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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
July 9, 2007 | 38 Comments
In Early June, we went on a roadtrip to the four national parks in Colorado. We covered 2000 miles in 9 days, and encountered some of the most spectacular sights this geologically diverse region has to offer.
Colorado Relief Map
The orange line shows the areas we drove through, beginning and ending at Denver. The dots show the four national parks we visited. The read arrow points to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Anti-Clockwise:
Rocky Mountain National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Pics HERE)
Mesa Verde National Park (Pics HERE)
Great Sand Dunes National Park – (Pics HERE)
We also drove through the San Juan Parkway (Pics HERE)
We spent the first three days at Rocky Mountain National Park, where the majestic mountains and lush valleys still had pockets of snow in the 90F weather. The elevation ranges from 8000 feet above sea level to over 14,000 feet. That makes for a diverse and interesting eco-system.
The Park contains 415 square miles of the most spectacular mountain scenery in America.
More about Rocky Mountain National Park here.
From Denver airport, we drove to the town of Longmont (near Boulder), where our hotel was located. There, we chanced upon a “Bavarian Bakerei“.
Meeta may have Herr Backer (pun intended 
), but this guy was no slacker. Early in the morning we were treated to the sights and smells of freshly baked bread from this baker with a strong German accent. He moved to Colorado and set up this place 18 years ago. We took some Rye Bread to go. That was an auspicious start to our trip.
The Rockies
The granite peaks tower over vast valleys.
On the first day, we did a round-trip hike of 8 miles to the headwaters of the Colorado river.
Bee trudges along. In the wilderness we came across
Aspen Groves
A chipmunk in a hurry
A mountain goat
Here, the mighty Colorado river that carved the Grand Canyon begins as a tiny stream. ‘Colorado’ in Spanish stands for ‘the colour red’, as the wild river (before dams were built at various points) used to wash down a massive amount of red silt from its various canyons.
Jai pumps some water at the headwaters.
There were brooks, birds, elk and mule deer along the way..
Bighorn Sheep
On the second day, we went on the scenic lakes hike - a four mile roundtrip starting at Bear Lake, going past Dream Lake, then Nymph Lake, and reaching Emerald Lake. At some spots, we had to navigate a few feet of snow.
Manisha describes this hike with some great pics here.
Emerald Lake. Elevation: 10,080 feet.
Stellar Jay. Emerald Lake in the background.
The Rockies are Manisha‘s backyard. The second day of our stay there, we visited her. She spoilt us thoroughly, in her inimitable way. She introduced us to her endearing family (and a friend), cooked us a lip-smacking meal, and showered us with gifts. We’re lucky to know her, ‘cos to know her is to love her. She’s vacationing up north right now. Hope she’s having as much fun as we had in her neck of the woods.
On the third day, we hiked to Alberta Falls.
Alberta Falls
Chipmunk praying in front of Alberta Falls
At 14,259 feet, Long’s Peak is the tallest in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Colorado has over 50 ‘fourteeners’.
Molly the Marmot
She inches closer. Sniff sniff.. J, I like that aftershave you’re wearing.
Around late afternoon, the clouds start gathering.
Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved highway in the United States, travels through the heart of the Park providing access to the delicate beauty of the Alpine Tundra, which comprises a third of the Park’s area.
More about the Alpine Tundra ecosystem (found between the elevation of 11,000 and 15,000 feet) HERE.
Glacial lake
Bumblebee
The Park straddles the Continental Divide, the rooftop of America where melting snows and rainfall flow westward to the Pacific Ocean or southeast to the Gulf of Mexico.
Filed Under: colorado, lifestyle, national park, national-parks, Photo Essays, rocky-mountain-national-park, TRAVEL
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38 Comments
Hey I envy you guys for getting to see all those wonderful places.:)And the photos are fabulous-postcard perfect..especially Stellar Jay and praying Chipmunk.Good work.
and the one with Bee…..I mean Bumblebee
Teaser pics of you two, eh?
Lovely pics! and i heart Molly
Fantastic pictures I sooo enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing these!
What a great trip that was! I like the picture of the chipmunk and its shadow!
amazing read and lovely pictures
You were in my ilaakha!
I live about 30 miles from RMNP and I can’t get enough of it! Great pictures!
Lovely post… love the way these little ones posed for you…
yeah lovelyyyyyy post…. each pic was soooo beeeutiful… didnt know america is so beautiful in the wild like this…
Enjoyed reading the post, great pics, especially the praying chipmunk and molly the marmot…. so cute!:)
That was a lovely peek into your vacation bee….. great pics.
Lovely pictures bee. Viji
Great pics and info. I liked the pic of “Chipmunk in a hurry”. And I think we r getting close to see ur close-up snaps:)
I always loved Colorado.We visited Pikes Peak(had trouble breathing there!),Colorado Springs,Aspen and Denver once many years ago,fell in love with CO.
All the photos are gorgeous,wish we had time visit National park.
Bee,look at your skinny backside there girl!You can easily afford to have a beverage without “diet” in it!!:D
Great post,loved it.Thank you.
Exhilarating!
Thanx for sharing these amazing pictures Bee
These pictures are so amazing, feel like packing my bags and going to Colarado asap.
What a excellent pics are these .I have never been to all these places ….I should show them to my hubby ….
what a fun trip
just this past wknd my cuz returned from yellow stone & bear country in ur neck of the woods 
Awesome pictures.
Hmmm…a tourist of our own reality…luckily neither of you heeded that fully, so that you were able to share such spectacular photos!
(this also brings back memories of elevation sickness that I suffered when i visited Estes Park)
I love those very-candid rodent shots the best, and it was great to finally see…uh…the two of you…so clearly.
Thanks so much for sharing those pics, they are evocative and breathtaking.
Erm, next time can I saddle along? Awesome write-up and pics.
Jai Bee!
Awesome pics…. what camera do u use?
Loved the praying chipmunk!
canon digital rebel 300D – b.
A wonderful trip to a heavenly place…..nice pics
Fabulous pictures of my most favorite place! We loved meeting you guys and still chuckle over some of the conversation we shared that evening – which was way too short! Showered with gifts is the understatement of the year. The two of you personified Santa Claus in summer!
We got back late last night or is it early this morning?! Ours was one of the few flights that left LaGuardia last night. They had cops out in the terminals to manage angry passengers. I was glad to escape the 100F in NJ to return home to cool Colorado, but not for much longer. I take the heat with me wherever I go! We had a blast even though it was quite hectic.
Hey,
Gr8 entry and awesome pics. I live in longmont at a stones throw away from the bavarian bakery you’ve described but have never been there. Now I kno where I am goin this weekend for breakfast. Thanks for the beautiful entry.
Just lovely, each one! I did a much shorter trip last summer, a circle within yours. That is some mighty powerful scenery — I’d love to go back and am happy to live vicariously through your lens while I wait. Esp. love the marmot and those bighorn sheep — wow! Thanks for sharing these.
Hey Bee and Jai,
Nice pictures of Colorado! It certainly is a beautiful place. My husband and I did a bicycle tour in the Rockies called ‘Ride the Rockies’. The views were spectacular!
Nice to see this place highlighted on your blog.
Kanchana
so you guys seemed to have a great trip. when i visit Colorado I can keep these parks in mind. you have taken beautiful pics. your post will be a good reference for me.
For sometime I was lost in the wonderful RMNP, thanks to your great account. Loved all views!
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