Mills Lake is located 2.65 miles from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park.

It lies at the foot of an immense glacial gorge and alpine valley. Mills Lake's photogenic backdrop attracts large crowds, however little of it spills over to neighboring Jewel Lake.

Jewel Lake is smaller and requires additional effort, but has a comparable aesthetic with greater opportunities for exploration and solitude. Both have excellent fishing and views of the peaks that define Glacier Gorge:

The Loch Vale Trail rises steadily through young aspen and mixed pine to Alberta Falls (.85 miles : 9,423'). A moderate climb continues to the North Longs Peak Trail split (1.6 miles : 9,768'), where it banks southwest and flattens through a narrow gorge between Thatchtop Mountain (12,668') and the Glacier Knobs.

The trail drops to Glacier Junction and bears left to Mills Lake (2.1 miles : 9,804'). The trail turns south, crossing Glacier Creek twice and sections of cairn-marked rock slabs to Mills Lake (2.65 miles : 9,955').

Here you'll enjoy terrific views of Glacier Gorge: The Arrowhead (12,387'), Powell Peak (13,208) and McHenrys Peak (13,327') form the west wall, while Pagoda Mountain (13,497') and Keyboard of the Winds - a line of pinnacles near the summit of Longs Peak - rise to the east. Chiefs Head Peak (13,579') and The Spearhead (12,575') cap the upper valley.

The trail - now intermittently rugged, undulating and heavily rooted - follows the lake's east shore to its marshy juxtaposition with Jewel Lake (3.1 miles : 9,967').

The trail continues past Jewel Lake on more rugged terrain to the Glacier Gorge Backcountry Campsite (3.35 miles : 10,068'), Ribbon Falls (4.7 miles : 10,540'), and Black Lake (4.8 miles : 10,630').