Nymph and Dream Lakes: Postcard Lakes

Staring at Bear Lake, a number of trails take off into the wilderness. One of my favorites is the trail leading to the three "postcard" lakes, so called because they appear on a lot of postcards and publicity pictures advertising the Rocky Mountains. From Bear Lake, you take a trial up a fairly stiff uphill walk about three quarters of a mile. At the top of the climb where the trail levels out is the smallest of the three lakes: Nymph Lake. From Nymph, the trail goes another three-quarters of a mile or so, with level stretches interspersed with more climbing.

Out in the open, you can get a clear shot of Long's Peak.

The scenery is gorgeous, no pun intended.

Finally, you get to the second lake: Dream Lake. This one is probably the prettiest of the three. This year, there were some snow banks here and there the last quarter mile to Dream Lake, but the trail was easily passable.

The trail skirts around Dream Lake to the north.

The lake is chock full of speckled trout, cut-throat trout, etc. You can see them from almost everywhere along the shoreline in the clear water.

Rocky Mountain Lake Scenery. Aaaahhhh... heaven.

The trail continues on past Dream Lake, the final three-quarters of a mile to Emerald Lake.