Dragon Tail Couloir Colorado Snow Climb Guide
Dragon Tail couloir is a classic snow climb and ski route located in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The hike to the couloir starts at the Bear Lake Trailhead and works about 2 miles up directly to the north side of Emerald Lake. The couloir climbs over 1,600ft with a maximum steepness of 50+ degrees. This couloir is beautiful, dramatic and intimidating from far away but once on the snow, the climb itself is fairly straightforward with minimal extra gear typically required. There are a number of variations to Dragon Tail Couloir towards the top of the climb where conditions and your skill level will often dictate the best way to exit.
Dragon Tail Couloir Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Dragon Tail Couloir with Flattop Mountain Snowboard Descent
Dragon Tail Couloir Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 8 Miles with Descent from Flattop Mountain
Elevation Start: 9,469ft
Highest Point: 11,867ft (Couloir Exit)
Total Elevation Gain: 2,500ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 5-6 Hours RT
Difficulty: Difficult What does this mean?
Snow Climb Grade: Moderate to Advanced 40-50+ degrees
Class: Class 2 What does this mean? Depending on Snow Level /Route – there could be a few Class 3+ moves mixed in
Season: January – June (Most commonly climbed in May)
Avalanche Forecast: This route and area is avalanche prone, check conditions here.
Directions to Dragon Tail Couloir
Trailhead: Bear Lake Rocky Mountain National Park
Getting Here: Once you are into Rocky Mountain National Park (via Estes Park) take Bear Lake Road until it ends at the parking lot which provides access to the trailhead that brings you up to Emerald Lake. This can be entered into your favorite navigation app.
Fees: The fee to hike Dragon Tail Couloir is the entrance fee paid for Rocky Mountain National Park. Read more about that here. However, if you plan on hiking this line, most likely you will be starting VERY early when avoiding the entrance fee is possible.
Parking: In normal circumstances, parking at Bear Lake is an absolute disaster. However, since this line requires an extra early start, you should be able to snag a spot at Bear Lake no problem. The parking area is massive and has multiple non-plumbing bathrooms available.
Summary
Camping: Read more about camping in Rocky Mountain National Park here.
Dogs: This hike is in a national park which are not dog friendly and it’s a couloir which is not dog friendly. Double no for dogs on this one.
Make it a Loop: Most hikers will ascend Dragon’s Tail and then hike down the Flattop Mountain trail making this hike a loop. You can certainly ski/board down this line or down climb it if conditions allow.
X Factors: Snow Conditions
I think it goes without saying that the biggest X Factor on any snow climb is the snow itself. However, on this line more than others, snow can vary greatly from week to week and year to year. Our trip up Dragon Tail had a nice booter in place with a good overnight freeze, firm snow conditions and loads of avalanche debri to start. However, as we got about ¾ of the way up, the snow warmed very quickly and mini crevasses/cracks in the snow almost turned into a big problem for us. Rocky Mountain National Park weather is extremely unpredictable with big snow storms lasting until June or warming conditions preventing an overnight freeze from happening. This line faces south east so an early start is a must, especially with all the wet slide and rock fall potential.
Hike Tip(s): Start early. We left the trailhead around 3:30AM with a good overnight freeze and still almost ran into some issues towards the top of the line where the sun started blasting it right away. The couloir faces south east and does have some of the snow protected by shade but about ½ of the line starts seeing sun right away. In addition to an early start, having extra gear will help you out massively. A set of binoculars to scout out the cornices above, rope/protection in case snow conditions are not what you expect and of course understanding the various different options to exit the couloir is key. In the video trail guide, I show more about these options, but in general, you will want to stay straight/left for the standard route of Dragon Tail.
Best Views: This hike really has it all when it comes to views. A start under the stars, passing by multiple high alpine lakes, an aesthetically pleasing couloir itself and views on the climb that are stunning. The couloir itself gives you beautiful views of Emerald Lake, Dream Lake, Longs Peak and the North Face of Hallett Peak. I took more pictures and videos on this hike than I have on any in a very long time.
Dragon Tail Couloir Hike Route
Descent on a snowboard down to Bear Lake – ignore this line.
Gear Needed
- Dakine Poacher Winter Backpack
- Hiking/SkiPoles
- Headlamp
- Climbing Helmet
- Mountain Axe
- Crampons
- Crampon Bag
- La Sportiva Mountaineering Boots
- Gaiters
- Optional: Avalanche Gear: Beacon, Probe, Shovel
- Optional: Snowshoes
- Optional: Skis or Splitboard
- Optional: Goggles
- Optional: 30m Rope
- Optional: Protection
- Optional: Harness
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Dragon Tail Couloir: May 2021
My friend Nick and I had wanted to slay the Dragon in Rocky for a long time and in 2021 we finally got our opportunity. After a failed attempt together a few years prior, Nick and I (accompanied by our friend John) found ourselves back at Bear Lake TH at 3:30AM in late May. Listen, I hate 12:50AM wakeup calls, but when you get to climb a Colorado classic, it makes it worth it in the end.
Overnight temps in the 30s and a clear sky meant that the snow had a nice overnight freeze. After a quick detour around Bear Lake (we got lost), we hiked up to Emerald Lake and arrived at Dragon Tail couloir around 4:30AM. Emerald Lake was not frozen all the way so we skirted around the south banks and began climbing up the mellow snow slopes. We were a bit ahead of schedule so we took our time transitioning to crampons and started the climb up. The snow was firm but a nice booter from hikers before made the ascent enjoyable. We hiked higher and higher and were greeted with a colorful sunrise a few hundred feet up.
My initial plan was to snowboard down Dragon Tail but loads of avalanche debri and runnels forming all over the place quickly eliminated that option. We climbed higher on the firm snow and soaked in the beautiful views of Rocky Mountain National Park and Longs Peak behind us. Towards the middle of the climb, the spring sun was blasting in full effect and the snow started to warm. The crux of the climb was 50+ degrees steep and melting out fast. A few large cracks were starting to form in the snow, one that was about a foot wide and made for a tricky move to get up to the snow above. We were glad we had hit this line today because I was not sure how much longer it would last if the snow kept melting at this rate.
Towards the top of the climb, the grade eased a bit and there were a few moves up Class ⅔ mixed climbing involved which was cool. We topped out of the couloir with no cornice to avoid and celebrated a beautiful day and awesome climb. The three of us decided to pop over to Flattop Mountain’s summit and soak in the beautiful morning. Nick and John departed after a bit as I transitioned over to snowboard mode. I found a nice line down enjoying several awesome turns along the way. Day 49 of snowboarding in 2021 was a sweet one until I hit the rocky trail and had to hike out the rest of the way.
Overall, Dragon Tail Couloir deserves the classic label so many give it. It’s an awesome climb with beautiful views and a number of variations to choose from. Would easily repeat this climb and will be back one day to snowboard it.
