Hiking The Loch in Estes Park In Winter

Now we were slightly under prepared for this easy to moderate hike. Mostly because my girlfriend and I woke up around 430 to drive to Estes in the winter. 

Winter you say? You must be crazy, right? Wrong. Hiking in the winter offers beautiful landscapes and luckily draws very few to the trails, thus offering clear paths without the pokemon goer's.

So this hike would be considered easy in any of the warm months, however once you add snow and snowshoes to the equation (or lack of snowshoes in our case) this hike becomes significantly more difficult. 

From the parking lots at the trail head, you simply begin across a small foot bridge, following the trail markers and signs that lead you up to The Loch. I highly advise snowshoes or yak tracks since it can get quiet snowy and icy in the colder months. 

The hike itself isn't quite too intensive in the terms of elevation. With only a 1059 ft elevation gain, it's considered to be quite mild here in Colorado. 

After following the small foot paths to The Loch, be prepared to face strong winds. The lake is essentially a wind tunnel from the towering mountain that loom not too far off. 

Once arriving, simply lay back and relax. The walls of the mountains surrounding the lake absolutely epic. 

Then of course get ready for the icy walk back.