Hike Around Lilly Lake

Wide view of Lilly Lake seen from the slope of Lilly Mountain.
Lilly Lake and in the background Estes Cone (the summit I couldn't reach - more here). 

It was called "The Lake of the Lilies" in the 1870s according to Isabella Bird in her A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains.

...down to a small valley, rich in fine, sun-cured hay about eighteen inches high, and enclosed by high mountains whose deepest hollow contains a lily-covered lake, fitly named "The Lake of the Lilies." Ah, how magical its beauty was, as it slept in silence, while THERE the dark pines were mirrored motionless in its pale gold,

No lilies now but found the beautiful lake and a moose crossing the trail. Hiked the Lilly mountain side for the high views. This is an easy hike in Rocky Mountain National Park very close to Estes Park.