Day 2

Bear Lake to Cub Lake Trailhead - 8.0 miles

We got off to a late start on this one. We'd been on the trail so late the day before that we couldn't drag ourselves out of bed at 5AM. This was another one way hike, we parked at the Cub Lake Trailhead and took the park shuttle to Bear Lake. We wanted an easy hike after the long, late hike the day before. Bierstadt and Cub Lakes are both easy hikes from their own trailheads, but there's a high ridge between the two that turned it into a tougher hike than expected.

The drought has affected Bierstadt more than most other lakes because it's not fed by any streams. Even with the low water level, the view of the front range was fantastic.

The trail drops down to the Mills Creek Basin and then begins a long climb up the South Lateral Morraine. Once on top of the ridge we got some great views of Cub Lake.

We met a very nice family on the trail who had taken a wrong turn on the way to Fern Lake. Seeing the climb they'd made from the Fern Lake Trail over the ridge, I think they're ready for Long's.