Trail Review: Gem Lake in Estes Park

This out and back trail was the first hike I ever did after moving to Colorado. The elevation in Estes Park is no joke, so if you're new to town like I was, plan on taking lots of water and lots of breaks. It was slightly demoralizing that a very small fluffy white dog lapped me on this trail, but the views along the way will help ease that pain. Multiple breaks will help ease the pain of your lungs screaming for air.

On that cheery note, you hook up with the Gem Lake trail after parking at the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead. It's about four miles round trip. We hit it pretty early on Labor Day weekend and still found parking, but it was jammed by the time we got back. As with every Colorado trail in the summer, you're going to need to wake up early.

Lumpy Ridge is an hour and a half away from Denver, right outside of Estes Park. The trip is easy now that all the highways have been repaired from 2013 flooding, and is super scenic. You also get to go through Lyons, which is a super cute mountain town. It’s your halfway mark to Estes, and always a good place to stop for food or gas.

Worth Your Time: REI's Snowshoeing Basics Class

2015 will mark the first time I don't migrate to Florida for the winter in several years, so I'm super excited to spend this winter trying out snow sports. I tried both downhill and cross-country skiing once last year, so not only am I excited to learn more about those sports, I'm pumped to try out snowshoeing so I can hit the winter sports trifecta.

Step one of my foray into snowshoeing was REI's Snowshoeing Basics class at my local store. The class was free and definitely worth my time. I highly recommend it to any fellow beginner as a great complement to your outdoor education journey (that sounds very Colorado-ey of me, doesn't it?). 

Since hitting the trail myself, this blog has become a mash-up of the REI class plus my own experience as a first-time snowshoer. The REI class gave me a really solid foundation of knowledge, so I definitely encourage you to check it out for yourself - classes run throughout the winter. Worst case scenario, you get a 20% off coupon to use and you found out you don't want to attempt snowshoeing. 

Hiking the Eastern Side of Rocky Mountain National Park

Now that I've finally gotten around to writing this blog, there may be limited time for you to take advantage of the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. There were snow flurries in the mountains today, so get out there while you still can!

The entrance to the eastern side of RMNP is right outside of downtown Estes Park. Now that Highway 36 is completely restored after last year’s flooding, the drive is an easy and scenic hour and a half from Denver.

Where To Find Moose and Not Get Trampled – Beginner's Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park

Seeing some meese (yes I know, that’s not actually the plural of moose) has been on my outdoorsy bucket list for well over a year. It first started when I went to work an event in Vermont and realized that was prime meesey habitat. After leaving Vermont without seeing so much as a squirrel, I shelved my moose ambitions and thought I’d wait until next year.

Until I moved to Colorado. Seeing moose was now a real possibility again, and when my boyfriend returned from REI with a trail that all but guaranteed a moose sighting, I was thrilled. We were going camping for the weekend just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, and the lovely volunteer at REI had pointed out a few trails just inside the park that were extremely meesey.

After breaking camp at Shadow Mountain Reservoir (learn more about the campground here), we headed into the park for the day with our fingers crossed to hopefully spot a moose. I have a slight huge obsession with animals, so I was on the edge of my seat with my head swiveling around in hot pursuit of a moose. And then I saw him. At first, I thought it was a large horse, but upon realizing it had antlers and was most definitely a moose, I let out a high-pitched shriek for my boyfriend to pull over. His ear drums were a necessary casualty. It was a REAL. LIVE. MOOSE.

A photo posted by Outdoor Beginner (@outdoorbeginner) on Jun 29, 2014 at 1:42pm PDT