A guy at REI in Denver told me to skip the Bear Lake loop in July, he was dead right | Backpacking Routes - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

Ryan Jones · 2026-10-16T21:05:05.235169+00:00

Some dude at the REI in Denver told me last July to avoid the Bear Lake loop in Rocky Mountain National Park because the parking fills by 6am and the trail turns into a conga line by 9. I ignored him and rolled in at 8:30, spent 45 minutes circling for a spot, then got stuck behind a group of 30 kids the entire 3 miles. He also said to hit the Glacier Gorge trailhead instead, and that one was nearly empty with way better views. Anyone else had a random gear shop tip save a trip like that?

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A guy at REI in Denver told me to skip the Bear Lake loop in July, he was dead right | Backpacking Routes - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals