Bear Creek Lake Park Hiking Guide
Bear Creek Lake Park is located in between Lakewood and Morrison and is a good spot for short hikes, mountain biking, road biking, walking the dog, running or swimming. Hiking here is extremely easy and suitable for people of all ages and hiking experience. Hikes are all Class 1 and are generally on wide dirt trails.
Bear Creek Lake Park Quick Facts
Bear Creek Lake Park: ★★ (2/5 Stars)
Distance: Various- view the full park map here.
Elevation Start: 5,500 ft
Highest Point: 5,772 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 1,700 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: Various – most trails under 1-2 hours RT
Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: Year-Round (Expect occasional snow/ice December – March)
Directions to Bear Creek Lake Park
Trailhead: Bear Creek Lake
Getting Here: There are a variety of ways to enter the park. If you are biking or running, you can enter from either the north, south or east while if you are driving, you need to enter via Morrison Road on the north.
Parking: There are multiple lots to park within the park, the most popular being by the lake area which will fill up during most summer days and weekends.
Fees: As of 2021, the park fee is $10 per veichle and $80 per annual pass. However, you can easily avoid paying these fees by parking off Rooney Road, just outside the park.
Summary
Bear Creek Lake Park Camping: Camping is allowed in Bear Creek Lake Park in a dispersed camping area, in cabins, yurts, tents or RVs. Find out more information about camping here.
Dogs: This entire park is dog friendly and a great place to walk your pup. There are poop bag dispensers all over the park.
Make it a Loop: Bear Creek Lake Park has a number of trails to choose from, view the full park map here.
Trail X Factors: The biggest x factor while hiking in this park is the time of year you choose to go. During the summer, the park is a vibrant green in many areas, which adds some seclusion and also makes the hiking more beautiful. In the late fall, winter and early spring the park turns almost entirely brown (as much of the Front Range does) and the beauty certainly goes away. I will say that Bear Creek Lake Park is a nice spot if you live in the area because it can be used year round for almost all activities and requires almost no extra gear in terms of hiking. Visiting in the winter is also great because there is almost never snow on the ground and if there is, its well packed down.
Hike Tip(s): If you want to avoid paying the $10 per visit park fee, park outside of the park (near the Conoco gas station off Rooney Road) and walk, bike or run in. Of course, this only works if you are using the park for an activity that doesn’t require you to be in a certain place (IE swimming, picnics etc.).
Best Views: My favorite views within the park are along the creek itself and towards the east side of the park where you can see Morrison and Dinosaur Ridge. Honestly, the views in Bear Creek Lake Park are not THE best, but there are still some lovely secluded spots where you can snap a good picture.
Bear Creek Lake Hike Route
This is just an example of one of the many routes within the park.
Gear Needed
- Mickey’s Mountain Kit
- Optional: Camera
- Optional: Tripod
My Trip to Bear Creek Lake Park: January 2019
I used to live in Lakewood for a couple of years, so I frequented this park about 2-3 times per week for a couple of years. I still go back occasionally to run or walk the dog on the various trails. I will forgo my hike summary on this post, but will say its a solid spot to hike, run, bike (mountain and road), swim, fish and horseback ride. While this spot is not the most beautiful, it will make you feel like you are in nature even though you are only steps away from major highways at times.
