RMNP - Timber Creek Campground and Timber Lake

[Sun 6/19 - Mon 6/20] 

Pulled into our campsite at Timber Creek Campground, a few miles from the northwest entrance to the park, around 6pm. Did minimal setup as we have to switch to a different site for tomorrow. I got a fire started while Karri whipped up a delicious Mexican dish with chicken, rice, corn and black beans. We were both tired, so cleaned up quickly and climbed into the van around 8:30pm. 

Up at 7:30 after a rough night of sleep for me. Quick breakfast in camp, packed up the van and headed to the Timber Lake Trailhead, about a mile down the road. Our plan was to hike to Timber Lake, a 10.5mi out-and-back trail with 2,400' elevation gain. I was still sleepy and Karri is still battling a cough, so we agreed we'd turn back early if we weren't up for the full hike. But if you've read any of our other posts, you know that's not how we roll. :)

There were only 5 other cars in the parking lot when we set out just before 9am - a nice respite from the crowds on the other side of the park. The temperature was around 60 degrees and warming with blue sky and occasional puffy white clouds. After about a mile on the trail Karri spotted an elk nursing her calf just 30 yards up the trail.

Elk nursing her calf

We stopped so as not to disturb them - and a little concerned mom might view us as a threat. A couple came up the trail behind us, then a single hiker who asked what we were waiting for, before scoffing and pushing through. The elk moved off the trail, we let the other couple through, waited a bit, then continued on with the trail to ourselves. 

The trail passed mostly through ponderosa pines as we steadily gained elevation, crossing several small streams and climbing over a number of downed trees. There was a slide area around the 2-mile mark, but fortunately we were able to press through.

Crossing the slide area

At about the 3-mile mark, Karri spotted a moose with her calf just off the trail about 40 yards ahead. The day before, we overheard a guy from Montana say that a moose cow with her calf is about the meanest animal in the wild - likely hyperbole, but we kept our distance nonetheless. 

Baby moose!

We waited several minutes while they ate - periodically looking up to check us out. They eventually moved deeper into the woods, allowing us to pass. We pressed on, still climbing, crossing more streams and passing more wildflowers than we'd yet seen on the trip.

Wildflowers

Stream crossing

We were both struggling a bit more than usual but the 'should we turn around?' conversation never happened. About 4.5 miles in, we started to see patches of snow. At about the 5-mile mark, we were trudging through soft, sometimes deep, snow. The trail was tough to follow at times, making us thankful for our Alltrails map and a decent GPS signal. The last quarter mile was slow as we carefully picked our route, hoping to avoid sinking a foot deep into the soft snow (known as 'post-holing'), before we finally arrived at the lake.

Soft snow

Post-holing demonstration (for educational purposes only)

Made it!

The lake was beautiful, surrounded by rocky/snowy peaks. For once, it wasn't freezing and the wind wasn't howling, so we enjoyed lunch on a rock at the edge of the lake before heading back down.

Timber Lake

We passed a few groups coming up on our way down but mostly had the trail to ourselves. We were both tired and anxious to be done. Got back to the van around 3pm. Drove back to the campground to check-in to our site for tonight. Pulled into the site, then realized it was still early and there wasn't much shade to be had - and no mature trees for setting up the hammocks for a nap - so decided to head back into Grand Lake for a beer and afternoon snack. Ended up at Lariat Bar and Grill, a divey local spot. Had a great chat with the bartender as I wrote this post and we made plans for the rest of our time in the area. Heading back to camp now.