flat top mountain trail

Yes, this is a great place. My advise.1. Try to keep yourself light. Don't pack too much food in your backpack, which's the mistake we did and couldn't reach to top of the mountain.2. Winter is a bad idea of hike. You'll get tired wearing winter protective gears.

I grew up in Colorado, my daughter she grew up so far in Texas. I go back to Colorado as much as possible for friends and family and my brother and I do hikes up the 14Kers. I say this to premise what was accomplished and the experience I had to do it. I decided to take my daughter on her first backpacking adventure. I have taken her on many hikes before, we did 62 miles in Glacier, we Hiked Banff, we hiked Yellow Stone and the Tetons, but all of those were day hikes carrying day packs. We started on the inlet trail in grand lake, hiked up 8-9 miles to inlet falls. camped then went over the mountain, my daughter who likes to photograph flowers lagged us back. We started at 7 to beat the Colorado afternoon showers but because my daughter slowed us a bit we hit the summit of this peak and headed down the tonahutu trail a bit behind schedule and got caught in the storm. Lucky there was not lightning and I had us geared correctly . we had our rain gear, gaiters, and gloves and made it though just fine. The wind was up around 50-70 mph gust and even lifted me off the ground. There was hail, ice and sleet and the temp dropped to about 30 or so it felt. we immediately went for the valley but it took us about 45 min + to get out of the storm. IF you are headed up this way there are miles between treeline and the summit , if there was lightning present we would have turned around. we camped at lower granite falls and hiked out though big meadows trails back to the inlet trailhead. wildlife - we saw herd of 50-100 elk , a huge stag on top of the mountain, a bobcat and a bull moose. pack weights -Mine with bear canister and water bladder filled(we filter ours) - 29lbsDaughter's - 17lbsNotes - gaiters are a must! it gets muddy bring gloves and rain gear (it will rain) Don't wear new shoes on a hiking trip break them in before using them, or at least bring some mole skin. and don't pack over 30-35lbs fully loaded or you are going to hate life going up hill. This is a hard hike for people who don't do this and ours took 3 days but total mileage was about 30. feel free to email or write me if you want pointers I am happy to help. Oh and my daughter loved it, were going back next summer and knocking off longs peak.

We love the challenge and the beauty of this hike. We also enjoyed taking the extra trip up to Hallet Peak.

The main point of this one is to get above the treeline to say you did it is all. There is the added bonus of being able to say that you've walked up on the Continental Divide I guess, but this little hike is entirely deceptive if you're not accustomed to the altitude. I've seen many people just showing up with new boots, and backpacks and honestly, that will only get you exhaustion and blisters. Just the standard disclaimer: Do not get caught out during the afternoon thunderstorms. So, you must start early, and the parking at Bear Lake is hard to come by after about 8:30 AM. Honestly, the views are spectacular once you're above the treeline. All the rest is just self abuse unless you need to meet that goal.

If you want to hike a mountain, this is the one to do. If Longs Peak is not an option (which it isn't for most people), do Flat Top Mountain but continue up to Hallett Peak. It's another 45 minutes up to the peak but well worth it. It took 3.5 hours up and 2.5 down. We were moving most of the time but did take short breaks to ensure we did not over do it. On a clear day, you can see Grand Lake, Wyoming and the Never Summer Range. I really enjoy the waterfalls, but this surpassed every waterfall I found by quite a bit. It is a must for anyone in decent shape.

We started our hike about a half hour before sunrise in order to beat the crowds, and to give us plenty of time to reach the summit before the daily thunderstorms. The trail is a very steady and consistent hike upwards. It is not a trail an easy trail, but very do-able if you know your pace and come prepared with good shoes, water, etc. The Dream lake and Emerald Lake overviews are very beautiful. Once you break out of the tree line, the views are astounding. It took us about 3-4 hours to reach the top, taking fairly frequent breaks. Enjoyed the numerous pikas and marmots as we hiked. We had to cross a fairly decent snow field just above the hitch racks. Hiking poles were helpful on the snow, more so on the descent than the ascent. The summit is just what you expect, flat! We were a little concerned about some clouds that were building so we did not choose to hike Hallet. We will attempt that on a better weather day.

Flattop Mountain is one of the few in RMNP that features a maintained trail all the way to the top...and it's a "real" mountain, not like Deer Mountain or Estes Cone. Once you climb above tree line, the views are wonderful. You can also bag Hallet, Taylor, and Otis with some additional effort. Be sure to wear sunscreen, take plenty to drink, and leave early. It's best to get to the top around 10-11 and be back down below tree line before noon to avoid storms. Also be prepared for lots of traffic--it's a pretty popular hike.

Flat Top is my fav hike to prep for Longs Peak. I wear a HR monitor and every step is up on the ascent. Leave in green forest beauty and at the top you are making snowballs. Love RMNP and this is a "don't miss" hike.

Flat Top is a long but steady hike . You rise over 3000 feet and walk over 4 miles. There was snow to clamber over at the top but good walking shows made it easier. Took the older members of our party about 5 hours to reach the top while the immortal young ones ( 20 and 18) managed it in just over 3 ! There are many places to stop. The overlook of Emerald lake is a cool place to have breakfast . The views from the top are spectacular - being able to see both sides of the continental divide. Great place for the panorama shot. We started out early ( around 6) which meant we could also take in Hallet and Otis peaks on the same hike. It also meant we were on our way down when the daily weather began to gather. The conditions up there can change fast so its worth keeping an eye on the clouds . Also suggest you carry a poncho in case you get caught in the rain. Parking at Bear Lake is not a problem if you are up bright and early . Being early also means you are well up the trail before the casual hikers crowd the lower parts. Take plenty of water. Have something warm/dry just in caseAnd don't forget when you safely return to Estes Park you can admire your handiwork every time you stare up at the Continental Divide .

We started at about 7:30 in the morning. The trail was still covered in snow in some spots. There were quite a few people hiking the trail who were in better shape than I was. It took me 6 hours to almost reach the summit, but my kids were able to reach it in 4.5. We needed about 60oz of water per person. We saw elk, pika, marmot, and a ptarmigan. The views were fantastic and the kids were actually able to summit a mountain of 12,324 feet. The trailhead is at an elevation of 9475 feet. We hiked through all of the various ecosystems and enjoyed the challenge.

Take lot of water and food. It is a long way through the forest, and at the end directly to the top of the ridge which takes you to the Flattop. You can see then Bear Lake from the top. This location can be used also for the ski freeride tour down to the Emerald lake. Take care about the avalanche risk!

I have not been up here in a while, but the hike is great. You top off on the continental divide with long views both east and west. Dress warm as it can rain or snow all year round.

It's a long way up to Flattop, but if you are in decent shape, you can continue up along the ridge and there are a number of additional summits you can do from this trail. The day I went, we added on Hallet's and Otis. Expect snow cover even into the summer. We ran through snow moguls even in mid-June. Ice trekkers were ok for the morning, but coming down in the afternoon, the snow was soft, so we had no choice but to plow through, sinking up to our knees in some areas. If you get up at the crack of dawn, you can avoid the crowds and get decent parking at Bear Lake. We started at 5 am. This gives you more time above treelike before the summer afternoon thunderstorms roll in and a better opportunity to see some wildlife.

Flat Top was not quite what I expected from Reviews. I think it would be very helpful if it was noted that climbing in the winter is not a simple trek. The ice on the day I visited was quite a challenge and despite having good, solid boots, ice gripping cleats would have been more useful. As it was, I had to turn back a couple hundred yards after the 'higher difficulty' sign.Views are beautiful and the mountain itself is something to see. Just make sure you are prepared if you visit in the winter :)

Good views steady climb well maintained trail. I would say its average for RMNP. There are better and there are worse, this one is worth the stop on views alone.