Forest Canyon Overlook

The topography of the Rocky Mountain National Park is a smattering of towering and craggy peaks framing expansive valleys and bubbling rivers. The Forest Canyon Overlook is an ideal place to take it all in. 

With uncontested views of the iconic Long's Peak (14,255 feet), Stones Peak (12,922 feet), Hayden Gorge, and the ice-blue Gorge Lakes, this vantage point is second to none with respect to accessibility. A short 0.2-mile walk from the parking lot on a paved walkway provides access to the overlook, and yellow bellied marmot are frequently spotted among the granite boulders. 

Over the last 2 million years, behemoth glaciers have painstakingly carved away the newer and weaker top layers of rock, leaving behind an interesting patchwork of geology along with deep valleys, impressive alpine lakes, and the crumbling peaks for which the park earns its name. Even in the summertime, the altitude of this 11,716-foot vantage point means there can be unexpectedly cold temperatures and gusty wind.