We don’t usually travel to the same place more than once as this is a big ol world. We had, however, enjoyed our first visit to RMNP so much that we decided to come back a second time. The park is absolutely breathtaking! No photo or video you will ever see will do it justice, it’s something you must see for yourself. Be sure to take Old Fall River Road to the top if you’re not afraid of heights!, it’s unmatched!
With lofty mountain peaks, hiking trails that lead to alpine lakes and waterfalls, wildlife, and a scenic drive along one of the highest roads in the USA, Rocky Mountain National Park is a joy to explore. 350-some miles- Hiking is the main attraction at Rocky Mountain National Park, so make sure to come prepared with sturdy and comfortable shoes or boots to make the most of popular trails, such as Bear Lake and Emerald Lake Trail. OR if you are more slightly more adventurous then Old Fall River Road is for you.
We did not have much time, so we only did trail ridge road and on the way, we have come across many overlooks (such as Many Parks Curve Overlook, Rainbow Curve, Forest Canyon Overlook, Rock Cut, Gore Range Overlook, and Medicine Bow Curve) offering a great view of this fantastic Rocky mountains.
Rocky Mountain National Park isn't the country's largest national park, I guess it is nor is it the most-frequented with about 4 million annual visitors (compared to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's more than 12 million visitors). But there is something definitively magical about RMNP, which rises 14,259 feet into the Colorado sky at its highest point, Longs Peak.
The main attraction is hiking the park's 350-some miles of trails that wind through pine and spruce forests, glittering alpine lakes, swaths of wildflowers, and if you're lucky, some elk or bighorn sheep.
in my opinion: The best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park is from June to September when the snow is (mostly) melted and the hiking trails and attractions are accessible.
Few helpful data:
Hours - Open 24x7x365
Fee: $30/vehicle (July-2022)
Area: 265,000 acres
The Rocky Mountain national Park is so beautiful majestic and close to the town of Estes Park Colorado we stayed along the river near Estes Park so we were close to the entrance and each night we would go a few miles down the road to view wildlife in the park we saw plenty of moose,elk, coyotes, big horn sheep and deer every day or evening. The park is well-maintained and taking the road through to Grand Lake Colorado was so incredible to drive above the tree line across. It takes a couple hrs if you stop here and there at overlooks. There is a large visitor center at the top about halfway which has a café and a large store the views are incredible there too with the grand snowcapped mountains. The air is thinner but if you spend a few days in Estes Park before heading into the higher elevation you should be OK. Drink plenty of water take your time. The small town of grand Lake is very cute and welcoming with plenty of restaurants and make sure you visit the Adams Falls which is a short hike at the edge of town. Another side note we saw Moose at Sprague Lake inside the park near the Bear Lake area and also by the entrance the fall River Road and by grand Lake.
Loved every inch of this National Park that we were able to see ~ with that being said we visited this park during the middle of April and 3/4 of the 'Trail Ridge Road' which bring you from the east entrance (Estes Park) to the south entrance and past the Grand Lake.
We were hoping that this section of the road would have been passable by the time we arrived but the Snow had other plans! We were able to go south from the Estes entrance and visit Bear Lake. We were able to park here and hike ON the lake ~ the trail was too covered in snow to hike it and the lake was completely hardened ~ park ranger told us where and how to hike on the lake !
It definitely made our visit a lot quicker that we wanted it ~ but the park was so beautiful that it left us wanting more ~ hoping we can do it again during the summer months!
Drove up from Georgia to visit parks:) Have seen 14 so far:) Did NOT know of the reservation process, that’s on me I guess😳 Haven’t needed a reservation at any other park🤔 A Ranger told me the reason for the reservation process, to control crowds. Yet, come 3pm they release the Kraken and let everyone in👀 So what does this accomplish🤔 A total cluster! Pulling over areas are a mess and just about every stop was full🤫 Bathrooms, full🤫 Had cars doing u-turns in roads because of the mess😮 Beautiful park, stunning views, poor planning, but expected this from the government when making this kind of decisions😂 WHAT they really hope when telling you that you need a reservation is that you go away🤫 Think of the person who comes in the morning hours only to be told you can’t come into the park till 3:00pm🤬 President Teddy Roosevelt just turned over in his grave😳
