Gem Lake

Stewart Carnes

a year ago

I did this hike at 1pm on a Tuesday. The parking lot was maybe 25% full. It's a beautiful, rugged trail. Beautiful views and scenery from start to finish. Several great spot along the trail to get great views of the valley and the surrounding granite rock towers. It's a beautiful little lake

Andrew Schneider

6 months ago

Great, moderately difficult hike. Beautiful little lake. Awesome outhouse on the way up. Very close to town.

Yu-An Chen

a year ago

Great short hike that’s not crowded and is right next to Estes park(about 10 mins) the view is stunning and you get to see the aerial view of the town. The lake is beautiful and possible to swim in it. Took us around 2 hours out and back. There’s a restroom near the top with great view from the window! Some sections might require scrambling but most of the part are pretty manageable! Plenty of parking spaces too at the trail head.

St Copper

a year ago

Enjoyed getting away from the heat (100 degrees in Longmont) to enjoy this hike (6/21/25). We parked on Devils Gulch Rd and did not check the small parking lot, but it is not a difficult walk up the street to the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead. Wanted to head to Bridal Veil, but realized it was closer to a 13-mile hike, so decided to get to Gem Lake. Should have taken Lumpy Ridge up to view the Twin Owls, but just went right towards the lake. The trail is well maintained, but it does get crowded as you hike 1k feet in elevation to reach. There are some great views right off the trail overlooking Estes Park and west towards Rocky Mountain NP. Once we got to the lake, it was time to relax in this serene area to eat some snacks and liquids before the descent back down.

Craig Brophy

a year ago

A simple 1.7 mile one way hike. The last .3 miles is uphill walking around rocks. Nice views of the mountains and Estes park down below.