Twin Sisters - 7.0 Miles Round-Trip

The Twin Sisters ridge runs nearly two miles along the east-central boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. A short but strenuous trail leads to a small saddle, and splits up scrambling routes to each summit (11,413' and 11,428').

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

A landslide caused by the 2013 floods wiped out a portion of trail between 1.3 and 1.65 miles. While terrestrial damage is extensive, only this short segment was actually affected, and has since been re-routed across and up the far side of the slide. 

The re-route is steep with deadfall in places, but sufficiently marked by cairns (though snow and mud can present greater challenges).  Call ahead for trail conditions, especially in winter and during the thaw.

Visitors will enjoy rangy panoramas across Longs Peak, Estes Park and the Continental Divide, along with interesting alpine ecology leading to the summits:

The trail heads south on a steady climb across a west-facing slope through uniform lodgepole. Longs Peak (14,259'), Mt Meeker (13,911'), Mount Lady Washington (13,281'), Powell Peak (13,208') and Estes Cone (11,006') emerge through gaps in the forest at 1.0 miles (9,780').

Look for Mills Glacier in Mills Moraine, a gash in the landscape at the base of Longs Peak's east-facing 'diamond'. Mills Glacier forms the headwaters of Chasm Lake and Roaring Fork Creek.

Timber breaks suddenly on the edge of the landslide with a good look at its entire path (1.3 miles : 9,840'). Cairns lead across the slide and turn sharply up newly-created switchbacks on the far (south) side. Sections may be obscured by deadfall and runoff channels, but are generally easy to follow.

Travel normalizes on the original trail past 1.65 miles, resuming a steady climb on switchbacks across the National Park Boundary into stands of limber pine and bristlecone pine (2.25 miles : 10,650'). These high-alpine trees are specially adapted to poor soil and harsh growing conditions found on this wind-buffeted mountain.

The trail clears treeline (2.9 miles : 11,040') and winds across an exposed talus slope up to a small saddle between the Twin Sisters (3.35 miles : 11,348').

A clear path breaks right above a research facility to the West Summit (3.45 miles : 11,413'), and a vague route leads left on a more challenging scramble to the East Summit (3.5 miles : 11,428'). Exercise caution on these sharp and potentially unstable rocks, especially in windy conditions.