Hike the Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park. Brendan Leonard
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THREE DAYS
This three-day itinerary combines a selection of diverse hikes with some mellow sightseeing drives and walks, and spans the park from east to west.
Day One:
•Hike to Mills Lake (Hike 4) or do the Four Lakes Loop (Hike 7) in the morning.
•Drive down to Sheep Lakes by early afternoon for a chance to see grazing bighorn sheep.
Day Two:
•Watch the sunrise at Sprague Lake.
•Hike up Deer Mountain (Hike 29) or Lily Mountain (Hike 21).
•Hike the Moraine Park Loop (Hike 11) in the afternoon.
A section of trail on the Upper Beaver Meadows Loop (Hike 31)
Day Three:
•Drive Old Fall River Road to Fall River Pass and the Alpine Visitor Center.
•Hike the Alpine Ridge Trail (Hike 26).
•Drive Trail Ridge Road down to the east, stopping to hike the Tundra Communities Trail (Hike 27) and take photos at the Forest Canyon Overlook.
VISITOR CENTERS
The Alpine Visitor Center is located on Fall River Pass (11,796 feet/3595 m) at the junction of Trail Ridge and Old Fall River Roads, and is open Memorial Day through midOctober, depending on weather. Hours vary by season. See Contacts for details for each of the centers.
The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is located just inside the park’s main entrance on the east side of the park at 1000 US Highway 36.
The Fall River Visitor Center is located on the east side of the park at 3450 Fall River Road, five miles west of Estes Park.
The Kawuneeche Visitor Center is located at the park’s west entrance at 16018 US Highway 34.
GATEWAY TO THE PARK
Estes Park is best known as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, for good reason: The majority of visitors to the park enter from the east side, and the most popular park entrances are accessed from Estes Park. The town sits at an elevation of 7522 feet (2292 m), and from many spots in town, you can see the high peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as park features like the granite formations of Lumpy Ridge. Estes Park offers all the amenities you might need: hotels and vacation rentals, gas, restaurants, grocery stores, outdoor gear shops, and equipment rental.
The Estes Park Visitor Center (see Contacts), located at 500 Big Thompson Avenue in Estes Park, provides information on the town, the park, and the surrounding area. Between May 23 and October 18, the Estes Hiker Shuttle Express bus travels between the Estes Park Visitor Center and the Park & Ride lot inside the park where you can access shuttle buses to its popular trailheads. The Hiker Shuttle Express bus operates from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm.
A view of Hallett Peak from the Flattop Mountain Trail (Hike 13)
WEATHER
One piece of advice for exploring Rocky Mountain National Park at any time of year: bring more clothes than you think you need, including a rain jacket. The weather in the park can change quickly, and even when it’s sunny and warm in Estes Park, it can be cold, windy, and snowing up on Trail Ridge Road (yes, even in summer). Afternoon thunderstorms are common (almost daily) in the summer, and almost every hike in this book has a note of warning about exposure to thunderstorms. Lightning is a very real danger in the mountains, so check weather forecasts, plan accordingly, and watch for clouds building into storms in the early afternoon. Summer hiking, even at 10,000 feet (3048 m), can be warm in full sun but also exposed to a chilling mountain wind at the next turn. Packing a few light layers, a hat, and a rain jacket can make the difference between having a comfortable day out and suffering near-hypothermia.
WHEN TO VISIT
Rocky Mountain National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but many roads and facilities—such as Trail Ridge Road, which is open from approximately mid-May through mid-October, depending on weather—are open only during the summer season. The majority of the park’s hiking trails are snow-free from early June through late September, and campgrounds in the park typically open for the summer around the last week of May and stay open through mid-September (and some through mid-October). Summer brings the mildest temperatures to the park, but as elevations vary widely, temperatures can drop below freezing and, it bears repeating, snowstorms can happen in nearly any month, even summer.
CAMPGROUNDS
Rocky Mountain National Park has five campgrounds, three of which are reservable, and two of which are first come, first served. Reservations can be made up to six months in advance of your visit, and the park strongly recommends making advance reservations when possible, as spots in campgrounds are filled every night by reservation. Outside of the park on both the east and west sides, several public campgrounds and several Forest Service campgrounds are available.
With the exception of Longs Peak and Moraine Park Campgrounds, the campgrounds in the park open for the summer season typically sometime in late May and close sometime in mid-September to mid-October each year. Longs Peak Campground has a shorter season, typically opening in late June and closing in early September, while Moraine Park is open year-round, with sixty-four of its sites available during the off-season on a first-come, first-served basis. For details on opening and closing dates, and to make reservations, visit the Campgrounds page on the Rocky Mountain National Park website (see Contacts).
Llamas pack in gear to Calypso Cascades and Ouzel Falls (Hike 20).
ASPENGLEN CAMPGROUND
The Aspenglen Campground, just inside the east side of the park at the Fall River Entrance on US Highway 34, has fifty-two campsites (all reservable), trash and recycling receptacles, food storage lockers, staff on site, an amphitheater, flush toilets, drinking water available seasonally, and ice and firewood for sale seasonally. There is no cell phone reception.
GLACIER BASIN CAMPGROUND