Odessa Lake Hike – Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park – Trail Map, Pictures, Directions & More

Odessa Lake is a gorgeous intermediate level lake hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. The hike features views along the Big Thompson River, fishing options, and amazing views of surrounding mountains. This hike has 2 common routes, both taking you past other lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. Both routes are described below.

Difficulty – Intermediate
Distance – 8.9 miles miles round trip (14.32 km)
Elevation – 10,055 feet (3,064.8 meters)
Elevation gain – 1,900 feet (579.1 meters)
Duration – 5-7 hours (book time)
Seasons – Year-round
Trailhead Location – Fern Lake Trailhead or Bear Lake Trailhead

Need to know: Dogs are not allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Trail Map

Trails

There are two common starting locations for this hike, both are below:

Bear Lake Trailhead | 8.9 Miles| 1,900 Feet Elevation Gain

This is considered by some to be the more scenic route to Odessa lake, though both options are fantastic. Hikers will start along the Bear Lake Loop Trail heading to the right side of bear lake. After .5 miles, hikers will reach a junction. The right leads towards Bierstadt Lake, and the left towards Mill Creek Basin and Odessa Lake. Take this left turn. Hikers quickly ascend and experience great views of the surrounding peaks, including Longs Peak.

.5 miles after this junction, (1 mile into the hike) there will be another junction. The left heads towards Flattop Mountain on the Flattop Mountain Trail, the right towards Odessa Lake. Hikers should bear right at this junction.

For the next mile, hikers ascend a bit, but are rewarded with fantastic views of surrounding mountains.

3.2 miles into the hike, there is an unmarked junction leading to Lake Helene, yet another gorgeous lake. Past this junction for the next .5 miles or so hikers descend a little bit and experience great views of surrounding mountains, like Little Matterhorn, which looms over Odessa Lake.

Hikers will reach Odessa Lake just shy of 4.5 miles into the hike.

Fern Lake Trailhead | 9.2 Miles | 1,890 Feet Elevation Gain

This route is preferred if hikers also want to experience Fern Lake, want to do some fishing along the Big Thompson, or want to view some of the other nearby lakes, like Spruce Lake. The trailhead here has less parking, and is less packed than the bear lake trailhead, but still fills up fast. If the Fern Lake Trailhead is filled, there is parking along the road, and another parking lot for winter access .6 miles from the trailhead (parking here will add .6 miles each way).

The first 1.7 miles is relatively flat all the way to “The Pools”. The trail is well traveled, and easy to follow. Hikers will also pass by some unique and beautiful rock formations on the trail (seen below).

Right after the pools is the junction between the Fern Lake Trail and the Mill Creek Trail. Hikers should bear right here. The trail begins to ascend more rapidly at this point for the next 2 miles.

3.7 miles into the hike, hikers will reach the junction for Spruce Lake, which lies only a couple hundred feet from Fern Lake, a beautiful stop on the way to Odessa Lake.

4.6 miles into the hike, hikers will reach Odessa Lake, and the trail continues to more viewpoints along the lake for another .3 miles. Hikers can retrace steps back to the parking lot.

Hiking Odessa Lake in Winter

The Fern Lake Trailhead is closed during winter months, adding .6 miles each way (1.2 miles) roundtrip during winter months.

Both trailheads are still fantastic options during winter months. Both don’t contain any very seriously steep sections, making this a great winter hike from either direction. Microspikes are always recommended, and snowshoes may be needed depending upon current weather conditions.

Fishing Odessa Lake

When departing from the Fern Lake Trailhead, the Big Thompson has great fishing opportunities. Many anglers try out “The Pools” along the way as well (marked on map). Odessa features a great population of greenback cutthroat trout.

Camping Information

There are various camping options near Odessa Lake. You can see them marked on the map above. In order to camp in ROcky Mountain National Park, a backcountry permit is needed. A permit can be obtained at the Park Headquarters Backcountry Office at Beaver Meadows, or at the Visitor Center in Estes Park or at Kawuneeche Visitors Center. You can also obtain permits online here: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/permitsandreservations.htm

You can find information on each tent site on this hike from this page: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/site_details.htm

Directions & Parking

These are two large parking lots (bear lake trailhead the biggest), but these are extremely popular areas. Parking fills up extremely quickly on nice days. In many cases, hikers will need to use the National Park shuttle system to get to these trailheads during the busy months. Information on this can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/shuttle_bus_route.htm 

To Bear Lake Trailhead

To Fern Lake Trailhead

Current Weather Conditions

Here is a detailed weather forecast:

Grand Lake, CO

Additional Pictures