High-Altitude Trout
Footwear is the other most important consideration. Wear two pairs of socks. The liner socks should be thin, tight, synthetic material that wicks moisture outward. This layer serves as a buffer. Think of it as an extra layer of skin because if you don’t wear it, you’ll sacrifice your own skin with blisters.
The outer sock should be thick and cushioning like heavyweight Capilene or SmartWool to help protect your feet at friction points including the back of your heel or the outside of your big toe. A two-sock system protects against blisters even when your shoes are soaked.
I wear lightweight hikers with a stiff sole and aggressive tread. In most cases, the trails are smooth and well maintained, and you don’t need heavy, ankle-high hiking boots. Waders are too bulky and heavy to be worth the effort for a day trip, and are also impractical for overnight trips when you also must pack a tent, sleeping bag, and food.
Overnight Camping
The least-visited and most desirable lakes in RMNP are too far from the trailhead for a day trip. Luckily these lakes usually have nearby backcountry camping. Backcountry camping permits are available at nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm. A backcountry permit is valid only for specific sites on specific dates, so you should submit your reservation several months in advance to make sure you get the site you want.
The campsites have primitive toilets. All other waste must be packed out. Complete rules and regulations are available online or from park rangers when you pick up your permit at the park office.
Sandbeach Lake on the shoulder of Mt. Meeker is a possible day trip, but better for a night or two since the trail is steep and the lake is large enough (17 acres) to explore for more than a day. The trail to the lake does not follow the outflow, and as a result, Sandbeach Creek is relatively unfished and filled with native cutts.
Pear Lake is a difficult 7-mile hike with excellent campsites and frequent evening rises through the summer. There is no backcountry camping available at nearby Hutcheson lakes (9 miles from the Finch Lake Trailhead in Wild Basin), making Pear Lake an excellent base camp for forays to Lower, Middle, and Upper Hutcheson lakes.
There is another good base camp at Lawn Lake, a 6-mile hike that seems to take forever because of the constant attraction of the Roaring River at trailside. Nearby Big Crystal Lake—at 11,500 feet above sea level and more than 25 acres—is at the base of the Mummy Range, but the fishing is so good that there’s rarely opportunity to gaze at the impressive array of peaks.
In the Colorado River basin, good backcountry camping and fishing for native Colorado River cutthroat is available at Timber Lake, Haynach Lake, Lake Nanita (camp at North Inlet), and Lake Verna (with day trips to Spirit, Fourth, and Fifth lakes).
This list of well-known favorites only scratches the surface of the lake fishing in RMNP. They are easily accessed by well-marked and maintained trails.
But there are other lakes that are rarely visited and veiled in mystery. Adams Lake—in a cirque above a valley known as Paradise Park—is on RMNP’s list of catch-and-release waters, but it’s in a no-camping area miles from the backcountry campsites at Cat’s Lair.
Arrowhead Lake—in the Gorge Lakes group—is on the same list of catch-and-release waters but there is no trail. There is a single campsite at nearby Little Rock Lake, but the only way to get there is to park at the Rock Cut parking area on Trail Ridge Road (11,800 feet), eyeball the lakes on the opposite side of Forest Canyon, clamber down into the valley below, cross the Big Thompson River, and then regain the 2,000 feet of elevation.
Keep in mind that many lakes—such as Chasm Lake at the base of Longs Peak—are barren. Other lakes or parts of lakes are closed to fishing to protect recovering greenback populations. Refer to the National Park Service’s RMNP fishing brochure for rules, regulations, and a complete listing of lakes known to contain trout. The brochure is available at most ranger stations and on-line at nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/fishing.htm.
Seasons
Ice-out on alpine lakes is difficult to predict, and depends on the severity of the preceding winter, the elevation, and exposure to the sun. Most lakes near 9,000 feet become ice-free sometime in June, or earlier, but some higher lakes do not thaw completely until July.
While the shoulder seasons of June and September can offer fine fishing, the pleasant temperatures and dependable summer fishing make July and August weekdays the best choices for most visitors.
Camping Logistics
Nights can be cold at these high lakes—lows of 40 degrees F. in July or August are not uncommon at 11,000 feet. Bring a three-season sleeping bag and a change of clothes in case you get wet. A sleeping pad is also a requirement—not a luxury—as it keeps you warm. A waterproof tent that can stand up to the wind is also a necessity.
All the backcountry sites in RMNP have bearproof food containers to store your food night and day. Greenback lakes are catch-and-release fisheries, so you cannot eat trout. If your heart is set on a fresh trout dinner, consider lakes with nonnatives such as Peacock Pool, where the limit on brook trout is 18 per day, and you can easily catch that many by noon.
Todd Hosman’s book Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park (Pruett Publishing Company, 1996) will help you plan your trip. A detailed list of local amenities and the National Park Service map showing all the lakes are online at flyfisherman.com/rmnp/. You can get a printed version of the same map at the park gates, but backcountry anglers should get the waterproof Trails Illustrated Map of RMNP published by National Geographic. It provides topographical detail not present on the National Park Service map, and shows all the major hiking trails and backcountry campsites ($10 at ngmapstore.com).
Ross Purnell is the editorial director of Fly Fisherman.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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