Fern Lake (10-11-2010)

Rather strenuous climb but with four waterfalls.

The trail head for Fern Lake is in RMNP’s Moraine Park. As I headed to the TH I stopped to take a picture of the peaks in the area. I happened to look over to the side of the road across from me and saw three elk grazing. Kind of startling. I had brought my grandmother up to RMNP the night before and it was the first time in 50 years grandma hadn’t seen any.

Down the road was a herd of about 30. I rolled down the window and sure enough there was some bugling going on. Then I heard the clash of antlers. I actually saw two bucks going at it. They were circling around and hitting their racks together (not the butting of heads like Rocky Mountain Sheep). I’d seen it on TV but never in person. Awesome!

Then someone in a very loud 4WD truck pulled up on the tail of my car. They left the engine running and their lights on. That was the end of my elk watching the jerk. So off I went to the TH pretty ticked off.

I met a couple of ladies coming down the trail. They had been up photographing things. They were loaded down with lots of equipment.

One of these days I am going to get a beefier camera. But the one I have now works pretty well. It fits in my pocket and is easy to get to.

Up the trail you pass under some interesting orange-red granite rocks that lean towards each other above you. It’s wild to think these 30 foot plus boulders fell from the cliffs next to the trail and landed upright like this.

A short way further brings you to The Pool. Here three water courses come together—the Big Thompson River, Fern Creek, and Spruce Creek. Being low level this time of season it appears as any large pool on a river. During high water season it is described as having whirling eddies and rolling crests.

At The Pool the trail divides into two paths. One goes to Cub Lake while the other goes to Fern Lake. The marker is a little askew, not spot on, but fairly clear. I took the left branch and climbed up.

I got to see a delicate waterfall right next to the trail. It doesn’t appear on any map and thus has no name. But I’d have to say it ranks as one of my favorites. The form of its shape as it fell, almost dripped down its 20 foot watercourse was simply beautiful.

Also along the trail was a fascinating row of boulders covered by moss. Pretty cool formation.

I hiked the almost vertical mile to the top of the trail and encountered the trail marker broken and on the ground. I lifted it up and it said Cub Lake. Cub Lake? I wanted Fern Lake. Cub was in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. Crap. Somehow I took the wrong trail. So I trudged back down the hill to The Pool.

On the way down I met two anglers on the way to Fern Lake. One of them said he had been to Fern and said that had been on the right trail. Had someone put the sign up at the top as a prank? The guy was so sure this was the trail that I followed him and his buddy back up the hill.

We got to the top and he thought the sign was odd. And it just wasn’t looking like the Fern Lake he remembered. He took out his trail map and decided he was wrong. Oops, this was Cub Lake.

It’s a small pretty lake at 8600 feet. It has water plants floating near its edges all around its circumference. At this time in the year, the plants have turned a golden color.

I wish I could have enjoyed it better, but I had climbed 3 extra miles, gained 1080 foot in elevation, and lost a couple of hours of hiking time. Timing would have been OK, but I had a Longmont Symphony rehearsal that night. Looking at the pictures I took of Cub Lake the next day, I found the lake to be simply beautiful. My mistake was worth the extra miles. To Cub Lake I could add the waterfall and row of moss covered rocks; it was worth the effort.

I left the guys at Cub Lake and got back down to The Pool. I discovered how I screwed up on which trail to take. Oh well. This one got past me.

I started up the right trail which was again very steep. Since I had read a book on Colorado waterfalls, I knew there was a falls kind of hidden on the north of the path. Since a lot of leaves had fallen, it was easier to find it. The books’ authors named it the Overlooked Falls and I could see why. If you didn’t know it was there and made the effort to see it, you couldn’t find it. It’s a 20 foot hoursetail surrounded by cascades.

En route to Fern Lake is Fern Falls. There was a young couple there so I tried to be scarce. The falls are 60 foot high and full of washed down boulders and trees. It looks kind of rough compared to others I’ve seen. It looks like the little brother or cousin of Ousel or Alberta Falls. In fact, the book said the type of rock under the water is the same for all three falls. I wish the author had noted what kind. I think it’s granite.

I continued up (and it was up) the trail to Fern Lake. I lost my pace and got winded. Eventually, I found my stride and plugged along to the lake.

Fern Lake is at 9530 foot in elevation and still below timberline. So the locale isn’t as stark as other high lakes I’ve been to. The Little Matterhorn and Notchtop Mountain rise above the lake to the southwest.

The lake was OK but my true objective was to find Marguerite Falls. The problem was I had to bushwack down Fern Creek. I’m not a particularly bushwacking kind of guy. I prefer trails even if they are steep and going in the wrong direction. I had a general idea where to go so I followed a game trail for a bit then pushed my way through underbrush and fallen trees till I heard the falls, maybe a third of a mile off the beaten path.

And it was so worth it. The falls lie in a stretch of cascades about 50 yards long or so. It was a tad bit difficult to find the two parts of the falls. Yet cascades are a form of waterfall imho—water falling over a downward pitch of rocks or other natural obstruction. On the other hand, a waterfall may be a form of cascade. Maybe that’s a better angle. Anyway, the falls were a beautiful patch of water – in form and sound - nestled in a private nook.

I sat down and relaxed by the lower falls. I had some trail mix (don’t get the “tropical” kind unless you like dried bananas) and water. [I now have a hydration bladder for my daypack. I still like the gallon jug better, but the bladder takes up less space which I’ll need for winter climbing gear like clothes and snowshoes.]

The trip back to the car was uneventful—took some pictures and said howdy to a few people. I didn’t hurt myself or get mobbed over my Chick-fil-A t-shirt like last week [see Sky Pond and Fall].

Overall, this was a nice hike even going up to Cub Lake twice. And seeing four waterfalls—who could ask for more?