Flattop Mountain Trail System

A right turn at Bear Lake takes hikers a short way along a paved lakeshore path until the unpaved Flattop Mountain Trail departs uphill to the right. (Signs at appropriate places point out both of these right-hand turns.) Climbing through quaking aspens, the trail divides after less than 0.5 mile.

The right-hand branch runs along the top of Bierstadt Moraine through pleasant woods to Bierstadt Lake. This route to the lake is easier and cooler, although 0.2 mile longer, than the path from the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead. If you intend to start at one trailhead and end at another, sanity dictates starting at Bear Lake (see Bierstadt Lake Trail in the Bear Lake Road chapter). A trail connects the east end of Bierstadt Lake with the shuttle parking areas.

Before it reaches Bierstadt Lake, the trail divides again; the left-hand path runs down to beaver ponds in Mill Creek Basin. A spur trail links the Mill Creek Trail with Bierstadt Lake so that no backtracking is necessary if you wish to descend into the basin directly from the lake. Once in the basin, the trail follows Mill Creek (named for a sawmill that operated there from 1877 to 1880) for a short way before branching yet again. The right-hand fork passes through Hollowell Park to Bear Lake Road. The left-hand fork crosses the creek and winds over the ridge between Mount Wuh and Steep Mountain. After about 1.5 miles, it arrives at the Cub Lake Trail (see the Moraine Park chapter).

Back at the first trail junction after leaving Bear Lake, a switchback left turn takes hikers along the more heavily traveled trail to Flattop Mountain. On a warm south-facing slope, it climbs somewhat steeply above Bear Lake. It soon levels off, however, passing through Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir that are growing back after the 1900 forest fire.

A little less than 1.0 mile from Bear Lake, the trail forks. Continuing on the lower (right-hand) path you reach Odessa Gorge (see page 106). The trail to the left zigzags uphill through fir and spruce, which seem to not cast as much cooling shade as they should. Dream Lake Overlook is a good rest stop just below tree line, with limber pines to frame vistas of Longs Peak rising above Glacier Gorge and of the ever-dramatic Hallett Peak. The view of Dream Lake itself is more interesting than photogenic.

Above tree line you arrive at another overlook, this time of Emerald Lake, 1,300 feet below. Ahead are nearly 1.5 miles of moderately steep walking to the top of the mountain. With its broad expanses of tundra and awesome views, Flattop is a treat. But treat can turn to threat if clouds move in to hide landmarks. Broad, rolling uplands drop instantly at cliffs that hikers, tired and thus careless, may not see when blinded by fog. Lightning is the biggest danger, but hikers have walked over a precipice hidden by a snowstorm (which can happen here in any month), with fatal results.

Watch closely for two species of interesting alpine wildlife that are common on the tundra. Pikas—round-eared, rabbitlike little creatures—are active but well camouflaged. Their loud, sharp squeaks are heard more often than the animals are seen. Ptarmigan (high-altitude grouse) also blend in with their background and can materialize suddenly underfoot, only to scamper away.

Shortly before you reach the top of Flattop, you receive fine views to the south of Hallett Peak’s true summit and Tyndall Glacier. Most hikers do not bother trying to find the true summit of appropriately named Flattop. It is a broad uplifted plain that usually serves as a route to more dramatic goals. Among the best is Hallett Peak, reached by crossing the tundra at the head of Tyndall Glacier. Aim your boots for rocks instead of tundra plants as much as possible. Avoid trampling one behind the other. Then, as you begin to climb, boulders replace tundra. Pick your own best route over the rocks; the way is short but steep, and the summit is very nice.

Otis Peak, the next mountain south of Hallett, is climbed in much the same way en route to Andrews Glacier. Many hikers descend via the glacier into Loch Vale for a circuit trip back to Bear Lake (see Glacier Gorge Trail System in the Bear Lake Road chapter). Descending alongside the glacier risks stumbling on the rocks, particularly because your legs will be tired. Descending on the glacier ice risks a slip and out-of-control slide to a fatal crash on rocks at the foot of the glacier. You may be safest by varying the risks; rocks at the top, ice at the bottom.

Taylor Peak rises south of Andrews Glacier and is a rough climb if Hallett and Otis are included along the way. But you can skirt those two peaks by staying on the broad tundra slopes west of their summits, more or less level with Flattop’s summit. Otherwise, from the head of Andrews Glacier, pick your way over the rocks to the top of Taylor. The ascent is harder than the ascent of Hallett, but the view of Longs Peak and Loch Vale is well worth it. Taylor is sometimes climbed via Loch Vale by ascending Andrews Glacier; this route is 1.7 miles shorter than the route via Flattop (see Glacier Gorge Trail System in the Bear Lake Road chapter).

It is fairly simple to follow the ridge from Taylor Peak along the Continental Divide to Powell Peak. But peak bagging beyond Powell changes from hiking to technical climbing. McHenrys Notch, a 300-foot-deep cut in the divide, is a significant barrier between Powell and McHenrys Peak, which climbers usually ascend from Glacier Gorge.

On the summit of Flattop, the trail forks at a pair of 8-foot cairns. The North Inlet Trail to the left is the shortest way to Grand Lake, at the park’s southwest corner (see page 193). The Tonahutu Creek Trail, to the right, is an older route to the same goal, first walked by Native Americans. This path follows the Continental Divide to an overlook above Odessa Gorge, then runs northwest around Ptarmigan Point and begins to descend the western slope.

Notchtop, Knobtop, and Gabletop Mountains are climbed by striking northeast from the Tonahutu Creek Trail as it begins to go downhill. Proceed carefully on the tundra, stepping on rocks rather than plants whenever possible. The walking is easy and pleasant; the mountains’ gentle west faces contrast dramatically with the cliffs on their heavily glaciated east faces.

A round-trip to Bear Lake can be made by descending from the Tonahutu Creek Trail to Odessa Lake via Tourmaline Gorge, a steep gully on the northern side of the Little Matterhorn knife ridge (see page 107). Be careful on the rocks above Tourmaline Lake. Below the lake, carefully pick your trackless way through the trees to the trail at Odessa Lake.

The Tonahutu Creek Trail misses good views of Ptarmigan Lake, dramatically set at the foot of Snowdrift Peak, but a short downhill detour to the left of the trail below Ptarmigan Point takes you to an overlook at the edge of the cirque containing the lake. Again, tread lightly on the tundra.

Rather than retracing your steps all the way back up to the spot where you left the trail, walk north, heading gradually uphill to rejoin the trail as it descends east of an unnamed high point above marshy Bighorn Flats. There is a slight chance of spotting bighorn sheep there, but your best bet is on the glaciated cliffs surrounding this uplifted plain. Anywhere you might go looking for sheep would be out of the way and a long shot.

In 1902 the Eureka Ditch was dug across Bighorn Flats to divert westward-flowing water to Spruce Canyon on the thirsty eastern slope. In essence the ditch moves the Continental Divide slightly west. The ditch does not intersect the trail, and there are no significant landmarks to indicate where to leave the trail to find it. You have to watch your map, plot your position, and aim through the marshes by dead reckoning.

The ditch looks similar to a natural stream. It is probably not worth the bother to locate unless you have a particular interest in the history of water diversion projects or are headed for Sprague Glacier, Sprague Mountain, or Stones Peak. To reach the glacier, follow Eureka Ditch to Sprague Pass, at the head of Spruce Canyon. From there hike north gently up a tundra slope to the top of Sprague Glacier, one of the most remote glaciers in the park.

To climb Stones Peak, walk uphill from the top of Sprague Glacier to Sprague Mountain. A ridge extends northeast from Sprague Mountain to Stones Peak. You must follow it carefully down to the base of Stones and then regain 800 feet of elevation. Retracing your steps to Bear Lake means a round-trip hike of more than 20 tough miles. It all must be done in one day, for there are no campsites along the way.

Afternoon storms and lightning sometimes catch hikers when they have many miles more to go above tree line. At such times it may be advisable to descend into Spruce Canyon, struggle through its thick forest to Spruce Lake, and exit via the Fern Lake Trail. Better yet, take two days and climb Stones via Spruce Canyon in the first place (see Fern Lake Trail System in Moraine Park chapter).

West of Bighorn Flats, the Tonahutu Creek Trail descends between a few tall cairns through lovely flowered meadows. It then turns sharply right (snow cover could make the way vague in spots, necessitating a bit of casting about) to the head of a very steep, beautiful valley. An impressive bit of trail construction leads you easily across a sunny (south-facing) but precipitous valley wall through enchanting subalpine meadows and forests.

The surroundings would be even more enchanting if you were not so tired by this time. Getting a permit to camp in this area is a good idea. Camping will give you time for a side trip to Haynach Lakes via a faint trail heading upstream to the right at the spot where the main trail cuts sharply left across a boulder-strewn tributary to Tonahutu Creek.

The tributary does not extend all the way to Haynach Lakes. There is a short, steep climb at the end of it to the bench on which the lakes sit, looking very striking below Nakai Peak. The route up the drainage is easy, although somewhat marshy.

If you are determined to hike the Tonahutu Creek Trail and return to civilization in only one day, you can grind out the rest of the miles past Granite Falls to Big Meadows. Granite Falls is easy to miss if you are trail weary. Tonahutu is Arapaho for “big meadows,” and they are big to the point of seeming interminable. The trail is excellent, however, always skirting the bogs and staying just within the forest shade.

At Big Meadows, two trails join Tonahutu at different points: a spur from the Onahu Creek Trail and the Green Mountain Trail (see the Trail Ridge Road chapter). The easiest route to civilization is 1.8 miles along the Green Mountain Trail to Trail Ridge Road. It is a pleasant, wide subalpine trail and much preferable to the hot 4.4 miles of lodgepole pines along the Tonahutu Creek Trail to Grand Lake (see the Grand Lake chapter).

The North Inlet Trail (the left-hand fork at the trail junction on the summit of Flattop) is widely praised for the quality of its scenery, trail construction, and campsites. Leaving the junction, it descends between tall cairns over tundra slopes west of Hallett and Otis Peaks. Tundra flowers clinging to windy Flattop are spectacular in July and early August. The display becomes the loveliest as you drop down a series of switchbacks along the steep valley wall at the head of Hallett Creek drainage. Spreading all the way to tree line is one of the most outstanding wildflower displays in the park.

Down in the valley the trail passes through an alpine setting of glaciated cliffs and snowbanks. A fairly level stretch through fine subalpine forest is followed by a series of switchbacks affording grand views of cascades along Hallett Creek. Soon after the trail leaves the switchbacks and creek, a cutoff to the left leads uphill to Lakes Nokoni and Nanita (see North Inlet Trail in the Grand Lake chapter).

Below the cutoff, the trail winds its way through the woods and meadows along North Inlet, so named because the creek flows into the Grand Lake on the north shore. When the trail branches again, take the left-hand fork, which leads down to Cascade Falls. (The right-hand fork eventually rejoins the left.) The waterfall is best photographed by climbing to the rocks below.

The trail from Cascade Falls to Grand Lake is easy and frequently used. Maps show a road to Summerland Park, located this side of Grand Lake, but this access to private land in the park is not open to vehicles. You have to walk 1.2 miles more to reach the trailhead.