Black Lake - 9.6 Miles Round-Trip

Black Lake (10,630') is located 4.8 miles from Glacier Gorge Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. It fills a deep cirque at treeline under McHenrys Peak, The Arrowhead, Chiefs Head Peak and The Spearhead.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

This feature-filled hike rises moderately past Alberta Falls to Mills Lake and Jewel Lake, then grows steep and rugged to Ribbon Falls on the final push to Black Lake:

The Loch Vale Trail rises steadily through young aspen and mixed pine to Alberta Falls (.85 miles : 9,423').

It continues to the North Longs Peak Trail split (1.6 miles : 9,768'), banks SW and flattens through a slot between Thatchtop Mountain (12,668') and the Glacier Knobs to Glacier Junction (2.1 miles : 9,804'). Turn left for Mills Lake on the Glacier Gorge Trail.

The trail turns south across Glacier Creek twice and sections of cairn-marked rock slabs to Mills Lake (2.65 miles : 9,955'). Here you'll enjoy terrific views up Glacier Gorge and of the jagged ridges and peaks that define it.

The trail - now intermittently rugged, undulating and heavily rooted - follows the lake's east shore to its marshy juxtaposition with Jewel Lake (3.1 miles : 9,967').

It continues past Jewel Lake through a string of marshes aided by narrow, elevated planks. A cluttered forest reclaims the trail (3.2 miles), which closely follows Glacier Creek all the way to Black Lake. Anticipate steep undulations and occasional loss of clarity over the next 1.5 miles; when in doubt, simply hold your line and follow the creek.

You'll pass the Glacier Gorge Backcountry Campsite spur (3.35 miles : 10,068') and scale newly built stairs. Travel intensifies in a thick forest to a cairn-marked rock slab (3.85 miles : 10,205'), then moderates across a meadow with good views of the upper gorge (4.1 miles).

The Arrowhead (12,387'), Powell Peak (13,208) and McHenrys Peak (13,327') frame the west, and Pagoda Mountain (13,497') and Keyboard of the Winds - a line of pinnacles near the summit of Longs Peak - rise to the east. Chiefs Head Peak (13,579') and The Spearhead (12,575') cap the headwall.

Uneven travel continues up to Ribbon Falls (4.7 miles : 10,540'), which spill from the lip of Black Lake. The trail twists steeply beside the falls and hops a line of flat boulders across the outlet to Black Lake (4.8 miles : 10,630').

It scales a small knoll to the east shore (4.85 miles), where the remaining maintained portion turns sharply east and climbs above the lake along its main inlet. The trail gradually fades in high alpine benches, where unmaintained routes branch off to Blue Lake, Green Lake and Frozen Lake.