high mountain waterfall. It curves around many bends in the rocks before plummeting about 15 ft.

From Alberta to Timberline is about a 3 mile hike past many smaller sets of falls and The Loch. The Loch is around 10,000 ft in elevation and is crystal clear. We could see fish swimming about 10 ft from shore! Truly reminds us what the rivers and lakes should look like at lower elevations and how humans have impacted them.

Once we gained view of Timberline falls across the valley floor it was hard to take your eyes off of it. It cascades from the river above down countless routes and rocks to The Loch below. Once we reached the falls we noticed a female elk snacking on the very green grasses around the falls. She smelled us almost immediately. It always amazes me how quickly they are aware of our presence.