Rocky Mountain National Park

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Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely magnificent. Visiting this park spurred my goal of visiting all 63 US National Parks.

I’ve added some post-trip notes to this itinerary with my experiences.

Hotels

• Denver Marriott Tech Center
  • Acclimating to 5,280′ elevation
• The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa
  • Acclimating to 8,239′ elevation
  • Beautiful hotel with awesome views
• Hotel Talisa Vail- this has since been rebranded as the Grand Hyatt Vail
  • The Westin was sold out for my last night, so I had to hop around a bit. The hotel was nice and modern, but oddly enough, not very clean (no actually trash, but hair in the shower, that kind of thing).

Food

Stocked up in Denver before heading to the mountains.

• Rosenberg’s Bakery
  • Delicious baked goods
• East Side Kosher Deli
  • Fully stocked kosher grocery

Activities

Rocky Mountain National Park was the first National Park I ever visited. I didn’t know how much hiking I wanted to do, so I didn’t plan it that well. You can definitely fit more into one day in the park- see some suggestions below.

• Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
• Bear Lake Trail– an easy trail with beautiful views!

• Trail Ridge Road
  • Incredible road that goes up to 12,183′. Witnessing a several-thousand foot drop a few inches from the roadside is amazing.
  • The temperature in the valley was close to 90°, but atop the mountain on Trail Ridge Road it was in the 40°’s.
  • The wind was blowing something fierce but the views from that high are unparalleled. No trees grow at this elevation- close to thirteen-thousand feet- so the view is unobstructed.

• Wildlife viewing in the meadows- see the NPS wildlife viewing tips webpage.

• Additional Activities:
  • During the busier summer months, take a NPS Shuttle Bus to several popular trailheads or to view the park
  • Suggested hiking trails:
    • Easy:
      • Sprague Lake Loop, .7 miles, 34 feet elevation gain
      • Glacier Gorge Jct to Alberta Falls, .6 miles, 210 feet elevation gain
    • Medium:
      • Cub Lake Trail, 2.3 miles, 540 feet elevation gain
      • Glacier Gorge Trail to Mills Lake, 2.8 miles, 700 feet elevation gain
    • Hard:
      • Wild Basin Trail to Bluebird Lake, 6 miles, 2,478 feet elevation gain
      • Bear Lake Trail to Odessa Lake, 8.8 miles, 1,865 feet elevation gain
  • Ranger-Led Programs
  • Note that during the busier summer months reservations to visit the park might be required.

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globetrottinggeek

Visited 45/50 US States Visited 30/63 US National Parks