Just outside of Denver | Hiking & Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- The Western United States holds a wide range of opportunities for anyone who enjoys the outdoors. With both the Southern and Central Rockies running through it, Colorado is truly a mountain paradise. For a lot of folks like myself a trip out to this great state would be the absolute highlight of the summer. With Denver's airport and the proximity to most of the Midwest, there are bound to be a lot of visitors. Breckenridge, Aspen, Durango, and Vail are all well known "tourist" destinations. However, Estes Park Colorado is one of the most popular mountain towns in the entire state. This has almost everything to do with it sitting on the doorstep of the world famous Rocky Mountain National Park.
Nestled up and over the Front Range, Rocky Mountain National Park is truly a natural wonder to behold. We got to see a great deal of the park during our visit, especially the lesser known Wild Basin side. To start the trip we clambered up the alluvial fan at the Lawn Lake trail and fished Roaring River. This stream is mostly intimate pocket water, but is home to the extremely rare Greenback Cutthroat Trout. After that we made the easy hike around Lily Lake, which does not seem to have any fish. The biggest part of this trip will take us all the ways up the Wild Basin Trailhead, following the Thunder Lake Trail. This hike has some of the best waterfalls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way you pass both Calypso Cascade and Ouzel Falls. These two massive waterfalls will undoubtedly take your breath away. You will follow the North St. Vrain all the way up to where it flows out of Thunder Lake. Backpacking and camping at Thunder Lake should be on any backcountry explorer's bucket list. With how close the campsites were to Thunder Lake, the entire group had ample opportunity to fish for the trophy Greenback Cutthroat that call this lake home. For adventure and solitude, this might be the best place to fly fish near Estes Park.
Box lake is a lesser known alpine lake that sits on the Wild Basin Side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It is best reached by following the Thunder Lake Trail, which is around a seven mile hike (One way). Once at the lake you will find a small path on the backside of the outlet. Following this trial will bring you up and over the pass and into the tiny saddle that holds Box Lake. This high country gem holds a very hungry population of wild brook trout. When I say it is almost a fish on every cast, I’m not kidding. They do not see many flies or spinners throughout the year and are not afraid to eat.
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Watched this twice! Nothing like good family and friends! Long for something like this! Blessed you are!
Hell yeah! Thank you so much Dylan
Estes Park was the first introduction to the "Mountains" I had growning up and I absolutely resonate with your introduction. Thank you for sharing these videos! It really means a lot to me. And the fishing / camping footage fires this 50+ year old to take a couple of last adventures!!! Keep 'em comin'!!!!!!!
Thank you so much Rick! It is so cool to see how others can relate to the wonder of RMNP & Estes alike!
I watched this video a few months ago and it inspired an anniversary road trip to RMNP from California. I caught my first green back cutty and my wife and we now have a special connection with the park. Thanks for the effort you put into your videos! ✌🏼
That is so awesome to hear! Thank you for reaching out!
Mike, great video. Glad to see that sometimes you eat the trout. Can't believe the number of brook trout you caught. Thanks!
Your videos are fantastic. The narration is exceptional and the filming beautiful. Thank you for sharing your passion for the outdoors and fly fishing. I love the added species identification and educational points along the way. In this particular video, I appreciated your walk though history and your family story. Helping us to understand the history of the place and its meaning to you really added to the overall appreciation I had for the story. You sir are a very lucky man! Add in the Elijah Craig and there was virtually nothing more I could ask in a half hour of entertainment and inspiration! I was even watching your video with a whisky in hand!! Cheers brother...keep up the great work for those of us who cannot get outside with quite this frequency!
Justin!! I am so glad you liked it!! I love sharing what I know and a little bit of who I am!
Looks like an awesome time. Can't wait to get out that way to do some fishing. Glad you showed that it's ok to keep a few fish sometimes and enjoy a delicious meal. The fly-fishing community can be a little too purist with the ideal of never keeping fish. Keeping a few, within limits, is a tasty treat that everyone should enjoy at least once.
I agree! Plus I’d be willing to argue it’s good for a population like this to take a few. They need space to grow haha
Very true. The population there looked insane.
Great video as always! So glad for the invite and lifelong memories.
We gotta do it all over gain next year! East Inlet or bust
@@FLYALLSZN Lake Verna
I live in Colorado and fish here as well. I started watching your videos and they are really wonderful. You capture the joy fishing in places like this brings out!
Awesome to see the crackleback haha I started my fly fishing journey in Missouri and have had good luck with em here at the trout parks and out west at times too! Awesome !!
Cracklebacks are a staple!
Hey Mike, gotta love the crackleback. I'm from Mo. too, they work well everywhere. Great vids!
Thank you so much! Can’t beat a good ol crackle back!
When you said you shouldn’t be sad but you were I felt that every time I go for a trip with a few buddy’s or my uncle and go fishing for the weekend when it’s finally over I always have this over coming feeling of sadness and just the feeling of never wanting to end, I hope when I pass on it’s just fishing 24/7 for the rest of time 😭😂
It is a weird sense of melancholy! Hard to describe to most, but it sounds like you understand what I am talking about!
You are a great story teller
Thank you so much!!
Thanks for sharing! Came across your videos looking for fly fishing "west Creek" outside of Estes (going there Friday) Luv your Gunnison video! Appreciate your videos! sharing them with fishing friends.
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoy them!!
Beautiful fish man! If you sample that little mushroom 🍄 you won’t have to fish, they will float right out of the water for you. 😂
Ohhh man haha catch me trippin on the trail 😂
Y camp is my little heaven on earth
Couldn’t agree more!!
Hello Mike,
I've seen lot of your vids and they are beautiful.
I like the nature and the environment between your fishing actions.
I'm sorry when I make some mistakes in the language writing.
You are blessed with that kind of spots where you can fish.
I can only dream about your fishing spots.
A question: the fishpond bag, is it waterproof?
Here in The Netherlands I can buy this one for 179 euro.
So, I want to know.
Greetings to you and tight lines.
Greetings from The Netherlands.
Thank you so much!! As far as the pack goes, it really depends on what you want out of the pack! Fishpond can be a bit pricey but I’ve had a lot of good luck with their pack. Waterproof, no. Water resistant, yes.
Awesome vacation with your family and friends! Now my question is, your Dad where did he bought that orange skillet? My favorite color is orange 😆 Awesome skillet that handle fold away
nice ones! learned to fish in MO and tie the crackleback a huge staple in my box! psyched heading to CO to fish this week!
Great video.
Thank you so much!!
I love your videos so much! Will definitely try these trails next time I go to Rocky Mounatin NP. Not sure if you have done it already, when I went to North Cascades NP, I also fished at an alpine lake and caught over 100 cutthroats in 2 hrs. Let me know if you are interested in trying that and potentially make a video and I'll share with you some more detail.
You should for outdoor or fishing amps or a book or something man. You got a lot going for you. Love your vid’s as always
Thank you so much Matt!
Very nice vibe
Wild Basin is the only part of Rocky Mtn National Park I bother going to. It’s about 45 mins from my house in Boulder. A secret for you, if you drive about 200 yds from the wild basin entrance further down the road you’ll see a bridge with a couple pull offs. The bridge goes over the St. Vrain and there is a trail that will let you walk into the park to fish and you’ll never see another person and you won’t have to pay a thing. Local knowledge…
I really like wild basin too! So much to see and do!
I found out what type skillet your Dad used to cook in 🍳 🤔. REI store sale those type of skillet. It's not cheap. But I got one ordered. Got it on sale, but still little expensive, but it's worth it 👌
It is great!!
Great video thanks! Two questions...
1. Did you take that trip before or after the devastating RMNP wildfires of 2020/21?
2. That was a cool midge (ant?) pattern at 32:00 in this video. Does it have an official name?
Blessings, Gary R, USAF-RETIRED
Thank you so much Gary!
It was before! But I dont think it affected this area.
Name? unsure.. Just a basic foam midge I think!
@@FLYALLSZN thanks!
Nice video! Are these all family members? It’s tough to fish with such a large group isn’t it?
Yes sir! It can be! But when you’re fishing up here there is fish for everyone!
I would imagine that the hatchery dropped the brook trout in the lake with a helicopter once a week. Does the lake freeze solid in the Winter?
I doubt it David.. I looked for stocking reports for that lake and nothing shows up.. Plus with fish of all size ranges, that tells me they are finding some way to naturally reproduce in there.
What part of Missouri are you from? I grew up near Jefferson City and fished the Gasconade. Now in Colorado fishing Anywhere trout hang out
what are your thoughts on the ant leafcutter?
I absolutely love it!!
Save some for the rest of us why don’t’cha 🤣
There are plenty to be had!
What would you recommend for an old fat guy that can't hike that much? I will be visiting the Denver are for Thanksgiving. Plan to hire a guide for one day then fish on my own the rest of the week
Where’d you find that shirt brah
I love a good thrift store!