Rocky Mountain National Park

Today was the 2nd of 3 free national park days (well, actually weekends) this summer. We decided that we wanted to check out nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove a big loop, stopping to take some short hikes so Riley could get worn out. Click here to see some panoramic shots I took.



Some waterfalls are waterfalls, while others just seem like vertical streams from the snow pack/glaciers. Some of the views were absolutely stunning.

We started our drive on the "old road," a winding, 1-way, 1-lane dirt road. I let Becca drive so that she wouldn't get car sick, and at 15 mph over the 9 miles, I think she was fine. The sheer dropoffs and no gaurd rails were a nice throwback to how they used to cross the mountains. At the top of the road we took a short hike up to a nearby peak (12,005'). It was probably a 300' change in elevation and Riley proudly proclaimed, "I did it! I did it by myself!" upon reaching the top and again after coming down. The cool breeze made Asher gasp (he doesn't like wind in his face), but he enjoyed the hike nonetheless.

On our way back, there was an elk sitting there lazily, causing a big rubberneck traffic jam and backup. There were 3 others a little further on and then a herd of deer. It was cool to see them pretty close. It also was a lot better than a big redneck traffic jam, caused on the 1-way, 1-lane dirt road by some hill-billies (the pickup had a gun rack and the lady sat in the middle seat all the way up) who stopped everytime there was a marmot (which happened about 7 or 8 times). It just looks like a fat squirrel! It's a rodent! Or maybe it was their dinner.

It was a good day and I think we would return for a day trip with family or friends. It would also be nice to take some other hikes to some lakes and waterfalls, but with little kids, the easy hikes were somewhat limited.