Rocky Mountain National Park is a special, special place. The beauty of the snowcapped mountains, the fields filled with purple and yellow wildflowers, and the sparking lakes and rivers create a landscape that is stunning in every direction. We spent four days exploring this park, and we think every visit should include the following sites and activities!
Trail Ridge Road
Trail Ridge Road is the scenic drive that connects the eastern and western sides of the park. It’s a full 48 miles of mountain driving that takes visitors up over 12,000 feet and across the Continental Divide. It’s actually the highest continuous paved road in the United States! Along the drive, there are scenic pullouts and short hikes. It’s also interesting because of the various regions that the road passes through. We started in the Montane region, with meadows, rivers, ponderosa pines, and lots of wildlife. As we headed up the mountain, we passed through the subalpine region – evergreen forests and mountain lakes, eventually reaching the alpine tundra. This high altitude area is above the treeline, with only the hardiest plants and well-adapted animals able to survive.
We stopped at several locations along the road, including Many Parks Curve, Rainbow Curve, Rock Cut, and Lava Cliffs. We hiked the Tundra Communities Trail, a one mile round trip nature walk through the tundra with an awesome rock to climb up at the end. Jack and I also climbed the one million stairs to the top of the Alpine Ridge Trail at the peak of the road. This afforded some amazing views of the area around, and allowed us to take our picture at the “elevation 12,005 feet above sea level” sign.
As amazing as it was, this drive is not for the faint of heart. Although it is entirely paved, the road is narrow and winding, and there are steep drop-offs without guardrails in several locations. We were lucky that we didn’t run into any storms, but the weather changes quickly up in the mountains so be prepared for all conditions. As nerve-wracking as the drive was, the experience of driving “the highway in the sky” was unforgettable.
Hike to Emerald Lake
One of the best family hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park is the 3.6 mile round trip hike to Emerald Lake. It leaves from the Beak Lake Parking Area, and due to the popularity of the trails in this region, the lot can fill before 8am. We arrived around 7:15am, and there weren’t many spaces left. We had breakfast in the parking lot. It was a first for us – tailgating a hike just to get a parking spot – but I have a feeling it won’t be the last. And the early wake-up was well worth it!
This hike is popular for a reason – you don’t have to wait to the end for beautiful views. The entire length of the trail is photo-worthy! The wooded path climbs slowly upward, passing Nymph Lake (a pond covered with lily pads), passing through gaps in the trees for some amazing mountain views, winding its way past my favorite lake of the day – the sparkling Dream Lake, crossing steams, climbing over a significant snow pile, and culminating at Emerald Lake. We stopped several times along the trail to catch our breath (elevation?) and also to enjoy the beautiful views. The boys climbed the rocks and felt the cold water streams. They even stopped for a short snowball fight close to the top. It was an amazing hike. I highly recommend it!
Horseback Riding
Jack and I have been horseback riding together several time, and we’ve always had a great experience. Liam is a little on the timid side, but he loves to ride ponies and REALLY REALLY wanted to go on a trail ride this summer. Rocky Mountain National Park turned out to be a great place for this!
Sombrero Stables was right down the hill from our campsite, and we booked a two hour afternoon trail ride through Beaver Meadows. Just as we walked up the driveway to the stables, the sky opened up in the fiercest hailstorm I’ve every experienced. We waited it out for 20 minutes in the mens bathroom, and once the storm passed, we were ready to go! Fortunately for us, the other people who were scheduled decided to cancel, so we had the guide to ourselves! We saddled up – Liam rode Jimmy, Jack rode Big Jack, and I rode Wiley – and we headed up the hail covered mountainside.
The ride was gorgeous – mountain views, meadows with wildflowers, wooded areas filled with pine and aspen trees, and even a wildlife sighting when a deer crossed the path! The horses splashed through the big mud puddles left from the storm, and the boys had a great time. There’s something magical about experiencing nature from the back of a horse.
Junior Ranger Programs
Any visit to RMNP should include attending some of the awesome programming that the National Park Service puts together. There’s a wide variety of options – almost all included with park admission – and the rangers are knowledgeable and passionate about their work. We attended the nightly presentations in the campsite amphitheater each of the three nights that we stayed. One evening the boys were in a play depicting the Native American tale How the Coyote Stole Fire, another night we learned about human influences on the park, and the last night was a presentation about all 61 National Parks. The boys also became Junior Rangers while we were visiting, and we attended a Junior Ranger Discovery Hike. It was a short, ranger-guided hike from the Moraine Discovery Center in which the kids participated in a variety of activities. They were blindfolded and had to explore the area using other senses (which included smelling the sweet Ponderosa Pine). They made a giant web using string to show how different parts of the ecosystem interact, and they were given time to sit down and explore a small area, writing and drawing the things they saw. It was such a fun learning experience perfectly designed for little ones!
Alluvial Fan
This short hike was really more of a scramble up the rocks, but it led to beautiful views of the mountains and forest surrounding the park, as well as the river flowing down. There’s some cool history about how the Alluvial Fan was formed back in 1982 when the Lawn Lake Dam broke, sending torrents of water cascading down the mountainside, bringing with it the huge boulders and rocks that are now seen in this area. We climbed up to the top of the trail and spent some time enjoying the peace of the location. It is a truly special location.
The photos provide a glimpse into the gorgeous landscapes of Rocky Mountain National Park, but a visit is required to fully experience this park. The smell of the pine trees, the sound of water moving over the rocks, and the feeling of the wind blowing can’t be captured in a photo. I hope that by sharing our experience, others will be inspired to make the trip to this stunning national park. I know that we’ll be visiting again in the future!
On The Road Together 