
One of the most popular parks in the National Park Service, Colorado's
Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915. The spectacular vistas and the opportunity to hike, climb, and observe wildlife in the Rocky Mountains draws visitors from around the country.
Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses 265,770 acres of land, including 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams. The highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is Longs Peak, at an altitude of 14,259 feet above sea level. Even though Longs Peak is the only mountain higher than 14,000 feet (the entire state of Colorado has 54 "fourteeners") there are more 60 named peaks that are more than 12,000 feet above sea level in the park.
The stretch of Highway 34 that runs through the park is known as Trail Ridge Road and is the highest continuously paved road in the United States. Highway 34 connects the town of Estes Park on the east side with Grande Lake on the southwest side of the park. At the road's highest point, it is 12,183 feet above sea level. Trail Ridge Road's highest point is close to the Alpine Visitor Center, which also has a nearby Alpine Ridge hiking trail that offers a fantastic view of the 13,514 Ypsilon Mountain.
In the winter many trails and roads--including Trail Ridge Road--are closed off due to heavy snowfall, but even in the summertime, many of the Rocky Mountain peaks remain snow capped. In the warmer months, the snowmelt brings fast-moving mountain streams and spectacular waterfalls. Wildlife in the region include marmots, magpies, elk, deer, and many other native species.
Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park often find lodging in Estes Park or Grand Lake, and in the summer months several campgrounds are open for travelers wanting to stay on park grounds. During the first several decades of the park's existence, large mountain resorts were constructed throughout Rocky Mountain National Park, but they were torn down after a boom in post-World War II tourism threatened to damage the pristine wilderness that attracted so many people to the Rocky Mountains in the first place.
Labels: Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park