Trip
Hiking – Monarch Lake Trailhead
The Monarch Lake Loop provides an easy 4 mile hike through beautiful scenery including the lake, forests and wetlands. Moose are often sighted in the wetlands. For those who are interested, a trip into Grand Lake for a late lunch and a return using Trail Ridge Road can be added to the hike.
Contacts
- Wed, Sep 17, 2025
- Rocky Mountain Over the Hill Gang
- Hiking
- Adults
- Easy
- Easy
- Mileage: 4.0 mi
- Elevation Gain: 215 ft
- High Point Elevation: 8,450 ft
- Pace: casual about 1.8 mph
- FULL, 7 on waitlist (7 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
The official CMC portion of this trip is to and from the parking lot at Monarch Lake, but car pools and after hike activities are available for those who desire. This is an easy hike, but does have a couple steeper inclines. All water crossings have bridges. There will be lots of opportunities to take pictures.
Last minute cancellations please call 703-774-6266 before 10pm or text on day of hike.
We will meet at 7:45 at Wooly Mammoth Park n Ride (HH) for an 8:00 departure.
We will organize carpools to reflect desire to continue onto Grand Lake and Trail Ridge Road or to return directly to Wooly Mammoth following the hike.
It takes about 2.5 hours to get to Monarch Lake, due in part to slower going on a 10 mile (well maintained) dirt road to the trailhead. Round trip to the lake from Wooly Mammoth is 148 miles ($50 per car).
Return via Trail Ridge Road is 198 miles ($68 per car). We can enter Rocky Mountain National Park after 2:00pm without a timed entry permit, but please bring a park pass if you have one. Time to return via Trail Ridge Road will vary depending on desire to stop at overlooks, animal sightings, visitor center stops, etc. My car will probably make lots of stops to see the sights.
Required Equipment
Ten essentials, lots of water, bug repellent. Poles may be helpful for those who prefer.