Lake Haiyaha

LAKE HAIYAHA 💎

These colors do not lie. The waters near Lake Haiyaha turn from clear to blue to light turquoise all in a matter of a couple miles. 💙

You may have heard about the recent rock slide at Chaos Canyon in RMNP. Those rocks tumbling into Lake Haiyaha have stirred up some gorgeous blue hues 😍 and who knows how long it’ll stay that way!

This in and out trail has a decent elevation gain or 846ft in 2ish miles, but many parts are flat.

The end of the trail near the lake is rocky and tricky for small hikers. We had to carry our youngest for part of it, but our elementary kid did great with solid hiking shoes (note: have shoes with good tread!). 🥾

🌸 The wildflowers right now in late summer are in full bloom! They look great against the backdrop and really pop after an afternoon drizzle 🌧

Speaking of rain…this trail is pretty shaded the entire time and can be wet, so bring a light jacket!

📍We used the Bear Lake Trailhead to get to Lake Haiyaha. If you’re taking this way, hike to Dream Lake and turn left

(instead of right toward Emerald Lake). There’s a sign! You’ll hike 1 mile to Dream Lake and then a bit less than another mile to Lake Haiyaha. All in all, you’ll clock in just under 4 miles.

🌲 3.6 mile in and out

🌲 Can access via Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge

🌲Rocky, would recommend shoes with good grips. Only a portion of the trail is paved.

🌲Mostly shaded, bring a jacket!

🌲The hike to Dream Lake is BUSY, one of the most popular trails in Colorado. But most people turn toward Emerald Lake, leaving the Lake Haiyaha trail a bit more thinned out.

See my original posts here and here!