Bear Lake Road from the Beaver Meadows Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park (US Hwy 36) provides some of the most magnificent scenery available in the area. Highlights of the 23-mile round trip is Bear Lake where a paved trail encircles the lake at the base of 12,713 feet high Hallett Peak.

Please be aware that Bear Lake Road is under reconstruction that lasts through 2013. Expect delays. Another way to access the area in the summertime is through Shuttles. For more information about the delays and closures see www.nps.gov/romo.

Along the way are many hiking trails, picnic area, campgrounds, the Moraine ParkVisitor Center and Sprague Lake. At Sprague Lake (elevation 8,710 feet) visitors will find rest rooms and a wheelchair-rated trail. Several hiking routes -- some short and moderate for families with younger children; others more strenuous -- begin at Bear Lake.

Photography enthusiasts will find opportunities around every bend. From the Bear Lake area easy level hikers will enjoy the Nymph Lake Trail or Alberta Falls. Good moderate to difficult trails include Dream and Emerald Lakes, Bierstadt Lake, Lake Mills, and Flattop Mountain.

Not to be missed on this route is the Moraine Park Museum. Located on Bear Lake Road, this may be the best place in Colorado to learn about mountains. Its exhibits on mountain-building clarify the effects of tectonic activity, glaciation, volcanism, weathering, and other influences. It's open daily from 9 am to 4:30 pm from mid-April through mid-October.