Hiking to Sky Pond: A Must-Do in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountain National Park is filled to the brim with incredible hikes. But hiking to Sky Pond should be at the top of your list!
This hike is beautiful and leads you by a couple lakes, a couple waterfalls, and rewards you with the stunning Sky Pond. Yes, there are some challenging sections of this hike, but truly, it’s worth every step and scramble.
So, let’s get you ready with everything you need to know! Today we’ll be discussing reservations, where to park, trail stats, and what to expect. Let’s get hiking!
Important Links
Rocky Mountain National Park website
Recreation.gov – Time Entry Passes Here
Sky Pond Trail – AllTrails Link
Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!
Location
The trailhead for Sky Pond is located in Rocky Mountain National Park, specifically, in the Bear Lake Corridor. This area does require a timed entry, but we’ll get to that in a minute!
From the trailhead, Denver is 2 hours away, Colorado Springs is about 3 hours away, and Durango is just over 8 hours away. Unless you are west of Denver, you’re probably going to want to stay in a campground, hotel, or airbnb. Now let’s get into the Fees and Timed Entry Options.
Fees
Like all national places (parks, seashores, etc.) you are required to have a valid park pass. This funds the national park and pays the employees.
For Rocky Mountain National Park, you have the option of buying a 1 day pass for $30 or a 7 day pass for $35. There is also an annual pass for $70, but this is more for frequent flyers.
If you are planning on visiting at least 3 national places within a 12 month period, you will want to buy an America the Beautiful Pass. For just $80, you and a car-full of guests can enter the park for free! This is good for 12 months and is accepted at all national places.
Regardless of which type of pass you buy in order to go hiking to Sky Pond, you’ll still need a Timed Entry. Let’s get into it!
Timed Entry – 2 Options
The parking lot for Sky Pond is located on Bear Lake Road in the Bear Lake Corridor. In short, Bear Lake Road requires a timed entry. Recreation.gov sells 2 types of times entry “permits” or “reservations” (as they are often referred to). You’ll be looking to purchase Timed Entry+ (more on that below).
Basically, from mid-May to mid-October, there are 2 ranger stations where rangers will check your reservations and your ID to confirm that it’s you. We have seen many people have to make the U-Turn of shame, so let’s make sure you have the right thing!
Timed Entry vs. Timed Entry+
For several years now there has been a timed entry reservation system. From mid-May to mid-October you’ll need a timed entry to enter the park.
Essentially, if you want to access any part of the park from 9am – 2pm, you’ll need a Timed Entry. BUT, if you want access to Bear Lake Road (which you do) between 5am – 6pm, you’ll need a Timed Entry+.
If you are looking to hike Sky Pond, you’ll need a Timed Entry+ entry time.
When to Buy
Timed Entry and Timed Entry+ are released on the first of the month (May, June, July, August, September) for the following month.
For example:
- Reservations are released on May 1st for the end of May (when reservations begin) and all of June.
- Reservations are released on June 1st for anything left in June and all of July.
- Reservations are released on July 1st for anything left in July and all of August.
- Reservations are released on August 1st for anything left in August and all of September.
- And finally, reservations are released on September 1st for anything left in September and all of October.
What If I Don’t Get a Reservation!? Is My Trip Ruined?
Your trip IS NOT ruined if you can’t secure a Timed Entry/Timed Entry+. However, you will have to get up pretty early in the morning.
If you remember, the Timed Entry is required for everywhere in the park from 9am – 2pm and the Timed Entry+ is required for Bear Lake Road between 5am – 6pm. So you can always just go around the reservation.
What do I mean by “go around the reservation”? I mean get up early and be past those check points before, or after the reservation time slot.
Unfortunately, this does mean being on Bear Lake Road before 5am. But here’s the truth, because of frequent afternoon storms, and the small parking lot for Sky Pond, you’ll want to be getting parked before 5am anyway. Let’s discuss the parking situation…shall we?
Parking
The trailhead for Sky Pond starts at the Glacier Gorge Parking Lot. Unfortunately, this parking lot only has about 25 parking spaces. In short, this parking lot is often filled before 5am anyway, or close to full on a weekday. I arrived at 4:45 on a weekday and it was full by 5:30am. And this was a random Tuesday…
If you arrive and the parking lot is already full, then what!? Well, you can continue up the road to the Bear Lake Trailhead Parking Lot and then hike down the Glacier Gorge Trail. From there you’ll turn right and continue up to Sky Pond.
In the image below you will see both of your options for parking. The Purple Circle is the Glacier Gorge Parking Lot, and then all you have to do is follow the AllTrails map. However, if that tiny lot is full, you can park at the orange circle, the Bear Lake Parking Lot (which is WAY bigger). You can then take the red route down and connect the rest of the way to Sky Pond.
If both of the parking lots are full, there is always the shuttle option. I haven’t personally taken this shuttle, as I’ve always arrived early enough to snag a spot. But you can find out everything you need to know about the Rocky Mountain Shuttle here.
Alright, alright, I’ve covered a lot of the logistics so far. But what about the actual hike!! Let’s get into it.
Trail Stats
- Distance: 9.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: ~1,900 feet
- Estimated Time on Trail: 6 – 8 hours
- Difficulty: Moderately-Difficult
Before the Hike
Before you begin your hike to Sky Pond, you’ll want to have the hiking essentials packed and ready to go. This includes 2 – 3L of water, snacks, a flashlight, a medkit, and all other hiking essentials. (You can download a backpack essentials list in my Freebies!).
As is typical in the mountains, there is no phone service. I highly recommend that you download the hiking trail on AllTrails. At the very least you should have a downloaded map on Google to navigate the roads in the park.
You’ll want sunscreen as well as other sun protecting clothes (sunshirt, hat, etc.). Remember, you’re way closer to the sun in Rocky Mountain National Park.
But let’s get to the trail. This quick overview will help you know what to expect.
The Trail – Must Know
The first part of your hike to Sky Pond is under the trees and well-shaded. At about mile 2 you’ll rise above the treeline and be hiking in the sun for the remainder of the hike. So bring all of your typical sun-gear (hat, sunglasses, sunshirt and sunscreen).
The trail itself is very well-labeled and easy to follow. However, there is a section where you will need to scramble up right next to a waterfall. This wasn’t as bad as it sounds, however, if you are not in shoes with good grip, you’ll be at risk for slipping. Be aware that this is what makes the trail difficult, instead of moderate.
So now you know where to park, how to get reservations, what to expect and what to pack. Here is a look at our hike. My husband and I hiked to Sky Pond in early August of 2025.
Our Itinerary
- 4:45am – Arrived at the Glacier Gorge Parking Lot
- 5:30am – Began hiking from the trailhead
- 9:00am – Reached Sky Pond and ate our sandwiches here
- 10:00am – Began our descent back to the car
- 12:30pm – Arrived back at our car
Our Hike
Getting up at 2:30am rarely has its advantages. However, hiking to Sky Pond was definitely an exception to this rule. We did not snag Timed Entry+ reservations, so we had to arrive early at the trailhead to beat said reservation. We were parked by 4:45am and slowly started getting our things ready to go.
Once our boots were on, bags double-checked and we went to the bathroom, we started on the trail around 5:30am.
Flashlights led the way as we watched the sun rise off in the distance. About 0.25 miles into the hike, we arrived at our first trail split, and by 0.8miles in we passed Alberta Falls.
The trail is easy to follow and led us right along the peaceful Glacier Creek. There are 2 more splits in the trail, but as long as you follow the signs, you’ll be golden. We did have the map downloaded on AllTrails as well, just to be sure we were going the right way.
The Loch
Right around 3 miles in, we came to The Loch (Loch Vale). This beautiful lake is just a taste of what is to come when you reach Sky Pond. I know The Loch is gorgeous, but it’s hardly the highlight of this hike.
If you started in the early morning, the full colors of the water won’t be visible yet. Once the sun gets a little higher in the sky, the water turns a brilliant blue. So you might not be very impressed on the way up, but on the way back down, it’s beautiful!
The Waterfall
Around the 4 mile mark is when we reached the dreaded waterfall. What is formally known as Timberline Falls is right where you need to scramble.
HOT TIP: Try to keep your feet dry and stay to the right of the falls.
Take your time and you’ll be fine. You will have to use your hands to scramble as you head towards Sky Pond, but after a few minutes, this part will be over. We didn’t have an issue when climbing up this part of the trail, we just took our time.
Once you conquer the hardest part of the trail, you’ll be greeted by the Lake of Glass, which is truly beautiful!
Lake of Glass to Sky Pond
The Lake of Glass is very rarely glass-like. There’s nearly always wind blowing in the Rockies, so the water can be pretty choppy. Despite the ill-given name, this lake is gorgeous!
But again, I’m telling you, this is still not the highlight of the trail. You’re getting close though!
The trail will now follow right along the edge of Lake of Glass. We followed the trail and wrapped around to the right of the water and continued on the trail. In less than 0.5miles, we were greeted by the spires of rock and the crystal blue/green water.
Sky Pond
No matter where you stand, Sky Pond is gorgeous. With unique and towering rock formations above you, and the beautiful clear water, you’ll be in the perfect setting for a lovely lunch.
Sky Pond is an alpine lake that sits at 10,800 feet. Depending on when you hike, you might see a frozen lake surrounded by snow and ice. Or if you hike later in summer, there might be wildflowers and lush green grass. While in the fall, you might be able to see the golden glow of the Aspen trees.
The Descent
After we had our fill of the beautiful lake, we headed back the way we came. You’ll hike along Lake of Glass again and then come to the dreaded waterfall again.
I will say that scrambling down the waterfall is sketchier than going up. We avoided the wet rocks to the best of our ability and took our time.
Once we descended the waterfall, the rest of the hike was a piece of cake. We went back past The Loch and Alberta Falls, before finally reaching our car in the parking lot.
Conclusion
Hiking to Sky Pond is truly a must-do when visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. We spent nearly 8 hours hiking to and from Sky Pond, it was clear why it’s such a popular trail. And even with the amount of people we saw, this truly is a must-do hike.
The trail is hard enough to be a challenge, but easy enough that you won’t hate yourself as you’re hiking it. So be sure to add this to your hiking bucket list when visiting this national park!
As always, if you have any questions about the hike, feel free to email me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to help you plan.
-Happy Hiking!
Megan C.
Avid hiker and traveler around the US. I've been hiking consistently since I was 18 and I can't wait to teach you my tips, tricks and hiking hacks! Travel and hike with me and my camera.
