Fern Lake

“It’s only one more mile.” That became the motto of this trip. Our original plan was a fairly easy three-mile roundtrip hike from the Fern Lake Trailhead to a bridge that crossed over The Pool – a rushing water pocket formed by the confluence of Spruce & Fern Creeks and the Big Thompson River. Yet somehow by the end of the day, three miles turned into eight miles and a picnic lunch at Fern Lake.

It didn’t take us long to reach The Pool. The flat trail ran beside the river with ferns and unique wildflowers popping up along the way. We stood on the bridge and met some other hikers talking about Fern Falls. The waterfall was only one more mile, and apparently well worth the additional distance. So since it was still mid-morning we continued on, planning to eat our lunch at the waterfall.

The trail left the creekside and took a rocky and steep turn. After slugging up a few sun-drenched switchbacks, David and I were rewarded with a refreshing mist blowing off of the sixty-foot waterfall. We sat down to take a break. Fern Falls was stunning; an oasis of new growth surrounded by remnants of burnt trees and debris left over from the Fern Lake wildfire. We soon noticed a family sitting across the trail from us. They were on their way home from camping at Fern Lake, and were talking about the amazing scenery and how much fun they had. Now Fern Lake was only one more mile so we thought, “We hiked this far, what’s one more!”

The last mile was brutal. The trail was extremely steep and studded with large rock steps but reaching Fern Lake made it completely worth it. The lake was beautiful. The water was so calm and clear – creating a perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains still patched with snow. We even spotted several trout swimming by the shore’s edge. We found a shady spot by the lake and FINALLY ate our lunch!