The gate to part of the road to the Fern Lake trailhead was closed so I had to hike a small distance to get to the trailhead.  Not sure why the gate was closed, the road was completely dry.  The trail to the pool was almost completely dry also.

Be sure to click on these thumbnail photos for larger versions.

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1. There were lots of fresh beaver cuttings in the area around this Beaver dam near trailhead, notice the cut stump in the foreground.

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2. The Big Thompson River.

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3. The Big Thompson River near Arch Rocks.

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4. The Big Thompson River near Arch Rocks.

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5. The dry trail below the Pool. Once past the pool, the snow on the trail gradually increased to being completely snow packed by the time I reached Fern Falls.  Snowshoes weren't necessary here though.  The snow was hard enough to support weight.

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6. Fern Falls.  I was hoping that Fern Falls would be an interesting complex mass of ice.  Unfortunately most of it was covered with snow.  I could hear some water running but saw very little.