RMNP’s Gamer Hike: Sky Pond

I hiked Sky Pond the other day, one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s best hikes. It’s set up like a video game. It’s long, there are beautiful check points in the form of lakes along the way that give you a little kick, and then there is a boss at the end that will kick your butt.

The hike is 9 miles long. There and back takes me about 5hrs, stops for picture and video taking included. It’s straight uphill for a total of 1,780 feet (543m) of elevation gain and ends at about 9,200ft (2804m). It’s yet another hike where you have to be in shape. I know there are a few people on social media saying you don’t have to be, but they are turning 5 hour hikes into 10 hour hikes and that’s just not fun-for me, at least. There’s a certain amount of “go,” and “let’s get this done,” that is a part of the fun, if you know what I mean.

Besides the elevation gain, the kicker here is that boss at the end. For an American trail, it’s really on the dangerous side. If you go the normal way, you have to traverse a steep snowy cliff (even in June) sideways for about 300ft and then climb up a small waterfall through the actual water on wet rocks. It sounds cooler than it is. It’s actually kind of sketchy. The prize at the end though is worth it. You’ll have to do the hike to see it.

Glass Lake, 200 ft from Sky Pond.