Tuesday morning, we woke up very early, had some breakfast in our room, then headed into Rocky Mountain National Park before sunrise. Driving west on Trail Ridge Road, we made a quick stop at Rainbow Curve for a beautiful twilight view over the Fall River valley.
We made another stop, just after sunrise at Lava Cliffs.
There was a lot of snow up here at high elevation. Finally, we made one more stop along the road to watch some elk grazing.
After some pictures, we parked at Milner Pass on the continental divide. Poudre Lake was beautiful in the early morning light.
Hiking up Ute Trail, we soon came to the split with Mount Ida. There's no official trail, but the route is quite easy to follow. Looking north, we could see Specimen Mountain.
As we approached the treeline, there were fantastic views of the Never Summer Mountains to the west.
Mount Ida Trail soon rose above the treeline and traversed through alpine tundra.
The views from the trail up here were just great.
The trail rose, mostly gradually, up to near a false summit at 12,150 feet a mile or so before Mount Ida.
From here, the trail gradually descended to the saddle between the mountains and soon disappeared.
From this point on, it was mostly a scramble over a field of talus up to the summit of Ida. There were no insurmountable obstacles and it was obvious the way to go. At a few points, I found what seemed to be a trail, but most of the time I just kept heading up. Down below, I could see some high elevation alpine lakes.
There were a number of ptarmigans up here among the rocks.
Soon I was just below the peak and had to make the final ascent.
There was a lot of snow up here. I had passed the other hikers by this point and was the first to make it to the top. I had a snack up here and enjoyed the views.
Across Forest Canyon, Trail Ridge Road was visible in the distance with the Mummy Range behind.
One thousand feet below were the Gorge Lakes - Azure Lake and Inkwell Lake.
The Never Summer Mountains were visible to the west.
And looking south, I could see Longs Peak in the distance.
The next couple to make it up were from Dayton, Ohio and they took a trip every year to climb mountains in Colorado. We started making our way down and stopped for a break at the snow field.
Having been such a hot summer, it was lovely to see all that snow.
A little pika popped out for a minute.
Continuing down, the hike was a lot easier downhill. We spotted quite a bit of wildlife on the way down. A golden-mantled ground squirrel scurried around the rocky ridgeline.
Further down, we spotted a white-lined sphinx butterfly on the trail.
There were several marmots near a rock outcrop just above the treeline.
And back in the forest, we spotted a pine grosbeak in the woods.
Finally, we made it back to Milner Pass and our car.
We started making our way back on Trail Ridge Road, making a stop at the Alpine Visitor Center. There were nice views of Trail Ridge from here.
Far below was the headwaters of Fall River.
We made another short stop at Gore Range Overlook for a view of Mount Ida and the Gore Range far in the distance.
And then we made a longer stop at the Tundra Communities Trailhead. There was a fantastic view of Mount Ida and the Gorge Lakes from across the canyon here.
This short, paved trail provided an easier way to access the alpine tundra environment without climbing a mountain.
The trail made a moderate ascent and then leveled off as we approached the Mushroom Rocks.
The mushroom appearance was caused by two different rock types with different erosion resistance.
Some Western Indian Paintbrush was flowering during the short growing season this high.
The trail ended at another rock outcrop.
There was a nice view of the Mummy Range looking north from here.
On the hike back, I stopped to see some of the little wildflowers that survive in this harsh environment.
I thought the Alpine Gentians were really pretty.
We finished the hike back up at the trailhead.
Heading back on Trail Ridge Road, we enjoyed a couple last views of Mount Ida until we couldn't see her anymore.
Parking back at Misty Mountain, we walked to Grubsteak for dinner and had wild game. Then we went to bed for the evening after a long day.
We made another stop, just after sunrise at Lava Cliffs.
There was a lot of snow up here at high elevation. Finally, we made one more stop along the road to watch some elk grazing.
After some pictures, we parked at Milner Pass on the continental divide. Poudre Lake was beautiful in the early morning light.
Hiking up Ute Trail, we soon came to the split with Mount Ida. There's no official trail, but the route is quite easy to follow. Looking north, we could see Specimen Mountain.
As we approached the treeline, there were fantastic views of the Never Summer Mountains to the west.
Mount Ida Trail soon rose above the treeline and traversed through alpine tundra.
The views from the trail up here were just great.
The trail rose, mostly gradually, up to near a false summit at 12,150 feet a mile or so before Mount Ida.
From here, the trail gradually descended to the saddle between the mountains and soon disappeared.
From this point on, it was mostly a scramble over a field of talus up to the summit of Ida. There were no insurmountable obstacles and it was obvious the way to go. At a few points, I found what seemed to be a trail, but most of the time I just kept heading up. Down below, I could see some high elevation alpine lakes.
There were a number of ptarmigans up here among the rocks.
Soon I was just below the peak and had to make the final ascent.
There was a lot of snow up here. I had passed the other hikers by this point and was the first to make it to the top. I had a snack up here and enjoyed the views.
Across Forest Canyon, Trail Ridge Road was visible in the distance with the Mummy Range behind.
One thousand feet below were the Gorge Lakes - Azure Lake and Inkwell Lake.
The Never Summer Mountains were visible to the west.
And looking south, I could see Longs Peak in the distance.
The next couple to make it up were from Dayton, Ohio and they took a trip every year to climb mountains in Colorado. We started making our way down and stopped for a break at the snow field.
Having been such a hot summer, it was lovely to see all that snow.
A little pika popped out for a minute.
Continuing down, the hike was a lot easier downhill. We spotted quite a bit of wildlife on the way down. A golden-mantled ground squirrel scurried around the rocky ridgeline.
Further down, we spotted a white-lined sphinx butterfly on the trail.
There were several marmots near a rock outcrop just above the treeline.
And back in the forest, we spotted a pine grosbeak in the woods.
Finally, we made it back to Milner Pass and our car.
We started making our way back on Trail Ridge Road, making a stop at the Alpine Visitor Center. There were nice views of Trail Ridge from here.
Far below was the headwaters of Fall River.
We made another short stop at Gore Range Overlook for a view of Mount Ida and the Gore Range far in the distance.
And then we made a longer stop at the Tundra Communities Trailhead. There was a fantastic view of Mount Ida and the Gorge Lakes from across the canyon here.
This short, paved trail provided an easier way to access the alpine tundra environment without climbing a mountain.
The trail made a moderate ascent and then leveled off as we approached the Mushroom Rocks.
The mushroom appearance was caused by two different rock types with different erosion resistance.
Some Western Indian Paintbrush was flowering during the short growing season this high.
The trail ended at another rock outcrop.
There was a nice view of the Mummy Range looking north from here.
On the hike back, I stopped to see some of the little wildflowers that survive in this harsh environment.
I thought the Alpine Gentians were really pretty.
We finished the hike back up at the trailhead.
Heading back on Trail Ridge Road, we enjoyed a couple last views of Mount Ida until we couldn't see her anymore.
Parking back at Misty Mountain, we walked to Grubsteak for dinner and had wild game. Then we went to bed for the evening after a long day.
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