Rocky Mountain National Park

On Friday and Saturday we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s about 30 miles west of where we’re staying in Loveland. One of the most scenic areas is Big Thompson Canyon just out of Loveland on US Hwy 34. The highway follows the Big Thompson River which winds its way through the canyon - a narrow curvy road with 1000-1500 feet granite walls on either side. Awesome!!

Pictures can’t do it justice, but here are a few.







We thought this sign in Big Thompson Canyon was interesting. Climb to safety?? Yeah, right!!



We saw Big Horn Sheep right by the road along US 34 as it follows the Big Thompson River.





The scenery in Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful - at the lower elevations are wide open valleys with the towering mountains all around.



Sprague Lake is very scenic.



This was not a “life” bird, but the Red Crossbill is a treat.



Also, the Gray Jays are abundant. We shared a picnic lunch with this one and a couple of his friends.



The most scenic area of the park is the Trail Ridge Road. It climbs from an elevation of around 7500 feet at Estes Park up to over 12,000 feet. The tree line is around 10,000 feet and from that point on up it is all tundra. We figured this was as high as we’d ever been and still be on the ground.

Here are a couple of pictures showing some of the Trail Ridge Road.





While we were up here we visited the Alpine Visitor Center



The scenery at this elevation is spectacular - John Denver knew what he was talking about when he wrote the song, “Rocky Mountain High”. Here's a few pictures from "Top of the World"!