A Guide to Rocky Mountain’s Scary Sky Pond Hike

The Sky Pond hike at Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most challenging hikes we’ve done in the United States. It isn’t just the elevation here, although that’s definitely a factor if you’re not used to hiking in the mountains.

The hike takes you inside a waterfall.

I’m being real here. You have to scale a waterfall to get up to Sky Pond. 

Yes, it was scary.

This guide details our experience without sugarcoating a thing. I’ll include tips on completing the hike safely, what to expect along the way, and whether we’d do it again if we had the chance.

The hike to Sky Pond is definitely hard.

This one is rated strenuous by the experts at AllTrails, and they don’t mess around with that stuff. You’ll be dealing with hiking at altitude on this and some light bouldering when you get to the Sky Pond waterfall climb.

Let’s start with length, though. The Sky Pond trail is 9.4 miles roundtrip. This is an out-and-back trail, so you’ll see all of the toughest bits coming and going. How fun!

The elevation is a killer, too. The hike starts at 9,240 feet. You gain over 1,700 feet of elevation across the nearly 10 miles of this trail. Sky Pond itself sits at 10,880 feet.

Give yourself at least five hours to complete the hike to Sky Pond. Six hours will allow for lunch and/or snack stops or a jaunt down any of the available spur trails. 

We were done around noon after a 6am start time with several snacks and rest stops along the way. We also added a few spur trails that I’ll tell you all about as I describe the hike in detail. Basically, you don’t want to rush this one.

Tips Before You Hike to Sky Pond

Sky Pond is a popular hike located along the even more popular Bear Lake Road.

To limit traffic and parking congestion, Rocky Mountain has introduced a timed entry system for visitors to this area of the park from the end of May into October. 

The only way around this timed entry is to arrive along the corridor before 5am or after 6pm. Booking a timed entry is different from your national park pass. You’ll need your park pass on top of your timed entry along Bear Lake Road.

Timed entry tickets go on sale about a month out. If you miss the window for early times, as I did, you’ll have another opportunity at 5pm MT the day before your expected hiking day. 

We had some spotty internet service the day we were trying to book but ended up getting the morning times we needed without further incident. 

Note: For those traveling outside of Bear Lake Road for the rest of their Rocky Mountain adventures, you’ll still need a timed entry if you want to do so after 9am. That’s easier to accomplish without an extra permit, as I’d never suggest you arrive after 9am to this super popular park.

Here are a few more tips so that you know exactly what you’re in for before hitting the Sky Pond trail:

• On the day of your hike, give yourself plenty of time to get to the trail. You’ll want to park at the Glacier Gorge Junction trailhead.
• If the lot at the Glacier Gorge trailhead is full by the time you arrive, you can hike from the Bear Lake trailhead instead. That’s the big lot at the end of Bear Lake Road. Parking here only adds about a half-mile to your total trek.
• It’s more likely that you’ll get a spot at the Glacier Gorge Junction trailhead on an early weekday morning. We nabbed a spot at 5:54am on a Monday with a handful of spots left. The previous morning around 6am, there were no spots left.
• If you’re hiking in the summertime, starting early also means you’ll miss the worst of the heat. There are quite a few exposed sections of trail on this one. 
• Here’s one more argument for starting at 6am or earlier: The crowds are no fun when you’re freaking out inside a waterfall. Most will start this one around 7am or later.
• Let’s just say that despite it all, you don’t think you’ll be able to get up early for this one. I’d recommend taking the Hiker Shuttle instead of driving in that case. The shuttle departs from the Estes Park Visitor Center for those with reservations.
• Hiker Shuttle tickets are available online. You can book tickets at 5pm MT the day before your expected travel. The early times sell out quite quickly, so you’ll need to be on the ball for this.
• If you’re not acclimated to the Colorado elevations, it’s a killer at Rocky Mountain. We spent a full month in Fairplay before hitting the park. You certainly don’t need that long, but this shouldn’t be your first hike out of the gate.
• Download an AllTrails map to your app for this one. It’ll come in handy when you’re not sure where to go from the Lake of Glass to Sky Pond, the best part of the trail.

Fun fact: One blogger that wrote a guide to this one started at 11am. She struggled all the way through because it was hot as heck. Don’t be that blogger.

READ MORE: Most travelers start in Denver, but Rocky Mountain is also accessible on trips from Cheyenne. If that’s where you’re starting, check out my guide!

Our Experience on the Sky Pond Hike

I’ll be as honest as I can throughout this guide with the understanding that I’m an average hiker. I’m certainly no beginner — we’ve done bucket list hikes like the short Inca Trail and the Narrows at Zion — but I’m not an expert backpacker, either.

My sweet spot is a lengthy but moderate day hike with elevation gains up to about 1,000 feet. Anything below that is usually gravy, while anything above that gets a bit challenging.

Sky Pond isn’t just over 1,700 feet of elevation gain over the course of nearly 10 miles. It forced me to use muscles in my body that were sore for days after the hike.

What I’ll get into next is our step-by-step guide to navigating your way to Sky Pond, with honest feedback along the way about what sucked and what didn’t.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Follow the signs to Alberta Falls.

Whether you’re starting at the Glacier Gorge trailhead or the big parking lot at the end of Bear Lake Road, you’ll follow signage to Alberta Falls as your first stopping point. You’ll see the falls within a half mile of starting your hike, so the payoffs start early. 

You’ll cross a few streams to get there, but Mother Nature left some bridges for you to balance on, unless you’re Brian and into rock-hopping.

Many hikers stop at this first section of the trail as the falls are one of the most accessible, showstopping features at Rocky Mountain. Don’t be alarmed by their lack of preparedness. They’re most likely returning from here to the trail junction.

Your first glimpse of the falls is somewhat obscured by foliage. There’s a short spur trail that will take you to the river level for a closer look, which I’d recommend. Continue climbing for an even better view. 

Fun fact: This is where folks start to queue up by mid-morning for their contemplative shots against the rushing water.

Watch out for the habituated goat.

You’ll pass signs about a habituated goat as you climb to the falls, too. He wants your salty snacks and your salty pee, so I started calling him Rumplegoatskin.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we didn’t run into him. From descriptions of encounters with him online, it sounds like he doesn’t respond to much other than rocks thrown in his direction.

Note: I’m a lover of wildlife, but this is a suggestion directly from the National Park Service. Apparently, he’s pretty forward.

We did see deer and all kinds of marmots, all welcome creatures along a forested trail.

READ MORE: Friendlier goats are the best, especially when they’re involved in goat yoga.

Enjoy the views to Loch Vale.

Take your breather if you need to at the falls. You’ll continue climbing from here as you follow signs — including another about the habituated goat — to Loch Vale. This subalpine lake, also known more simply as The Loch, is a stunner.

You’ll pass through a nice flat section in the woods before another steep climb alongside another set of falls. The Loch itself was lovely but windy. It’s also another popular turnaround spot for hikers who make this their final destination. 

The hike takes you around the lake through the woods, with all kinds of beautiful lookouts along the way. Take as many photo stops as you like, as there’s more steep climbing coming your way.

Start listening for that rushing water.

If you’re an average hiker like me, this is where your legs start protesting as you’re faced with two sets of steep rocky steps to get to the waterfall you keep hearing about.

You’ll pass some more fun bridges and stream crossings along the way to lighten the mood, but take this section of the trail slowly. You’ll need all of your energy for what’s just beyond the bend.

Follow the signage to Sky Pond from here. You’ll pass a few forks in the road, namely for Andrews Glacier. You don’t want to go there, at least not this time around.

Slay Timberline Falls.

Ah, there she is: Timberline Falls.

You’ll get started on the waterfall section of this hike without much thought. If you’re hiking with a buddy, they’ll likely say something like, “Let’s do this,” and set off on their way. It doesn’t even look that bad at first, but the falls trick you.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be about a third of the way up when panic starts to set in.

This is some bouldering shit, and you do not have the upper strength to handle what’s about to happen. 

You take the tiniest peek behind you and realize it’s even worse to return back from whence you came. So you hoist every ounce of your flesh onto that slick rock, hoping for an end in sight.

No matter how early you started the hike, someone likely started before you. We saw a few hiking buddies coming down with advice for us: “At the fork up there, go left.”

We went up that recommended route but went down a different path, and it all felt hard. 

The scariest part of the hike is Timberline Falls.

I’ve honestly never been so freaked out on a climb, but I also have regular intrusive thoughts in situations like this, along the lines of, “If I fall from this spot, will I die?”

When I say you’re doing some bouldering here, I mean it, and you’re doing it on a wet surface. It’s even more challenging on the way down because you have to navigate more people climbing up and down along a narrow section of wet trail. 

I honestly can’t imagine doing this one with ice or snow conditions. We hiked Sky Pond in July, where the only patches of snow that remained were well off the trail. I hope that you know your limitations and will turn around if the weather calls for it.

In fact, if it starts storming before you get to the falls, turn around. This is a fair-weather hike.

That all said, if you persevere during ideal conditions, the views are tremendous, and I didn’t see anyone turning back at any point during our climb.

You’ve reached the Lake of Glass.

This hike involves so much trickery. Plenty of hikers turn around once they reach the beautiful lake in front of them after climbing that waterfall. This isn’t Sky Pond, though. This is the Lake of Glass, or Glass Lake in some circles.

Spend some time here taking in the view, but know that you still have a good section of trail to go. 

Trek to your final destination.

There are a few ways to tackle the last half mile or so of trail to Sky Pond. Consult your AllTrails map to get a general idea of the direction to go from here. We scrambled up over the ridge to the right of us as we looked out onto the Lake of Glass.

Follow the map until you catch up with the more obvious trail. You’ll pass a lovely meadow and waterfall along the way. This still isn’t Sky Pond, but it’s also pretty gorgeous. 

Keep going until you reach the more secluded Sky Pond. Pop a squat here on your flat rock of choice and take it all in. This is Sky Pond.

We took a snack break here. You’ll likely want to pull on the long sleeves or jackets if you haven’t already, as it’s usually pretty windy here. Spend as much time as you like here, knowing that it’s a long way back to the trailhead from here. 

You’ll need to go back the same way you came in, which means you’ll have to face your fears on that waterfall scramble again.

Many hikers claim climbing up is the worst part, but I’ll have to disagree. It seemed much more challenging coming down because you can see how far you’ll fall if things don’t work out for you. 

You’ll also have to navigate other climbers on the way down, no matter how early you start your hike.

Once you’re done with the waterfall scramble, it’s all downhill from there back to the start. The only challenging bits left are navigating the humans that have now awoken and want to check out Alberta Falls or other features along the trail. 

Hike the Mills Lake trail.

We are gluttons for punishment, so we added a detour on the way back. If you have it in you, Mills Lake is well worth the extra jelly legs.

You’ll add another 1.2 miles round-trip to your hike, but I promise you the alpine views are luscious.

It’s also a great place for more snacks and a nap. We spent about 15 minutes readying ourselves for the mileage on the back end at the shores of Mills Lake.

This section of the trail isn’t too challenging. If you want to do it on fresh legs, it’s also an option for the way to Sky Pond. I’d suggest that you’ll need the fresh legs more for Timberline Falls.

Packing for the Sky Pond Trail

Other than your wits about you, here’s what to bring along on your hike to this incredible alpine lake:

• Hiking shoes/boots: Wear a pair with good traction or grip for hiking Sky Pond, especially for the slick waterfall portion. Your feet will get wet. I saw a guy walking in Crocs on our way back, and I sure hope he was stopping at the lakes.
• Hiking backpack: This is the big time. Bring along a pack for snacks and all of the other necessary items I mentioned.
• Hiking poles: You’ll need to put them away as you climb Timberline Falls, but they’ll come in handy navigating the high-elevation switchbacks and other steep parts.
• Sunscreen: You’re at elevation here. It’s easier to burn. Wear your sunscreen. Skin cancer is the easiest cancer to avoid, people.
• Head coverage: A baseball cap is fine. I saw some hikers in winter caps because they were likely told about varied conditions at Sky Pond, but it didn’t seem necessary. It was very windy, though.
• Layers: Even if you’re hiking in the summer, you should still bring a light jacket or long sleeves for your arrival at Sky Pond. You’re at over 10,000 feet at your endpoint, and again, it can get very windy.
• Bug spray: You’ll be passing near several lakes along the way, not to mention Sky Pond. The bugs weren’t biting us on our trek because we packed bug spray.
• Water: I’m not talking about a bottle of water. Bring along a water bladder for easy access. I went through about 1.5 liters (about 50 ounces) on my own, but Brian had another couple of liters in his Gregory water bladder. 
• Snacks: Bring treats that fuel you up, like jerky or nuts. We brought a full lunch with us, too. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just hit differently when you’re pondering some glaciers.

The Sky Pond hike was worth it, but I’m not doing it again.

The view of Sky Pond itself is certainly dramatic, but there are some stunning views along the entire length of this hike. 

It reminded me a little bit of the Grinnell Glacier hike at Glacier National Park in that we never wanted for excellent scenery. I can’t say I’ll do this one again, though. My palms are already getting a little sweaty just thinking about it.

Travel buddies, I’ll just meet you out for pizza later.