Bear Peak

Peter Steenhuis

Holy moly! The hike up to Bear Peak is not easy; it's quite the workout in fact. From the parking lot at NCAR, it's roughly three miles up with about 2,500 ft. of elevation gain. The views are absolutely stunning though. It's well worth the effort to get up to the peak.

S T P Pearson

I hiked to the top of this one today via the Shanahan Ridge and Fern Canyon Trails. I can highly recommend it, but you might want to have at least some moderate levels of fitness, if you want to make it to the top and not be miserable the next day. This, in my opinion, is the hardest hike in the Boulder Mountain Parks, which I knew already, but the very nice, very pretty lady I talked to at the top of the mountain also said it was the hardest hike in the Boulder Mountain Parks without my asking. Getting to the very top involves scrambling over some rocks at the summit that were intimidating to me because falls could cause serious harm, or death. I did it despite the risk. The Fern Canyon portion of the hike is particularly steep, and will let you know, if there are any imperfections in your knees on the descent. Descend with care because there are spots where you could get seriously injured from falls, if you are not careful. Though still hard on the knees, hiking down the Shadow Canyon Trail is less steep and thus less hard on the knees, but will add significant length to your hike if you are parked at the Shanahan Ridge trail head. When I've hiked up to the top via the Shadow Canyon Trail, I parked at the Mesa Trail South Trail Head which is close to where that trail starts. My cautious review is not meant to be discouraging because I enjoyed the hike. The view at the top is well worth the effort. However, if your fitness levels are low, I would recommend a shorter and/or less steep hike to start out. Though heavily traveled Royal Arch is a good place to test your fitness out on a short, but steep hike.

Mustafa

Challenging hike. The views are amazing. You need spikes if you hike in winter.

Rollie G

Greats views of the front range. Not a bad hike. As you approach the top of bear peak if your coming from W Ridge Trail it's pretty exposed due to a recent fire, but other than that it's a great hike that's not to far away.