"Rocky Mountain National Park" Rocky Mountain National Park by Callavetta

Rocky Mountain National Park Travel Guide: 269 reviews and 630 photos

A Park for All Seasons

If you're lucky enough to have one of the world's most spectacular parks virtually in your backyard, it's no big deal to visit it in every season. So far I've been there in Spring, Summer and Winter. This year, having bought the Annual Pass for all US National Parks, I will make a point of getting there in the Fall, when the Elk are rutting.

With over 60 peaks topping 12,000 feet (and a few over 14,000), RMNP is an abundance of mountain scenery. It's also here that the melting snowfall gives birth to the mighty Colorado River, that same trickle that formed the Grand Canyon on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

RMNP is a great destination for a day or a week. No longer being a camper, it's easy to find comfy lodging in nearby Estes Park, or on Grand Lake. In the summer, it's great to take a drive from the Grand Lake entrance through to the Estes Park entrance, an easy day trip for me. In the Winter, Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in North America, is closed making a visit to the Park a bit too long for a day trip.

But it's in Winter, specifically on a week day, that you'll have the park almost to yourself. There is no traffic on the road. The animals are more likely to come out and graze, and winter leaves her frosty blanket on the majestic peaks. It's a gorgeous MUST SEE.

Animal XING

You gotta love a place where animals not only have

You gotta love a place where animals not only have the right of way but there are actual crossing guards to make sure they get it! At the great Sheep Meadow, there is a spot where the Big Horn Sheep like to cross the road (Wny? To get to the other side of course!). Naturalists wait in the ready to stop traffic to help these endangered animals get across the road.

Funny story: On my recent road trip with the Traveling Scot he suddenly, appropos of nothing, exclaimed "CROSSING". Apparantly he'd been trying for several days to figure out why everything was "Zinging".

Pros and Cons

Pros:A great chance to see wildlife up close and personal
Cons:Crowds in the Summer months

Last visit to Rocky Mountain National Park: Mar 2006
Intro Updated Jul 29, 2006
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Reviews (3)

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Comments (4)

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LauraWest Aug 26, 2007 at 1:59 AM

Will never forget early April afternoon in this park. We saw no other people, the sun shone warm enough to take our shirts off to worship the Sun! Greetings from St.Louis, Missouri...I am Laura
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Ben-UK Jul 31, 2006 at 10:54 AM

Great Intro photo! -- I love this kind of scenery - I went to Denver many years ago so I suppose I was quite close to this park -- wish I'd visited now ...
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BeatChick Mar 22, 2006 at 10:23 AM

Oh, I love that the Bighorn Sheep have their own Xing guards!! ;) "winter leaves her frosty blanket on the majestic peaks" - you say that beautifully, K!!
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masc4s Mar 14, 2006 at 4:44 PM

Looks like an idyllic place Katherine . Beautiful scenery, super photo's too. Looking forward to more :-)!