Breathtaking Rockies

Disclaimer:

1. All the humor about wildlife should not be taken literally. We hate disturbing wildlife and hate those doing it.

2. Photos subject to copyright.

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We were introduced to the mountains at a very young age, thanks to some enthusiastic family members. The fascination continues till date and will hopefully never ever diminish. Therefore, after landing in the States, one of the places on our bucket list was the Rockies. The reason is simple. This encompasses hundreds of 10000 ft mountains including Longs Peak (14255 ft), one of the tallest in mainland US. However, due to some unfavorable situations, it did not materialize initially. Instead, what we got was Smokeys at late fall. Now that’s an altogether different story – subject of a separate blogpost.

Longs Peak

Luck finally favored us at 2010, when we managed back to back trips to the Tetons and the Rockies. Well not exactly the whole Rockies, but Rocky Mountain National Park, which represents the best of the Rockies. The Continental Divide bisects the park into two distinct regions; (i) a heavily glaciated eastern side, and (ii) a heavily forested western side. Both regions boast of outstanding spots for rock climbing, high altitude hiking, and last but not the least, wildlife watching. The time we chose was the beginning of fall, so that we could perceive the region specific fall foliage, much different from what we normally see in New England.

Autumn colors of Rockies

Day 1

The distance from Denver Airport to RMNP is only 80 miles. This is very convenient when compared with the accessibility of other national parks from important airports. The park can be reached either via Boulder or via Longmont. After crossing Lyons, the last 20 miles drive at Hwy 36, accompanied by Little Thompson River, is incredibly scenic.

The heavenly Lake Estes

We usually prefer to camp at the national parks, but this time we made an exception. The picturesque town of Estes Park (elevation 7522 ft above sea level) is strategically placed just outside the eastern entrance of the park. Before entering the town, you will be bewildered by the view of Lake Estes with Prospect Mountain (8900 ft) at the backdrop . Over and above the scenic vistas, the town also provides spontaneous interactions with fearless wildlife, which cares little about the existence of human beings or motor vehicles. Your day could start with greetings from an elk while taking a casual morning walk on the hotel lawns, or end with a deer hitchhiking at the side of the highway. The downtown has plenty of colorful shops for gifts and souvenirs, fine art galleries, historical treasures like the Knoll and Birch Cabin, and a beautiful mountain garden named after Mrs. Walsh, which showcases the local flowers and plants meticulously. Either way, you could spend ample quality time in the town itself, without visiting the park.

The picturesque town of Estes Park

Nevertheless, the interiors of the park were sending strong electromagnetic waves to our adventurous minds, and we gladly obliged. Needless to say, we were awestruck, not only by the landscape, but also by the changing colors of the season. The added bonus was countless encounters with the abundant wildlife.

The exploration started at Fall River Visitor Center (8240 ft), which serves as the gateway to the Fall River Area. Towards the Endovalley Road, Alluvial Fan (8610 ft) is a unique attraction for people of all ages and should not be missed. The Roaring River passes through a small waterfall and cascading stream down this area. The top of the waterfall is an easy climb and is a great place for shooting (with camera, off course). The small hiking was just a warm up for the upcoming activities.

Old Fall River Road is a 9 mile long one way dirt road which leads to Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass. Major portions of the road are narrow and interposed with tight switchbacks. It is a challenge for all motorists to go uphill on that super-winding road and enjoy the view at the same time. Just 2 miles up the road, we were blessed by the Chasm Falls, which is one of the many natural wonders inside the park. In one of the switchbacks, I was so mesmerized by the view of Mount Chapin (12454 ft) that I had almost managed to get the car into the Chapin Creek. Thanks to our reflexes for noticing that at the last moment. Near the end of this road, it traverses the headwall of Fall River Cirque before joining Trail Ridge Road next to Alpine Visitor Center (11796 ft).

Chasm Falls at Old Fall River Road

From Alpine Visitor Center one can experience sweeping views of the mountain range, combined with diverse wildlife grazing peacefully on the meadows. The visitor center is located amidst Trail Ridge Road, which is probably the highest continuous paved highway of the nation. Spanning 50 miles between Estes Park on the east and Grand Lake on the southwest, 11 miles of this highway travels above treeline (>11000 ft). Unfortunately, the southwest-bound route was closed due to construction work. That deprived us the visit to Grand Lake and the whole southwestern part of the park, which we regret till date.

Trail Ridge Road from its highest point

Anyway, we had no choice but to detour through the eastbound route. From Fall River Pass to Deer Ridge Junction (8930 ft), this 19 mile stretch winds viciously across the alpine tundra and offers stunning landscapes and magnificent wildflower displays. The highest point of this motorable road (12183 ft) is a couple of miles away from Fall River Pass. The other important pullouts include Gore Range Overlook (12010 ft), Lava Cliffs (12000 ft), Rock Cut (12050 ft) and Forest Canyon Overlook (11716 ft). Near the latter one, we could capture the romantic moods of a number of mule deers, with Sundance Mountain (12466 ft) at the background. Some of them came pretty close to the road and were observing the visitors innocently. In accordance with our previous experience at Yellowstone, those happy-go-lucky guys are more camera-friendly than ever.

An Odocoileus hemionus couple at Forest Canyon

The day ended on a high note with group wildlife watching at multiple sections of West Horseshoe Park and Sheep Lakes (8520 ft).

Day 2

We planned to spend the next day on the southeastern region of the park. So we started from Beaver Meadows Visitor Center (7840 ft) and traveled through Bear Lake Road, which exhibits great scenery throughout its 9 mile length.

Big Thompson River meandering through Moraine Park

On the previous day, we had a glimpse of the wildlife at Moraine Park. This morning that expansive valley was infested with large number of bull elks bugling along with their herd. Oblivious of the human intruders, they seem to enjoy their polygamous lifestyle to the fullest extent. The Moraine Park Visitor Center (8140 ft) houses an excellent museum. The wildlife exhibits and interactive geological displays are quite informative.

A herd of Cervus canadensis at Moraine Park

Around 6 miles on the Bear Lake Road, the tranquil Sprague Lake (8690 ft) emerges out from nowhere. The wheelchair accessible 0.5 mile roundtrip trail adjoining the lake is an easy stroll for all ages. This place is ideal for picnicking, bird watching, fishing, or just relaxing. With a little luck, one can also be able to see elks nearby.

The last portion of Bear Lake Road dramatically winds through striking golden colors of the Aspen leaves, signifying better times ahead. The Bear Lake Perimeter Trail (9475 ft), as the name suggests, spans 0.5 mile surrounding the Bear Lake. True to our expectations, brilliant colors of fall foliage were portrayed on the edge of the lake. We were surprised to find some enthusiastic smaller mammals and birds, who spontaneously posed with us for snaps.

Representative Autumn colors at Bear Lake

After walking around this easy trail, we went up further to explore the series of immaculate lakes. The Emerald Lake Trail starts with Nymph Lake (0.5 mile from trailhead), passes through Dream Lake (1.1 miles) and ends at Emerald Lake (1.8 miles). The trail was fairly steep and gains 605 ft at Emerald Lake from the trailhead. Due to time constraints, we resisted the temptation to hike the Flattop Mountain Trail (9 miles roundtrip), which leads to Flattop Mountain (12324 ft) and Hallett Peak (12713 ft).

The serene Nymph Lake

The next destination was Alberta Falls, a gorgeous waterfall towards Glacier Gorge. This 1.6 miles roundtrip trail starts at Glacier Gorge Trailhead (9240 ft), and it starts out smoothly. After a short time, it gets much steeper and we found ourselves in an open area with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. This being the final hours of daytime, our energy level had dropped exponentially. Still we managed to complete the trail; our impending Grand Canyon trip served as the inspiration. The Glacier Creek guided us through the rest of trail until the sudden appearance of Alberta Falls upfront. Though the downhill return was relatively easy, our aging knees and hurting feet started to revolt.

Alberta Falls, ornamented by Fall Foliage

The return drive to Estes Park was pretty lively. An elk couple blocked both ways of the road, probably didn’t want us to leave to park. It’s always difficult to say goodbye to them. Convincing them about our future return was also a tough job. After we managed to arrive at Estes Park, we went on to explore the downtown on foot. With the Fall River at its side, the mile-long Riverwalk is a peaceful pathway for pedestrians. As I had said earlier, the town is endowed with a plethora of activities, which did not cease to surprise us.

Day 3

To optimally utilize the residual half day before our return flight, we started early in the morning roaming around Lake Estes. The 3.8 mile trail around the lake was impossible to cover completely in this short time, so we had to be content with half a mile or so. Similar thing happened with the two trails on Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway, namely the Lily Mountain Trail and the Twin Sisters Trail. These trails lead to, as the names suggest, Lily Mountain (9786 ft) and Twin Sisters Peaks (11428 ft), respectively. Finally, we had to bid adieu to the mountains from the Longs Peak Trailhead, and continued our journey through the same scenic highway.

The tranquil Lily Lake

After exploring most of the accessible areas of the park, we realized that there are still so many things left out. A scenic drive in car with no hiking takes you from sprawling meadows to pristine lakes, from vibrant wildflowers to thick snow above treeline, not to mention the juxtaposed wildlife. But to really identify the hidden treasures of the Rockies, one should heartily spend substantial time and energy on the trails.

Bursting fall colors at "Peak to Peak Scenic Byway"