We spent the morning of Christmas Eve on the Gem Lake Trail located outside of Estes Park. The hike to Gem Lake is an intermediate 1.7 miles from the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead. The trail was well populated and the spirit was festive and light. Hikers encouraged each other in a variety of dialects and wished Merry Christmases to each other in passing. A light snow briefly dusted us upon our arrival to Gem Lake, which was frozen solid. Gaggles of hikers played on the ice and posed for photos. We took refuge on a rock, rested and hydrated by eating snow. The uphill segment took a total of 75 minutes while the downhill return took about 60.
Michael Castellon 