Photo: Christian Collins · CC BY-SA 2.0Alberta Falls
Worth a detour
Is it plungeworthy?
A punchbowl on Glacier Creek.
The details
- Type
- Punchbowl
- Watercourse
- Glacier Creek
- Coordinates
- 40.30381, -105.63801
About Alberta Falls
Alberta Falls is a 25-foot punchbowl in Colorado, on Glacier Creek.
Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.
Plungeworthy rates Alberta Falls 6.8/10 — worth a detour. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
The most-visited waterfall in the park: Glacier Creek dropping 30 loud feet through a granite chute, less than a mile from the Glacier Gorge trailhead and first landmark on the road to Mills Lake and Sky Pond. Small falls, big theater.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Glacier Gorge (or Bear Lake, +0.1 mile), Bear Lake Road, RMNP
- Parking
- The tiny Glacier Gorge lot is gone by 7am in summer — use the Park & Ride and the free shuttle
- Road
- Paved
- Hike
- 1.6 mi round trip, 160 ft of climb (easy)
- Heads up
- Expect company; this corridor is the park's main artery.
When to go
June through September for bare trail; the falls run biggest in early summer. Note the stricter permit: Bear Lake Road runs its own 2026 timed-entry from 5am–6pm, May 22 – Oct 19 — there is no beat-the-window dawn loophole on this road.
Winter turns it into a five-minute-longer microspike stroll and the crowds thin tenfold.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- RMNP entrance $35/vehicle + Bear Lake Road timed-entry reservation (5am–6pm window in season)
- Dogs
- Not on any park trail
- Hours
- Shuttle 6:30am–7:30pm in season
- Camping
- Glacier Basin and Moraine Park campgrounds in-park
- Warnings
- Injuries happen on the wet rock beside the chute — the view from the trail is the view.
Researched from NPS — RMNP timed entry · NPS — RMNP shuttles. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Alberta Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
How tall is Alberta Falls?
Alberta Falls drops about 25 feet, in Colorado.
Where is Alberta Falls?
Alberta Falls is a waterfall in Colorado, at 40.30381, -105.63801.
Is Alberta Falls worth visiting?
Worth a detour — Plungeworthy rates it 6.8/10.
Gear for the trip
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