I'll be heading to RMNP this summer and I have a few questions...so without further ado, here I go

1. Mount Lady Washington or Thatchtop? Which is more enjoyable/better view...I wish I could do them both, but I doubt that will happen.

2. Sky Pond or Black Lake? What's a better moderate day hike?

3. How hard is to find the trail to Shelf/Solitude lakes, and what do I need to look for to find it?

So maybe not lots but anyway...suggestions?

I think Thatchtop has the better view. Plus the hike up there feels remote, considering how many people visit the area. There's a lot more to see from that summit. The view from Lady W is awesome if you want a killer view of Longs, however that's about it. From Thatchtop, you're looking at the entire Glacier Gorge area and the The Loch area. Plus the view of Longs from up there is stunning as well. Sky Pond or Black Lake? I think the Black Lake hike is better than Sky Pond. Black Lake will blow you away, plus, you get an easy hike from there up into Spearhead Basin which is stunning to say the least. The Shelf Lake Trail is not easy to find but you will find it if you research the turnoff. A waypoint with GPS will help. I wouldn't expect there to be a carin as well. I bet there's alot of people that that would knock a "Shelf Lake turnoff" carin over if they passed one, including myself. I'm certainly not opposed to others heading up there but I also think people should have to do a little work to lcate it. Shelf Lake is incredibly beautiful.

Alright, thank you. That should help my planning a bit!

Wait, one more question....

I do want to get an epic view of the Diamond, so whats a better place to view it from? MLW or Chasm Lake? Is it worth going up MLW?

Thanks again!

Go To Chasm Lake. If you go up MLW you have to go down MLW. Its shitty, unpleasant ankle breaking talus in any season. Something I swore to never do each of the 4 or 5 times I did it. Chasm Lake has spectacular views of Longs Peak and Meeker.

It's true that Lady Washington is just a big pile of boulders. They come in several sizes, providing variety and interest as you go.

On the good side, you'll have it to yourself.

Solitudes definately appealing, but I can talus slog a lot of other places...my questions should be answered now, but we'll see.

Not to belittle Mount Lady Washington, but it was one of my least favorite climbs of last season, the amount of energy I used didnt translate to very good views. Yes you get up close to the Diamond from MLW, but you will certainly get better pictures from Chasm Lake.

I've never climbed Thatchtop for whatever reason, either looked like a good bushwhack up to Solitude or a class 4 (?) knife ridge for a mile from Powell. Just never interested me too much until this summer. I assume you will be doing it from Shelf and Solitude, which is the recommended route since the S-Shaped Gully route is (from what I've heard) not fun. As far as finding the route up to the lakes, all I can say is once you start climbing out of Glacier Gorge, take the time to check out both sides of Shelf Creek for about 100 yards for the 'trail'. Dont expect anything substantial or easy to follow.

One thing is certain, you wont be escaping any crowds in Glacier Gorge or going up the E. Longs Peak trail. If you change your mind on any of your destinations, I'd suggest finding something in the Mummy Range. Less people and lots of options for peak bagging.

Do you have an idea of when you plan to go to RMNP?

Tangeman wrote:I do want to get an epic view of the Diamond, so whats a better place to view it from? MLW or Chasm Lake? Is it worth going up MLW?

In my opinion, the most epic view of the Diamond is the one from Chasm View. The best guidebook pictures are taken from MLW. Finally, Longs is at its most photogenic from Chasm Lake.