Hallett Peak - West Slopes & Flattop Mtn, Rocky Mountain National Park
Climb Notes
Parking and deluxe privies are available at the Bear Lake Trailhead.
Water is also available at the trailhead, but I do not remember any water sources along the trail.
The Bear Lake Parking Area fills almost every morning of the summer. Arrive early or plan to park at the Park and Ride and ride the shuttle.
The small snowfield just above the hitching post is not steep, but it still is snow and can be slippery.
Watch for the weather. Flattop and Hallett are in the mountains and produce daily thunderstorms in the summer.
Just hiking to the top of Flattop is a worthy and very popular goal. Finding the high point is a bit difficult. Most folks use the trail junction sign. There are a few nice places to rest on the south side (to the left) with good views of the North Face of Hallett and the Tyndall Gorge.
The trail ends on Flattop. The rest of the route is a Class 2, climbing route (no longer a trail and requires using hands, at times). The climb is steeper than any section of the trail, the footing might be loose, rockfall is possible, and the way might be difficult to follow.
At the trail junction on Flattop, the North Inlet and Tonahutu Creek trails descend to the west side of the Park.
Practice moving over the loose stones without dislodging any rocks.
Hiking poles would probably make the loose slopes easier to climb and descend.
Hallett Peak is a mountain, the summit is the highest point. Travel in that direction.
Beware of fog or clouds moving in on the summits. The whiteout conditions make navigating difficult. It is important to know how to use a map and compass.
Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain are great climbs to test your mettle before adventuring onto the higher or more difficult peaks.
The climb from Bear Lake to Hallett Peak is 5.1 miles (one way) and 3238 feet in elevation gain. Many of the Colorado Fourteeners take less effort.
Always practice minimum impact usage.
For Mountain Data and Route Guide
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Flattop Mountain Trail and Hallett Peak, West Slopes - Trail Mileage
0.00 Bear Lake Trailhead
0.50 Bierstadt Lake Trail Junction
1.00 Fern Lake Trail Junction (Odessa Gorge)
1.70 Dream Lake Overlook
3.00 Emerald Lake Overlook
4.00 Hitching Post
4.40 Flattop Mountain (trail junction)
5.10 Hallett Peak
Map Link
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Flattop Mountain Trail and Hallett Peak, West Slopes - pdf
GPS
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Hallett-W-Slopes in Text Format - hallett-w-slopes.txt
Hallett-W-Slopes in GPX Format - hallett-w-slopes.gpx
Hallett-W-Slopes in KML Format - hallett-w-slopes.kml
(Flattop Mountain Trail is included with the Hallett West Slopes Route)