Mt. Ida - RMNP Summit Hike
Looking down on Azure and Inkwell Lakes
As we near mid-summer, this is the time we begin to think about getting our summit hikes in. When high alpine snow begins to dwindle, we hit the optimal time for summiting peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are so many amazing peaks in the park, but today I want to cover one of my favorites - Mt. Ida. This summit hike offers stunning views of the Never Summer Mountain Range on the West side of RMNP, and one of my favorite views on this hike is from the summit where you have views of both Grand Lake and Estes Park! You can even get glimpses of the Grand Ditch, which is a water diversion ditch that takes snow melt from the Never Summer Mountains and diverts it for farmers on the dryer east side of the continental divide.
Looking towards the Never Summer Range, The Grand Ditch is also visible
This hike begins at the Poudre Lake Trailhead at Milner Pass along Trail Ridge Road. The trail starts very near the tree-line at an elevation of 10,758ft. This means that nearly all of this hike is spent exposed on the tundra, so be sure and start early to avoid the danger of afternoon thunderstorms. The trail climbs steadily for the majority of the way and let me tell you this hike has way too many false summits! Just when you think you’re about to reach the top, another higher ridge shows itself. This happens three or four times, so just be prepared to have more to go when you think you’ve reached the summit!
View from the summit with Longs Peak in the distance
The summit itself is not very big and can be very windy! It’s definitely worth spending some time on the summit taking in all the views you just hiked nearly five miles for! Keep an eye on the clouds though, it’s a long way back to the cover of tree line. This hike is 9.8 miles round trip with 2,122 ft. of elevation gain, so this is a moderate - difficult hike. This hike will also require a timed entry pass for RMNP between 9am and 3pm. Although I do recommend starting this hike earlier in the morning than that, which means it is a great option if you are unable to get a timed entry pass for the park. Be sure to read our post with information about timed entry passes for RMNP here. If you are unsure of what gear to take, click here for our post with our hiking essentials checklist! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments below or message us on Instagram!
