Frommer's Review
This trail provides a variety of experiences for hikers. The first 1.5 miles follow a wide, relatively flat trail through ferns, Rocky Mountain maples, and aspen, roughly paralleling the Big Thompson River, whose banks are lined with narrowleaf cottonwood, water birch, and thinleaf alder. In the fall, the shades of yellow and red provide a colorful background. Kids can climb the boulders strewn along the trail and watch for evidence of beavers along the river.
Arch Rocks consists of several boulders that form an arch overhead -- they are best seen from the other side, so turn around after you walk under. These rock monoliths are believed to have fallen from the cliffs above after the glaciers receded, although one huge hunk came crashing down nearby in the winter of 1992/93. If you're here near dusk, watch for beavers; they seem to prefer working after dark.
Now the trail heads uphill to The Pool, located downstream from the meeting of the Fern and Spruce creeks with the Big Thompson River. The force of the water as it flows between steep stone walls has carved a shallow pool, and the flat rocks around The Pool make great picnic spots. Cross the log bridge over the Big Thompson and take the path straight ahead (the left fork heads to Cub Lake; see earlier). You'll soon begin climbing along the side of a gully to enter a thick wood before crossing Fern Creek. Then, as you climb a ridge, your ears are bombarded by the noise of Spruce Creek on your right and Fern Creek on your left as they tumble down the mountainside. In July the unusual clustered lady-slipper blooms along the trail here, rather low to the ground.
About a mile from The Pool and 480 feet higher, you'll reach Fern Falls, in a dense wood of Engelmann spruce and fir. It's prettiest around midday when the sunlight filters through the trees. Next the trail inclines steeply upward for another mile toward Fern Lake. As you cross the creek at its outlet from the lake and pass out of the trees onto the shore, you see Notchtop Mountain and the Little Matterhorn rising majestically beyond the forest across the lake. Turn to your right and you can see Stones Peak in the distance. The beginning elevation is 8,160 feet, and the rise to Fern Lake is 1,375 feet.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
