Paternoster Lakes EarthCache
Hidden : 1/15/2010
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


Rocky Mountain National Park is located west of Estes Park and north and east of Grand Lake. This is a fee area of the National Park Service, and costs $30 per vehicle. This fee is covered in the Rocky Mountain National Park Annual Pass, the Rocky Mountain National Park/Arapaho National Recreation Area Annual Pass, and the America the Beautiful Pass. Please see the following website (visit link) for the entire fee schedule. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Road and Trail Conditions and Closures can be found at: (visit link) Recorded information for the condition of Trail Ridge Road can be found by calling (970) 586-1222. Please remember that all geologic features within the borders of Rocky Mountain National Park are protected by law, as are all natural and historic features. Please do not disturb, damage, or remove any rocks, plants, or animals.

Parking is located at the Bear Lake Trailhead, Bierstadt Lake Trailhead, or you can park at one of the several shuttle bus parking lots and take the shuttle to Bear Lake and hike in from here.

Emerald Lake and Dream Lake are examples of “paternoster” lakes. These lakes have received this name since they are part of a chain of lakes connected by a stream, and are therefore said to look like the beads of a rosary.

The pattern of chains of lakes connected by a single stream is a hallmark of many glacial valleys in Rocky Mountain National Park. As the glaciers retreated up their respective valleys, rock-basin lakes were left behind. These lakes may have been formed by moraines or rock dams, and may include kettle lakes. They have been described as rising in elevation like a staircase as one moves up towards the head of the valley.

Other nearby examples of paternoster lakes include the string of Frozen Lake, Black Lake, Jewel Lake, and Mills Lake in the Glacier Gorge area.

1.) To receive credit for this EarthCache, measure the elevational difference between Emerald Lake and Dream Lake, and send the answer to me in an email.

Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.

The above information was compiled from the following sources:

2004. Rocky Mountain National Park. In Harris, A.G. et al., editors. Geology of National Parks, Sixth Ed. P. 337-356. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Cole, J.C., and Braddock, W.A. 2009. Geologic map of the Estes Park 30’ x 60’ quadrangle, north-central Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3039, 1 sheet, scale 1:100,000, 1 pamphlet, 56 p.

KellererLynn, K. 2004. Rocky Mountain National Park. Geologic Resource Evaluation Report. NPS D307, September 2004. Online at: (visit link)

Rocky Mountain National Park. Online at: (visit link)

Rocky Mountain National Park was most helpful in the background discussion, aid in the choosing of sites, and review of this EarthCache. My thanks to the Park for allowing the placement of this EarthCache!

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