7 Things to Know About the Sky Pond Hike via the Glacier Gorge Trail: Complete Hiking Guide

Hiking to Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park was one of the highlights of our most recent visit to Colorado. With gorgeous water features, epic views and a reasonable elevation change this was the perfect hike to do with my 2 teens. One of the most popular hikes in the Rocky Mountains, this hike is worth every step and in our opinion was the best hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We did this hike at the end of our month-long US road trip in the summer of 2021

One of the Best Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park: Sky Pond Hike Via Glacier Gorge Trail Overview

Distance: 9.4 Miles (5 hours)
Difficulty: moderate/challenging
Elevation Gain: 1,750 ft

This trail is listed as moderate/difficult since the trail itself is easy until you get to the last section. What makes this trail difficult is the length and the rocky climbing section at the end. This section is up and down a portion of the trail that involves scrambling up some rocks that have a small drip of water coming down, which means it’s wet and slippery. Since it’s narrow there are some sections that only one person can pass at one time which can lead to a build-up of people.

This trail is spectacular with a constantly changing landscape of alpine lakes, water, and views. The last mile of the hike is truly amazing as you are up in the rocky mountains surrounded by peaks and lakes. The Sky Pond hike time is about 5 hours.

See suggestions on the Perfect 1, 2, or 3 day Itineraries for Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park.

7 Things to Know About Hiking to Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail

1. The Glacier Gorge Trail has a moderate elevation gain for the first portion. Towards the end, there is a steep section to get up to Sky Pond that involves climbing some steep rock
2. Rocky Mountain National Park has an entry system so make sure to book your entry time in advance. Timed entry is from late May-early Oct and runs daily 5am to 6pm
3. The best time of year to hike to Sky Pond is mid-June-Sept
4. Sky Pond is also a climbing destination and you will often see climbers on the cliffs
5. As a popular hike, the parking lot to Sky Pond often fills up, so start early or use the shuttle
6. Thunderstorms are almost daily occurances in the summer months. These start in the mid-late afternoon, so go early and be prepared
7. Sky Pond is at an elevation of 10,900 ft this means you are hiking at altitude. Plan to drink extra water and avoid this hike after coming directly from sea level.

Best Time to Hike Sky Pond, RMNP

The best time of year to do the Sky Pond Hike is Mid-June to Sept. This is also the most popular time to hike, so you will likely have plenty of other people joining you on the trail. We did this hike at the end of August and spent most of the hiking in coats as even then there was snow and wind at the top. If you’re interested in hiking to Sky Pond during the winter, you will need winter survival skills as the trail is icy with avalanche risk.

How to get to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead

If you can, you should try to park at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (sometimes wrongly referred to as the Sky Pond Trail). Take the Bear Lake Rd almost to the end and look for the small parking lot to the Glacier Gorge Trail on the lefthand side of the road. This is a small lot and fills often. If the lot is full, you have 2 options.

Option 1 is to continue on to the end of the Road to the larger parking lot. This lot serves several hikes so will also fill up. From here you can take the trail, but it is a slightly longer hike.

Another option is to take the shuttle that runs through the park. To get the shuttle, park at the Park and Ride near the beginning of Bear Lake Rd. We took the shuttle up to the start of the hike and found it reliable and easy. You can see more details about the Rocky Mountain National Park shuttle service at the NPS.

Complete Details of Hiking to Sky Pond, Colorado

The first part of the Glacier Gorge Trail on the Sky Pond hike winds through some beautiful forest. After just 3/4 of a mile up the Glacier Gorge Junction Trailhead, you will reach Alberta Falls. This is a breathtaking waterfall and one of the best in the park. Some people just hike to Alberta Falls for a pretty and short hike.

The trail continues up from here and is generally easy to follow. At 1.4 miles you will see a trail sign – stay to the right and follow signs to Loch Vale and Mill Lake.

At the next sign, follow the ring to the right for Loch Vale and Sky Pond. From here the trail follows Icy Brook and you will pass another waterfall. After the waterfall, the trail has a short period with more elevation gain and a few switchbacks.

After about 2.2 miles of hiking, you will reach the pretty lake of Loch Vale. This is a beautiful lake and the trail makes its way around the lake until you reach the other side and begin to ascend again. The hiking is beautiful and follows another spring with several small bridges to cross over the water. At the end of this section, you will come out of the trees and see that last junction – stay to the left to go to Sky Pond.

This is the steepest part of the hike that goes up to Timberline Falls and above. The trail to Timberline Falls is steep through a boulder field. This is another beautiful waterfall with excellent views.

Above Timberline Falls, you will need to scramble up part of this waterfall. I say scramble, but there are a few parts that feel like you are almost rock climbing (although you are never that high off the ground). You will likely get wet and the rocks are slippery. Several people on the trail turned around here, but if you are willing to push up this small section – it just gets better from here!

Since we were hiking this in August, there was a backup of people going up and down this section, so it took a little while.

Once you are above the falls, you will see the Lake of Glass in front of you (this is not Sky Pond). This is a lovely body of water, but hiking to Sky Pond (about 1/2 mile) is worth it – so keep going. This last 1/2 mile of the hike passes along the right side of Glass Lake and then proceeds mostly flat to Sky Pond.

Enjoy Sky Pond – you made it! You can sit right on the rocks or hike partway around the Sky Pond for a different view. From here you are likely to see snow and maybe some climbers on the cliffs above.

Our Hike up to Sky Pond Trail, Colorado

I went hiking to Sky Pond in late August of 2021 with my two 13 year old teenagers.  We did the whole hike in about 4 hours, but kept up a quick pace and did run a bit on the way down.  The day we did the hike was windy and cool, and we took our layers on and off about 5 times.

Without realizing that we weren't at the top, we almost stopped at Glass Lake. We're so glad we pushed on to Sky Pond.  We had a fabulous lunch and Finley climbed up to see the snow before we headed back down.   

Even though it was crowded, the only time it felt crowded was climbing up Timberline Falls where there was a bottleneck.

Common Questions About the Sky Pond Hike, Colorado

What to wear when doing the Sky Pond Hike?

Wear hiking boots and dress in layers. We found a range of temperatures and went from t-shirts to fleeces and raincoats several times as the wind picked up and the sun came in and out. Sunscreen, a hat and sunscreen are also recommended and hiking poles are optional.

You can see our complete day hiking list for everything to bring with you on the hike.

Do cell phones work on the Rocky Mountain National Park Sky Pond hike?

No -we did not get cell coverage for the entire Sky Pond hike. Make sure to download or print a trail map and don’t rely on having cell coverage.

What to bring to eat and drink on the trail?

Bring plenty of snacks and make sure to have at least 3 liters of water for each person – between the hike and the altitude, it’s important to stay hydrated.

As always - practice leave no trace and make sure to pack out everything you bring and stay on the trail on this popular trail

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