Glacier Gorge Trail

Sharing its start with the Sky Pond route from the Glacier Gorge trailhead, this arm climbs past Alberta Falls and then bears up into the heart of Glacier Gorge. At about 2.5 miles you reach Mills Lake — a long, granite-shored beauty named for Enos Mills, the “father of Rocky Mountain National Park,” with a full-on view up the gorge to Longs Peak, Pagoda, and the Keyboard of the Winds.

Just beyond lies little Jewel Lake, and from there the trail works deeper and steeper up the gorge, through meadow and forest, to Black Lake at about 4.7 miles — a dark, dramatic tarn cupped beneath the sheer faces of McHenrys Peak and the Spearhead. It's a moderate walk to Mills Lake and a strenuous full day to Black Lake. National Park land: no dogs, timed-entry usually required in summer.

Trail Facts

Getting There

From the Glacier Gorge Trailhead on Bear Lake Road (timed-entry + permit usually required in summer; use the shuttle), follow the trail past Alberta Falls and bear into Glacier Gorge toward Mills Lake and Black Lake.

0.0 mi	Glacier Gorge Trailhead
0.8 mi	Alberta Falls
2.5 mi	Mills Lake
~2.8 mi	Jewel Lake
4.7 mi	Black Lake — beneath McHenrys & the Spearhead

Know Before You Go

• National Park rules. No dogs; timed-entry + Bear Lake Road permit usually required in summer.
• Two objectives. Mills Lake is a moderate, family-friendly turnaround; Black Lake is a strenuous full day deeper in the gorge.
• Start early. The Glacier Gorge lot fills before dawn — use the shuttle.
• Carry water & layers. Weather turns fast at the head of the gorge.