Land of Liberty Explorers

Rocky Mountain National Park is located between the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake in the front range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Estes Park and Grand Lake are connected by Trail Ridge Road, the highest road in the National Park Service. The Rocky Mountain National Park Act created the park in 1915. The Continental Divide passes through the middle of the RMNP. The park is know for its beautiful mountains, pristine lakes, and wonderful wildlife. This post will share some of our favorite activities in the park.

Trail Ridge Road

Between May and October, Rocky Mountain National Park uses a timed entry system. There are actually two options: (1) A Bear Lake Road Entry Pass will allow visitors into the Bear Lake Road area and onto Trail Ridge Road, or (2) park entry only pass (no access to Bear Lake Road). Both options allow access to Trail Ridge Road. No pass is necessary to access Trail Ridge Road before 9:00 am or after 5:00 pm. We entered the park from Grand Lake on our first day in the park with a park entry only pass.

Old Fall River Road

Old Fall River Road opened in 1920 as the original automobile route through the park. It is a narrow, mostly gravel road with lots of switchbacks and no guard rails. The speed limit is only 15 miles per hour, but that’s okay because it is nice to slow down and enjoy the views. A short trail from the road leads to Chasm Falls. Old Fall River Road ends at the Alpine Visitors Center.

Favorite Hikes

Rocky Mountain National Park is a hiker’s paradise. With beautiful waterfalls, lakes, and mountain views, RMNP’s hiking trails offer something for everyone. Here are some of our favorite hiking trials:

Sky Pond – The trail to Sky Pond leaves from the Glacier Gorge Parking Area. It passes Alberta Falls and the Loch before climbing to Timberline Falls. The trail is strenuous because of the elevation gain between the Loch and Timberline Falls, but also because hikers must climb the falls to continue on to Lake of Glass and Sky Pond. This trail is about nine miles round trip. Click here for more about hiking this great trail!

Emerald Lake – The trail to Emerald Lake is one of the most popular in Rocky Mountain National Park. It begins at Bear Lake. The trail passes Nymph Lake then climbs to Dream Lake before reaching Emerald Lake. Each lake offers a slightly different perspective on Hallett Peak. This out and back trail is just under four miles round trip. Click here for more about our hike to Emerald Lake.

Gem Lake – The trail to Gem Lake climbs Lumpy Ridge. It offers great views of Estes Park and Long’s Peak then passes through interesting rock formations before arriving at Gem Lake. The trail is about 3.5 miles round trip. The trailhead is located on Devils Gulch Road on the edge of Estes Park. Click here for more information about hiking to Gem Lake.

Bear Lake Loop – The trail around Bear Lake is only .7 miles but offers great views of Hallett Peak. Much of the trail is accessible, and it features lovely benches where you can stop and enjoy the view.

Wildlife Viewing

Elk

The park is known for its large elk herd. As many as 3,200 elk gather in the park in the summer and up to 800 spend the winter in the park. In the summer, the elk can be found at higher elevations along Trail Ridge Road. In fall, the elk can be seen at Upper Beaver Meadows or Moraine Park. We’ve even seen elk wondering around Estes Park – in open fields like the golf course.

Moose

We always love seeing a moose! Moose are the largest members of the deer family. They are frequently seen along highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) in the Kawuneeche Valley. We’ve seen several moose from the road in this area of the park.

On our most recent trip to RMNP, we saw two large bull moose sharing the meadow with three elk near Poudre Lake.

Moose are becoming more prevalent on the eastern side of the park as well. We saw three moose sharing the Sheep Lakes just inside the Fall River Entrance. Big Horn Sheep are known to frequent this area too, but we haven’t seen any here.

Big Horn Sheep

While we haven’t seen big horns in the park, we did see a large herd of them on Highway 34 in Big Thompson Canyon between Estes Park and Loveland. The sheep are hard to spot on the steep canyon walls, but look for their horns which stand out against the darker brown rock.

Mountain Goat

Although Rocky Mountain National Park isn’t known for mountain goats, we saw an adorable goat hanging out at Sky Pond – a nice treat after a strenuous hike.

Pika

Pikas are abundant at the park’s higher elevations. We liked watching them at Rock Cut along Trail Ridge Road. We could hear them making all kinds of noise near Timberline Falls on our hike to Sky Pond.

Yellow-Bellied Marmots

Another park favorite, the Yellow-Bellied Marmots live in colonies of 10-20 and dig elaborate burrows beneath the ground. They are abundant at higher elevations along Trail Ridge Road. We’ve had good luck seeing marmots at the Forest Canyon Overlook on Trail Ridge Road.

Marmot hanging out at the Forest Canyon Overlook

Chasing Waterfalls

Despite what Destiny’s Child says, chasing waterfalls is fun. Two of our favorites are Alberta Falls and the Alluvial Fan. We also climbed Timberline Falls on our hike to Sky Pond. On our most recent trip, we were able to check out Chasm Falls located just off Old Fall River Road.

Traveling with a Dog

Rocky Mountain National Park isn’t really dog friendly, but dogs can enter the park. Dogs are limited to roadsides and parking lots. Dogs are not allowed on hiking trails in this park. Still, Liberty got to enjoy some views along Trail Ridge Road…

For nice hike with your dog, consider visiting Monarch Lake just outside the park in Arapaho National Forest. To get to Monarch Lake, take Highway 34 south from Grand Lake to Colorado Highway 6. Go east on Colorado Highway 6 around Granby Lake. The road ends in the Monarch Lake parking area. The trail around the lake is about 4 miles. Liberty enjoyed the views along the trail and even met a curious American Marten on the trail.

For dog friendly lodging check out Stoney River Lodge. The lodge is located between Estes Park and Loveland in Big Thompson Canyon. Liberty enjoyed exploring the peaceful area near the river.