Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Colorado / Rocky Mountain National Park

Lawn Lake (Rocky Mountain National Park)

Rocky Mountain National Park, National Park Service (Lawn Lake Trailhead, Fall River Road, Mummy Range)

Lawn Lake sits high in the Mummy Range of Rocky Mountain National Park, reached by a steady climb along the Roaring River from Horseshoe Park. Its story is part of the trip: Wikipedia says the earthen dam that once enlarged the lake failed on July 15, 1982, sending a flood down the Roaring River that scoured its channel and left an alluvial fan in Horseshoe Park. The trail passes right by the evidence.

Several designated campsites line the way, and Crystal Lake makes a short side trip from the top.

The hike

ProTrails says the Lawn Lake Trailhead is on Fall River Road, 2 miles north of Trail Ridge Road and 5.1 miles from the Beaver Meadows Entrance Station. The trail climbs 534 feet in the first mile to the east bank of the Roaring River, with views over Horseshoe Park, then turns upstream to the Ypsilon Lake Trail split at 1.4 miles.

AllTrails says that after passing the Ypsilon Lake trail, the route largely follows a 1903 wagon road built to construct the old dam. Day Hikes Near Denver describes the trail coming close to the gorge above the Roaring River, then climbing a series of switchbacks before returning to follow the river. Hike 734 describes a long, continuous cascade over smooth granite, and views of the Mummy Range summits, including Fairchild Mountain, Hagues Peak, and Mummy Mountain, opening up as the trail levels out.

The first campsites come at about 2.75 to 2.9 miles. ProTrails says a spur crosses the river to a trio of sites on the west bank: Ypsilon Creek, Cutbank, and Golden Banner. Handstands Around the World counts three sites in the Cutbank and Golden Banner area, about 2.5 miles up.

Near the top, the flood’s damage is plain. Hike 734 describes coming alongside the gash of the riverbed as you near Lawn Lake. Handstands Around the World says more than 200 million gallons of water spilled into the Roaring River at once, and that the river drops 2,500 feet in 6 miles. AllTrails notes that Lawn Lake today is somewhat lower than the original natural lake because of erosion from the dam failure. Wikipedia adds that after the failure, aging dams at Pear Reservoir, Bluebird Lake, and Sandbeach Lake in the park were removed.

Wikipedia says the flood was a wall of water estimated at 25 to 30 feet high. Handstands Around the World explains that the dam’s access road had deteriorated and was never repaired, so maintenance on the dam had stopped. Day Hikes Near Denver notes the Lawn Lake Trail meets the Black Canyon Trail at about 5.6 miles. ProTrails adds that the Ypsilon Lake Trail, splitting off at 1.4 miles, reaches Ypsilon Lake in about 4.4 miles and offers its own campsites.

Crystal Lake is the bonus. Handstands Around the World says it’s about 1.6 miles and 690 feet above Lawn Lake, and calls it the highlight of their trip. ProTrails lists two Crystal Lake waypoints at about 7.75 and 7.95 miles from the trailhead.

The NPS rules apply as everywhere in the park: a wilderness permit for every overnight, picked up in person, and a hard-sided bear canister from April 1 to October 31.

For an easier introductory trip in the park, see the Fern Lake and Cub Lake Loop.

Tips

Camping

A wilderness permit is required for every overnight in Rocky Mountain National Park, reserved on Recreation.gov and picked up at a Wilderness Office. Each party is assigned one campsite. From April 1 to October 31, food and scented items must be stored in a hard-sided bear canister at least 200 feet from your campsite, and hanging food isn’t allowed. Sites on this trail include Ypsilon Creek, Cutbank, Golden Banner, and the Lawn Lake sites.

Inside Intel: Handstands Around the World reached Lawn Lake a little over three hours after leaving the trailhead and found all four backpacking sites unoccupied, though three filled by evening. An AllTrails reviewer who stayed two nights at the lake called the campsites really nice, secluded, and private.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Supper in the Mummy Range:

Everything you eat at Lawn Lake has to fit in a bear canister, so meals that pack small help. See which meals testers keep coming back to.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.