A Rock on a Tee

Balanced Rock is a prominent geological feature located on Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. The most common way to reach Balanced Rock is to park at the Lumpy Ridge TH and hike the Gem Lake Trail. Continue beyond Gem Lake to the junction with the Balanced Rock Trail. Turn left onto the Balanced Rock Trail and hike for about 3/4 of a mile to reach the rock formation. According to my phone, the round-trip distance from the Lumpy Ridge TH to Balanced Rock and back is about 7.75 miles with 1850' of elevation gain. I recommend microspikes or some sort of traction during the winter months since the hike up to Gem Lake is rather steep and can be icy. Please note that this is a popular trailhead and parking is limited at times.

In order to log this cache, please post a picture of yourself with Balanced Rock in the background (you do not need to include your face in the picture if you prefer not to).

And don't forget to also complete the nearby EarthCache at beautiful Gem Lake.

Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.

Additional Waypoints

0188Z2Y - Virtual stage
N 40° 23.790 W 105° 30.764
Lumpy Ridge TH