Dates we visited: July 19th-20th, 2021
Where we stayed: Loveland RV Resort and Coyote Mountain Lodge

The crisp mountain air and dramatic alpine vistas of Rocky Mountain National Park hold a special place in my heart. Located in northern Colorado, Rocky Mountain is just a few hours west of the college town of Fort Collins. In my younger years, this is where I attended CSU (for a few years) and then lived, worked and played (for many more years). A decade after moving to Minnesota, I would return here with the love of my life to hold our wedding ceremony at Sprague Lake inside the National Park.

This time around, we were here in July instead of March, and there were wildflowers in bloom rather than snow on the ground and ice on the lakes. This national park is great in any season, and Kristy and I were thrilled that we got to experience the summertime highlights along with Owen.

Estes Park

Estes Park is the gateway city for Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a beautiful mountain town. There are several campgrounds here, but the drive into the mountains is windy and narrow in spots. So we decided to leave the trailer down at the Loveland RV Resort, and get a hotel room in Estes Park while visiting RMNP.

Rocky Mountain was among the first to implement a timed entry system, and tickets go quickly. If you are planning to visit, make sure to make your reservation early, especially if you plan t visit the popular bear lake area.

Our first stop after arriving in the park was the Beaver Meadows visitor center to pick up Junior Ranger materials for Owen. After that, we headed up Bear Lake Road to Sprague Lake. The hike around Sprague Lake is relatively short and accessible. It was a hot day, but there was still snow visible on the craggy peaks in the distance. When we reached the dock, about halfway around the lake, Kristy and I enjoyed reminiscing about our wedding day at this spot. After we completed the hike, we continued the scenic drive up Bear Lake Road, then back down through Moraine park, before heading back to Estes Park for dinner.

It’s pretty common to spot Elk in the town of Estes Park, and this day was no exception. We saw several young bucks wandering through the city. It’s quite an experience to see these creatures just walking around!

Moose to Marmots

On our second day in Rocky Mountain we got an early start and entered the park through the Fall River entrance. This route took us through Horseshoe park, an open space where the mountains rise on all sides and the Fall River meanders through the valley. Not more than five minutes into the park we saw a gigantic moose bathing in the river. A few minutes later a group of motorcyclists came down the road. The deep and loud exhaust from the bikes startled the Moose and it galloped off across the valley.

We continued through the valley and started making our way up the mountain to Trail Ridge Road. It’s billed as the highest continuously paved road in the United States and reaches a peak elevation of 12,183 Feet. That’s a full mile higher than the mile-high city of Denver. The drive is incredible, and while you might imagine it as rough mountain terrain, there is actually an abundance of life here. Even above the treeline, we spotted marmots, prairie dogs and birds, not to mention a variety of colorful wildflowers. The road traverses the National Park, running from Estes Park all the way to Grand Lake. Once we reached the Alpine visitor center, we decided to make our way back down.

One thing we didn’t do this time, that I’d like to try next time is take Old Fall River Road from the bottom, up to the Alpine Visitor Center. I’m told this road is a rather intense, but rewarding and scenic drive. The one-way road winds back and forth up through the switchbacks of the steep mountains.

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Rocky Mountain National Park is one of our favorite parks in the NPS system, and one of our favorite places in the world. It’s popularity has soared recently, and understandably so. If you are planning a visit here a few tips:

• Don’t forget to get a reservation!
• Consider visiting in an off-peak season. Winter is especially beautiful.
• Trail Ridge Road is only scheduled to be open for a few months of the year, and it may close on a whim due to weather. Plan accordingly.

If you are not planning a trip here…get on it! This park, and the surrounding areas are stunning. There are activities and sights for all skill levels and interests.

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Rocky Mountain Gallery

Way back in March 2015, we got married in this National Park. It was a small, outdoor ceremony that required a short hike through the snow to the dock at Sprague Lake. This park is particularly special to us, and we enjoyed sharing it with Owen for the first time.

Dates we visited: Oct 29th – Oct 30th 2020
Where we stayed: Sundance RV Park

After braving a blizzard at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we headed down to the southwest corner of colorado to visit Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde was the first park that we visited that was established primarily for archeological reasons. The area was set aside to preserve and study the Ancestral Pueblo heritage and relics in 1906. The Puebloans called this place home from roughly the year 600 till the year 1300. According to the Park Service, the area preserves over 5,000 archaeological sites and more than 600 cliff dwellings.

Pit Houses to Cliff Dwellings

One of the most fascinating things about this park is the ability to see how the Puebloan people progressed and changed over time. Early in their time here they built and resided in “Pit Houses” that were complex structures built into the ground. These were sometimes solitary and sometimes grouped together. Larger “Kivas” were also nearby and served as gathering places and for social functions.

Then, over time, they moved out to the cliff dwellings. Archaeologists are still studying this migration, what prompted it, and what eventually prompted the Puebloan people to abandon the incredible cliff structures and move out of the area. Try as I might, I couldn’t wrap my head around thinking about the first person that was like “Hey, why don’t we build a house on those cliffs over there? What do you all think?”

Sunrise

We opted for a before sunrise entry to Mesa Verde, and were rewarded with some spectacular views and had the park essentially to ourselves. We made several stops along Mesa Top Ruins road to explore and hike. Some of our favorites were: Park Point Overlook, Far View House, Square Tower House.

There are numerous other pull-offs where you can get a view of some of the most complex cliff dwellings and we stopped at many of them. Normally, it is possible to get a guided tour of these, but that was limited or unavailable due to Covid, so we had to settle for observing them from afar.

We only spent one day at this park, but this is one of those places that you could easily spend a month exploring all the various archaeological sites, hiking trails, and scenic areas. All three of us left the park with a greater respect for the native inhabitants of the area, and a wonderment for the engineering prowess they possessed for their time.

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Gallery

The first National Park that we visited that was primarily archaeological in nature, Mesa Verde left us inspired and awestruck at the engineering capabilities of the ancestral Puebloan people.

Dates we visited: October 21st-27th
Where we stayed: Black Canyon / Montrose KOA

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a lesser known park on the western side of Colorado. It was our next stop after completing the Utah Mighty 5 with a visit to Canyonlands. We didn’t really know what to expect going into this park, and it ended up ranking near the top of our favorites list! There were very few other visitors in the park, so we were able to take our time and explore the many overlooks available along Rim Drive. Two million years in the making, the Gunnison river carved out this canyon to be exceptionally deep, narrow and ominously scenic.

Snow

While staying in Montrose, Colorado we were hit by a massive snowstorm that tested our RV cold weather preparedness. Our pipes briefly froze up and I had to clear the snow off the slide roof with a broom. But, we survived and learned a lot about cold weather camping in the process. Additionally, the storm gave us the opportunity to see the Black Canyon through the lens of multiple seasons. It was quite striking with the fresh Colorado snow.

Highlights

The Rim Drive road is the main thoroughfare through the park. Starting at the South entrance station and ending at “High Point” it stops at the visitor center and offers many scenic overlooks. The various stops highlight different vantage points of the precipitous canyon. Some of our favorites were Tomichi Point, Chasm View and Painted Wall View.

There is also a road on the north rim, but there is no bridge to it inside the park and it’s a 3-4 hour drive out and around to reach it…maybe next time.

We spent several days at this park, but if you are just passing through, it’s possible to drive the south rim road and see the main attractions in an afternoon. Just make sure the road is open!

Pine Creek Trail

While we were in the area, we also took a drive east to hike a portion of the Pine Creek trail in the Curecanti National Recreation Area. This was a fun trail that runs right along the Gunnison river. There used to be a passenger rail line that ran alongside the river and there are a number of informational placards and remnants of the rail system along the trail.

Even though I grew up in Colorado, and Kristy lived there for years, neither of us had spent much time west of the mountains. The blizzard was definitely a challenge, but it was fun to frolic around in the snow, and we really enjoyed our time in the area. Since the Rim Drive is closed in the winter months, we consider ourselves lucky to have been able to see Black Canyon covered in snow.

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Gallery

One of the lesser known, and least visited National Parks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison turned out to be one of our favorites. A massive winter storm dumped over a foot of Colorado snow on us, testing our RV cold weather preparedness. We survived, and were rewarded with the experience of seeing the park blanketed in snow.