The Best Long Day Hikes

Chasm Lake Trail: Some of the best views in the park are your reward for sweating your way up a fairly steep slope past the tree line on this difficult 8.4-mile round-trip hike. You'll see wildflowers, wildlife, a waterfall, a picturesque lake, and a perfect view of Longs Peak.

Fern Lake Trail: Early fall is the best time to hike this 7.6-mile round-trip moderate trail, when the aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, and cottonwoods turn the forest into a kaleidoscope of colors. On the way to Fern Lake, with the Little Matterhorn peak rising majestically above it, you'll see wildflowers, a waterfall, and several stone monoliths.

Onahu Creek/Green Mountain Loop Trail: One of the best "deep forest" trails, this moderate 7-mile loop follows several creeks through stands of aspen, fir, spruce, and lodgepole pine, before traveling the edge of a colorful meadow of wildflowers.