In Northern Colorado, Rocky Mountain is the quintessential National Park. It was originally home to Ute and Arapaho people and later homesteaders and ranchers. Today It offers protected wildlife viewing, vistas of majestic peaks, aspen, fir and spruce forests, crystal clear glacier fed lakes, wildflower meadows and an alpine tundra.
With over 350 miles of hiking trails there are numerous ways to explore the park and many of the 100 peaks above 11,000 feet in altitude. Longs Peak, the only 14er in the park stands at 14,259 feet. The Continental Divide is made up of some of the taller mountains, where melting snow flows either west to the Pacific Ocean or east to the Atlantic Ocean.
It is also easy to see many of the highlights of these high rugged mountains from the comfort of a car on scenic drives. Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved road in the United States, and offers many stops along the way. It leads to a mountain tundra landscape and a visitors center and restaurant. A short walk will bring hikers all the way to the top of the tundra. There are also many short lake hikes that are easy for families with small children. Some of the park’s vistas are also accessible by horseback.
Big and small wild animals appear when you least expect them. The big animals we encountered were herds of deer and elk, bighorn sheep, and moose. Some of the smaller critters camouflage themselves but if you look closely, you just might find pikas and marmots peeking out of holes along the trails.
In summer flowers are everywhere. Look for Colorado Columbine, the state flower. It begins blooming in June at lower elevations and through August in alpine areas. There are many types of native surprises on the trails.
The park offers easy backpacking for novices and more challenging terrain for experienced backpackers. We have backpacked a few times in the park where we enjoyed fly fishing, pigmy forests, waterfalls and witnessed llamas helping others on their excursions.
Nearby is the not so small town but still quaint town of Estes Park. It offers many shops, restaurants and free public entertainment.
