Rocky Mountain National Park

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Our Favorite Place in Colorado

I am a traveler. I'm always planning the next trip, even if things don't always fall into place so that I can actually go. Living in the Deep South, a road trip out West always fell into the "planning to go, but never actually going" category; that is, until my 17 year old daughter persuaded me to allow her enroll at Colorado State University at Fort Collins, Colorado.

Paying that out-of-state tuition and setting her up in a condo was a financial stretch for us; however, I'm able to rationalize the expense a little bit by telling myself that it opened up a part of the country that we wouldn't have seen if she had stayed near home. In the three years that she has been living there, we have been to Colorado many times and used Fort Collins as a home base to visit the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and Deadwood in South Dakota. We have seen Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We have been to the top of Pike's Peak. Those are just a few of the high points.

All of those places are treasured memories for us and I hope to revisit all of them one day, but our favorite place out West is one that I had never heard much about before I visited it - Rocky Mountain National Park. Rocky Mountain National Park is located near the town of Estes Park, Colorado, about an hour's drive from Ft. Collins. We have been there many times and enjoy each trip as much as the first one.

Read My Outdoors Blog Here

Billco's Outdoors: More Rocky Mountain National Park on my blog.

Wildlife is Abundant

It is not unusual to see deer, elk, and bighorn sheep within seconds after entering the park. Pull-overs are located every few miles or less, so it is safe and easy to stop and watch the animals for awhile. I have to tell myself every so often that these are wild animals I'm watching, so don't continue moving towards them for a closer photo, until they either run away or chase me back to my car.

We have watched young coyotes playing. We have watched a fox cross the road, then stop and turn it's head to check us out. Magpies have followed our car peeking through our rear window for quite some distance - why I don't know. Marmots are fun to watch, crawling over the rocks of the tundra.

Black bears, moose, mountain lions and bobcats live in the park, but we have yet to see any.

If you have never seen elk and want to see a lot of them, then Rocky Mountain National Park should be on your list of places to visit. I would venture a guess that there is no better place in the world to spot elk. They are everywhere - especially in the cold weather months.

The environment moves from from wooded forests to mountain tundra and back again, depending on altitude.

Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved highway in the United States. During the snowiest part of the winter, access to Trail Ridge Road is limited. As the snow melts in the spring, more of the trail road opens until finally you can travel all the way across the Continental Divide until you get to Grand Lake, a distance of 48 miles from beginning to end. Eleven miles of Trail Ridge Road is above treeline with an elevation of close to 11,500 feet. The scenery is so spectacular that when I first saw it, it was hard to imagine anything being that beautiful - even though I just saw it with my own eyes

Well Worth Returning Again and Again

The second most popular destination in the park is Bear Lake. Bear Lake sets beneath the Continental Divide. Hiking around the lake is popular and there are several hiking trails that begin here.

Activities that many visitors enjoy in the park are fishing, camping, rock and mountain climbing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

We have visited the park in every season. My favorite time to visit is late spring when the snow still covers many areas, but flowers are blooming where the snow has melted. That is one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. I also like winter. More wildlife is spotted during winter than any other season. Visit in winter and you will have the park almost to yourself.

Summer is nice too, but it is my least favorite time to visit because of the crowds. There are less animal sightings also.

Rocky Mountain National Park is well worth going out of your way to visit. We plan on going back at every opportunity.