Rocky Mountain National Park, which extends to just 400 square miles, is certainly not the largest park in the system but many of its millions of visitors each year will tell you that it is one of the finest of the United States’ national parks.
The centerpiece of the park for many is Trail Ridge Road which is some fifty miles long and crosses the park from east to west. The road drops into the Kawuneeche Valley, from where visitors can view the Colorado River, and along the way climbs up to over 12,000 feet as it passes through some of the highest peaks in America.
The views along this route are simply spectacular and as you make your way through the famous ‘Roof of the Rockies’ you will come across glacier-carved mountains around every bend. Pause at Forest Canyon Overlook and you can look out over alpine forests that are among the most magnificent you will see anywhere. It is also well worth taking a few minutes to visit the Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River where you can pick up a great deal of information about the area, including hiking maps and guide books.
Rocky Mountain National Park offers some great hiking along more than 350 miles of trails and Bear Lake is a very popular starting point. Located at the base of Hallett’s Peak at the Continental Divide, Bear Lake is a wonderful sight in itself.
Hiking in this area can be a bit more demanding than it is in other parks with elevations ranging from 7,500 feet to over 14,000 feet. At these heights the air is thin and the UV strong so you need to be prepared. You will need to take plenty of water with you as the thin, cool air will evaporates moisture from your lungs quite quickly and headaches are common if you who do not drink enough water.
Whether you are driving or hiking you will find that there is plenty of wildlife to see as the park is home to more than 3,000 elk, 800 bighorn sheep and some 280 different bird species. If you visit the Bighorn at Sheep Lake between May and the middle of August you will see moose wandering through the willows along the Colorado River in Kawuneeche and, if you keep a close eye out, you might even spot some river otters as well.
At both dawn and dusk you can witness some of the many bats which hover over the lakes feeding on insects and marmots are fairly easy to spot on the tundra along Old Fall River road. Stellar jays also dot the skies along Trail Ridge road and they share the sky with prairie falcons and the occasional golden eagle. Another fascinating bird which calls the park its home is the white-tailed ptarmigan.
The park is also home to a number of museums and historical sites of which the Moraine Park Museum is one of the best. Here you will find hundreds of items from the area which give a very good overview of the natural flora and fauna. Another favorite is the Never Summer Ranch which offers a look at what a resort from past years was like.
Unlike some of the other national parks, Rocky Mountain is open year round which makes it possible to explore this wonderful area in all of its glorious seasons and visiting during the winter months will not only allow you to see sights which summer visitors simply do not experience, but it will also allow you to see the park without the usual summer crowds.
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Elk mating season in RMNP.
Help answer the question aboutRocky Mountain National Park
If I only had a half of a day to spend in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado , what should I do ?We are visiting Colorado and can only dedicate a half of a day to Rocky Mountain National Park . Does anyone have any suggestions on how to use that time wisely and enjoy the park the most and see the best it has to offer.
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I'm not aware of any over night programs, but YES – they do offer Ranger let hikes, etc. They have not listed their spring/summer schedule listed yet, but keep checking back:
http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/ranger_led_activities.htm
I'd say Rocky Mountain National Park. It's much easier to get to and I think the scenery is much better than Gunnison National Forest. Also, the hiking trails at the national park are much easier to reach since most of the roads are either paved, or good dirt roads.
The one disadvantage of the park is that it can be crowded during the summer but many people don't hike the longer trails. (Or even the average length trails like six or seven miles roundtrip.) So, if you do, you can escape the majority of people. The most popular trail, (from my experience anyway), is the one that starts at the Bear Lake parking area, and goes to Dream and Emerald Lakes. The scenery is very nice along there which is obviously why it's so popular, but you'll do better, (people-wise), if you hike other trails. Some that I like are Cub Lake, Mills Lake, and Loch Vale, among others. Of the waterfall hikes in the park, the most popular is Alberta Falls. It's a nice one but so are other waterfalls in the park. If you pick another one, you'll find fewer people on the trail.
There's not a whole lot to do in Gunnison other than hang out. I guess you can fish in the area if you like that but I don't. I go there to hike around the Crested Butte area since I've hiked so many of the trails in the national park, and I like to try new trails in other places.
Anyway, for more information about trails in the national park, (including descriptions and pictures), you can try this website:
I'd suggest the Estes Park side more than the Grand Lake side, if you are looking for economy. You might even stay in Longmont, but that would be a lot of driving to and from the park each day. Take the stroller. There will be places that you'll have to carry the baby, but not everywhere. Have a great time.
I lived in Denver for a year or so and loved every chance I got to go out to RMNP.
I was doing a bit of mileage most days and the good stuff usually is a ways down the trail, but there is some things even little guys should be able to handle.
On a weekday look at getting up early (to get a spot at the trail head) and going to Chasm lake. Without breaking out my topo I belive that was from the Longs Peak trail head. The number I remember is 4 miles but I can't remember if that was 1 way or round trip. It would take all day with children but if you take it nice and easy and really give yourself all day then it shouldn't be a problem. Even if you average 0.5 miles an hour you could make it back before supper. And the views are great even going up, so if you didn't make it all the way no loss. But of course the real treat is if you make it to the lake you are standing in this bowl with the crystal clear lake and Longs peak shooting straight up for something like 2000 feet of sheer cliff face. It is a very cool place.
Other then that some of the best most accesable hikes would be from the Bear Lake trailhead. There is a massive parking lot there but it still fills by afternoon many days. But a lot of those people arn't going very far so if you wait usually you can get a spot. I can't remember the name of the trail but I took several people that came to see me up to the Loch. (also called Loch Vale) Again I don't remember the distance but the children should be able to make it if you take a reasonable pace. The nice part about it is there are 2 trails that branch off from the lake if you want some more. One goes to Sky Pond and the other to a glacier. Also from that parking lot you can get started up the ridge trail. I was supprised by how cool that trail was. You don't really finnish it so it would be good for children because when you need to turn around you just go, but you have had some nice views no matter how far you go. It basically follows a ridgline way up and over crossing from side to side on the ridge so you get a lot of views of the rest of the park. There is also Glacier Gorge you can get to. It has it's own parking before you get to the Bear Lake trail head but you can't count on getting a spot it is a very small lot. I also did a loup from the trailhead and stopped at several lakes I forget what all they were.
Remember to bring stuff for the wind. Make sure to have a knit cap for everyone and maybe some light gloves. Even in summer if you top a ridge or get in the right place in a valley you can be in some cold fast moving wind. Rain gear and wind gear for everyone is recomended.
Remember you only need to plan about 1/3rd the time it took you to go in to get yourself out. So you can push it a bit more then some places before turning around.
I can't really speek to the food… If I wasn't stopping at the A&W at the last gas station it was usually a cliff bar or something.
stay in denver and go to elitches and ride the roller-coasters it will be more fun.
RMNP is full of great, great hikes, for all abilities. My favorites hikes are near Bear Lake where you can access the trailheads to Dream Lake, Nymph Lake and Emerald Lake. A great hike that's longer is to The Loch, past Alberta Falls. I've also hiked to Bierstadt Lake, but it wasn't my favorite.
Check out this website with very good detailed descriptions of a lot of hikes in the park. Bring warm clothing in case you run into cold or snowy weather (it's possible!). October is one of the best months, particularly for elk viewing. It's mating season and they gather in the meadows to bugle and rut – it's fascinating to watch! Have a great trip!
If the passes are closed in RMNP, and they probably will be, you would have a lengthy detour to get out of the park and to the West Slope by another route.
Pikes Peak is a drive up and down – road doesn't go anywhere. As long as the road has been plowed, it's doable. You always ask locally about conditions before starting.
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Oh yes, you've come to the right place. My boyfriend and I camp at Rocky Mountain National Park often. He used to live in Estes Park and knows the park intimately. Aspenglenn at the north entrance is the place to go. There is seclusion and peacefulness. This is a no reservation campground, so get there early. Many people leave around 0900 but official check out time is 1100. So if you time it just right you just might be able to get a spot on a busy weekend.
Another place I recently discovered is Jack's Gulch which is about one hour north of Fort Collins up the Poudre Canyon. When you get to the turn off for Pingre Park take a left. You will travel on a gravel road for about six miles. The campground is on the right. There are usually spaces even on the weekends. I do not know why this is but I hope that it stays that way because I hate paying reservation fees.
Have fun camping!
Get a physical to make sure you are healthy for physical activity at high altitude then train for endurance. Once you're in Estes Park, you may want to try hiking to the top of some of the other peaks and see how you do with the elevation gain before attempting Long's. We live in Estes and we take our VERY ATHLETIC out of town guests on the Gem Lake Trail as a test run since it's close to town next to MacGregor Ranch and is a relatively short hike with quick elevation gain which I recommend you try first. If you forego the Gem Lake Trail, I recommend at least picking up a map of RMNP which show a variety of hikes with corresponding elevation gains which will help you gauge your abilities before attempting Long's elev. 14,255 ft. To reach the top of Long's, many hikers start around 3:00 am to soak in the beauty along the way after the sun rises and carry a backpack with a change of clothing for every type of weather imaginable plus enough water to keep hydrated at elevation. At 5:00 am today – May18 – the temps outside were a brisk 32 degrees F. By noon, the temps reached a warm 80 F. We have a perfect view of Long's Peak and Mt. Meeker and right now it is white with snow. Remember, the weight of your pack and weather conditions might make the elevation gain more strenuous. The Appalachians are a great start, so GOOD FOR YOU but finding hikes with a steep incline would help get you conditioned. Eight weeks of daily workout (mix it to prevent injury) is enough time to prepare if you're already fairly fit. Long's Peak is not going anywhere so, if after trying some of the other hikes around RMNP once you're in town and you realize you don't need the Search and Rescue folks to come to your aid, just make a return trip to Estes at another time, more prepared. In the meantime, enjoy your stay and enjoy the views in the area as it is absolutely breath taking! Best of Luck to you!