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From lush valleys to craggy peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park is a living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains,
Throughout its 416 square miles of rock-ribbed wildness, Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park is a land of superlatives. At least 60 mountains reach higher than 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,259 feet on the football field-sized summit of Longs Peak. Names such as Cirrus, Chiefs Head, Isolation, Mummy, and Storm evoke the grandeur of this high landscape.
The wide variety of elevations and habitats create a wide range of activities available to visitors. From scenic drives and short strolls along a gentle trail to more ambitious daylong hikes to vertical mountain climbs, Rocky Mountain National Park offers many ways to experience nature in all of its splendor.
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Here are just a handful of things to do on a Rocky Mountain National Park vacation.
For more activities, visit MyRockyMountainPark.com.
Sightseeing
Must-see sights are everywhere in Rocky Mountain National Park and regions surrounding it. We've summarized the best scenic byways and overlooks that provide the best views of Rocky Mountain National Park and adjacent regions.
Adventure
Carve fresh powder in winter, raft a swollen river in May, backpack the Continental Divide in July, and tear up ribbons of single-track on your bike in September. There is simply no other way to say it: Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding regions are synonymous with adventure. We'll get you started.
Natural Wonders
Waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and meadows, are just a handful of the natural wonders in Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding regions. Just about every spot on a Colorado map has a natural wonder. We'll help you find them.
Wildlife
Forget fences and zoos. With more than 60 species of mammals, 280 species of birds, and 11 species of fish, Rocky Mountain National Park is bursting with wildlife. Visitors may see elk, bighorn sheep, marmots, deer, or even a black bear. We'll get you started.
Arts and Culture
This region is also rich in culture. Attend a rodeo, Indian powwow, a wide range of festivals, and more. In addition, museums and galleries are abundant in this region.
Learn from others who went before you.
To browse Trip Notes, visit myrockymountainpark.com.
Every day in Rocky Mountain is a full day
By Michelle Tripp, Denver, CO
With its abundant wildlife and vast open spaces, Rocky Mountain National Park is a great place to explore, especially for families.
My family often takes at least one visit to the park each year, usually coinciding with the autumn rut for the park’s very large resident elk herd. During this time, the elk can be heard bugling through the trees and across the many open areas in the park, especially in Moraine Park where we have been able to get out of our car and sit about 100 yards off and watch the bulls round up their harems of cows.
Our boys love to watch the elk that are free to roam without fences and barriers like at the zoo. They also realize that they are in the animals’ home, and this is a special place, that is better than the zoo in the city.
Well-appointed maps, easy-to-follow signs, and nice roads make it a very nice drive any time of year in the lower part of the forest.
The park offers many hiking and walking trails as well. A favorite place for our family is Sprague Lake. A beautiful lake with the mountains as a backdrop, the area offers a flat, maintained gravel trail for easy walks.
Off of the trail, there is backcountry access for the hard-core camper and or hiker. Ducks and beavers are known to mingle with the people out in their float tubes, fly fishing on the smooth, mirror-like water. We have encountered many chipmunks and camp robbers that aren’t afraid to beg for a bit of our picnic lunch. At the entrance to Sprague Lake, a small stream runs under a wide, wooden pedestrian bridge that offers a great close-up look of the park’s Rainbow, Cutthroat, and Brook Trout through its crystal-clear water.
The boys love to watch the fish as they swim in patterns through the stream’s current. Every time we visit Rocky Mountain National Park, we have a great time and discover something new that we had not seen before in our prior trips.
For more than a decade, my husband and I have been going to Rocky Mountain National Park and now that we return with our children, we still have not begun to scratch the surface of all that the park has to offer.
A few key facts about Rocky Mountain National Park
To learn more, visit myrockymountainpark.com.
Elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park range from 8,000 feet to 14,259 feet.
416 square miles in size
Home to 60 mountains that stand taller than 12,000 feet
150 lakes are in Rocky Mountain National Park
450 miles of streams are in the national park
Variety of environments and landscapes, from meadows, to forests to alpine tundra and glaciers
Trail Ridge Road cuts through Rocky Mountain National Park and reaches an elevation of more than 12,000 making it one of the highest paved roads in America
Home to the headwaters of the Colorado River
Open year-round, enjoyed by outdoor recreationists of all types
A Rocky Mountain National Park vacation is an incredible road trip. This region is blessed with several scenic drives and designated Scenic Byways.
Here is just a sampling of scenic drive information we provide at MyRockyMountainPark.com:
TRAIL RIDGE ROAD
Trail Ridge Road is one of the very highest continuous paved roads in America! Wind through forests and mountains and by lakes before traveling above tree line for 11 miles. Take in magnificent views of the alpine tundra and peaks ranging from 12,000 to 14,000 feet tall. This scenic drive provides several overlooks from which to take in the high country views.
PEAK TO PEAK SCENIC & HISTORIC BYWAY
This scenic and historic drive provides unmatched views of Colorado's Front Range. Located less than an hour from Boulder, Denver and Ft. Collins, this drive takes travelers along the Continental Divide and along star attractions including Rocky Mountain National Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, and Eldora Ski Resort. At the same time, this byway is rich in history. The area was once a mining belt of valuable gold and silver deposits.
MILLION DOLLAR HIGHWAY/ROUTE 550
This is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, and U.S. Highway 550. This entire stretch is full of spectacular scenery, but the 12-mile section between Ouray and Silverton that travels through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass is what gives this highway its name. Steep cliffs, narrow lanes and the ascent of Red Mountain Pass (including numerous hairpin "S" curves) are part of this scenic drive as it cuts directly into the sides of mountains.
TOP OF THE ROCKIES
This scenic byway – either spur, or the loop, earns its name. Originating in the booming mining town of Leadville, travelers will seldom travel below 9,000 feet of elevation. This region is home to Colorado's highest mountains, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive, both towering over 14,000 feet. After leaving Leadville the byway traverses the 10,424-foot-high Tennessee Pass and pass through old mining towns and an outdoor mecca.
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