Hiking waterfalls Rocky Mountain National Park: a guide to the park's greatest waterfalls

215 Pages·2019·18.45 MB·English

by  Dannen, Kent

Hiking Waterfalls
Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking Waterfalls
Rocky Mountain
National Park
A Guide to the Park’s Greatest Waterfalls
Kent Dannen
FALCONGGUUIIDDEESS®
An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200
Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and Make Adventure Your Story is a trademark of The
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
Copyright © 2019 The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
Photos by Kent Dannen
Maps by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBN 978-1-4930-3783-4 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4930-3784-1 (e-book)
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
The author and The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. assume no liability for
accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities
described in this book.
Dedicated to Douglas Dannen, Debbie Lanham, and Patti Morrow,
siblings extremely patient with and supportive of their elder brother

Contents
Introduction .........................................................................................................x
Transportation .............................................................................................xi
Water Falls (and Rises) .................................................................................xi
More Geology ...........................................................................................xiii
Weather .....................................................................................................xiv
Flora ...........................................................................................................xv
Fauna .........................................................................................................xvi
Wilderness .................................................................................................xix
Park Fees ...................................................................................................xix
Pets ............................................................................................................xix
Camping .....................................................................................................xx
Safety .........................................................................................................xxi
Leave No Trace Ethics ...............................................................................xxi
How to Use This Guide ...................................................................................xxv
The Hikes
Lumpy Ridge and Cow Creek ............................................................1
1. Bridal Veil Falls .............................................................................................2
2. West Creek Falls ...........................................................................................6
3. MacGregor Falls .........................................................................................10
Mummy Range ...............................................................................13
4. “Ypsilon Falls” ............................................................................................14
5. Alluvial Fan ................................................................................................18
6. Thousand Falls ............................................................................................22
7. Chasm Falls ................................................................................................27
8. “Crystal Falls” .............................................................................................30
9. Lost Falls.....................................................................................................34
West Side ........................................................................................39
10. Adams Falls .................................................................................................40
11. “East Inlet Falls” .........................................................................................44
12. Cascade Falls ...............................................................................................47
13. War Dance Falls ..........................................................................................50
14. North Inlet Falls .........................................................................................56
15. Granite Falls ...............................................................................................59
0 Kilometers 10
Overview
0 Miles 10
ROOSEVELT
NATIONAL
FOREST
w Road
Dra
NTAL DIVIDE Long 9
NE
TI
N
O
C
Trail Ridge Road RivOelrd R Foaalld 7 5 1–2
4, 8
6
34 3
C 34
O 34 EEsstteess PPaarrkk
34 NTINENTAL DIVIDE 36 7 36
18–21 ROOSEVELT
15 16–17 22–28 NATIONAL
ARAPAHO RROOCCKKYY MMOOUUNNTTAAIINN FOREST
NATIONAL
NNAATTIIOONNAALL PPAARRKK
FOREST 29–30
12–14
Grand Lake Grand 7
Shadow Lake
Mountain 10–11 Meeker Park
Lake 42
41
31–40
Allenspark
7
Lake
Granby
34
ARAPAHO
NATIONAL
FOREST
Bear Lake .......................................................................................63
16. Grace Falls ..................................................................................................64
17. “Tyndall Falls”.............................................................................................69
Fern Lake Trailhead .........................................................................73
18. Windy Gulch Cascades ...............................................................................74
19. “Spruce Creek Falls” ...................................................................................77
20. Fern Falls ....................................................................................................80
21. Marguerite Falls ..........................................................................................84
Glacier Gorge .................................................................................87
22. Glacier Falls ................................................................................................88
23. “Solitude Falls” ...........................................................................................91
24. Ribbon Falls ...............................................................................................95
25. “Black Lake Falls” .......................................................................................99
Loch Vale .......................................................................................103
26. Alberta Falls ..............................................................................................104
27. “Loch Falls” ..............................................................................................107
28. Timberline Falls ........................................................................................111
Longs Peak ....................................................................................115
29. Columbine Falls ........................................................................................116
30. “Chasm Lake Falls” ...................................................................................120
Wild Basin .....................................................................................123
31. “Lower Copeland Falls” ............................................................................124
32. “Upper Copeland Falls” ............................................................................127
33. “Saint Vrain Falls” .....................................................................................129
34. Calypso Cascades ......................................................................................133
35. Ouzel Falls ................................................................................................138
36. Mertensia Falls ..........................................................................................142
37. Fan Falls ...................................................................................................146
38. “Falcon Falls”............................................................................................150
39. Thunder Falls ...........................................................................................153
40. Trio Falls ..................................................................................................157
41. Lyric Falls .................................................................................................160
42. Hidden Falls .............................................................................................163
The Art of Hiking ............................................................................................166
Hike Index .......................................................................................................187
About the Author .............................................................................................188
Contents ix