Rocky Mountain National Park

 June 7, 2021

We drove to Rocky Mountain National Park today.

Here is the view to the north from our campsite.  The campground is 1.5 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.

Here west view from our campsite.  Thankfully the mountains are taller than the other RVs.

And we found a use for the mallet we turned; Jim used it to break up some ice.

June 8, 2021

We arrived at the entrance at 8:10 am , three lanes open 4 cars at each.

Just a few steps onto the Mills Lake Trail and we see a Rocky Mountain Elk.

Glacier Creek is running high, YEAH

We see Alberta Falls on our way to Mills Lake

Here is a video of the falls.

The falls are splashing everywhere.

The view of the Rockies from the trail.

Rose loving the movement of all the water.

Its an obsession, I know.  I love moving water.

In the shady sections there is still snow pockets.

The skies are blue and we are loving this hike.

It's time to put on our crampons 

Snow is covering the trail completely. 

We arrive at Mills Lake

Mills Creek is swirling snow melt down the mountain.

Most of the lake is clear but there are some sheets of ice on the water.

Across the lake is a waterfall, we could hear it clearly.

There is a marshy section dividing Mills Lake from Jewel Lake.

I got a chain from my crampon caught on my other hiking boot, it was like having my boots tied together.  Jim helped me separate my boots and rehooked the chain to the rubber, and I was good to go.

Looking down Mills Lake

Can you believe it?  I did it again, got my crampon hooked on my other boot.

Jim fixed it again.  We went down the trail and found 2 other hikers who had done the same thing and Jim loaned him his Gerber pliers to fix their crampons.

I am feeling confident hiking in the Rockies, even crossing this narrow bridge with a crazy creek roaring beneath me.

It was a great day hiking along crazy creek flow.

My kind of day.

June 9, 2021

This morning we walked the horse trail near Sprague lake.

Jim walks on the rocky edges to avoid a muddy area on the trail.

The Continental Divide as seen from the trail.

We also spotted this young mule deer.

Look at all that blue sky today, the weather was perfect.

"Abner Sprague, who operated Sprague Lake Lodge from 1910-40, once wrote 

The guest comes to stay every minute of his vacation he can spare. If he fails to see every nook and corner of the place on one visit, he comes year after year.... Our guests never get tired, the same old urge to visit spots seen more than once brings them back on their next vacation. They go home rested." 

And the highlight today, a visit from Kate & Jim!

This calls for a special lunch dessert, Cherry Peach Pie from "You Need Pie" in Estes Park.

Kate, Rose & Jim

three big fans of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Sprague Lake is one picture perfect place.

We came back to show Jim & Kate the RV at our campsite, they approved.

Thanks Jim & Kate for coming out and seeing us on our National Park tour.

June 10, 2021

Today we got to the Fall River Entrance at 8:26 am and waited a few to get in, only one of the two ranger stations was open to let cars in.  We are driving the Trail Ridge Road Today.

Here is some of what we saw today.

Longs Peak

 "The 14,259-foot, square-topped mountain across this valley has served as a navigational aid for thousands of years."

Rock Cut, shows the effort spent in building this road which took 6 years to build since they could only work on it 4 months every year due to weather conditions.

Some of this year's snow can still be seen along the side of the road.

Fire damage from recent fires can be clearly seen down by Grand Lake.

I loved Adam Falls down at Grand Lake.

Here is a video of Adams Falls

Adams Falls

The start of Adams Falls falling.

We spied this moose, as well as 3 other moose & several elk in the wetlands down by Grand Lake.

We took a short trail to see the Colorado River up close.

At the Colorado River trailhead we saw this workhorse helping carry supplies to the trail for repairs.

The Never Summer Mountains.

The only volcanic range in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Poudre Lake just East of the Continental Divide

Continental Divide Milner Pass elev. 10,759 ft.

The "Great Divide" separates drainage to the Atlantic from drainage to the Pacific. It traverses America from Alaska almost to Cape Horn.

Once up in the Tundra, we layered up as the wind and cooler temperatures required.

Lave Cliffs 12,085 feet 

"This area is the result of a lava flow that traveled from the Never Summer Range around 28 million years ago. Many years later, glaciers moving through the area cut open the hillside and revealed the lava cliffs seen today."

A Frozen Lake up in the tundra.

Jim on the Tundra Community Trail

The Geo Marker noting where we are.

Mushroom Rocks

"These mushroom-shaped rocks were born of fire and water. The dark colored schist was originally sand, silt, and clay at the bottom of a sea. Magma from deep in the earth invaded the schist and gradually cooled into the lighter colored granite. Mushroom shapes formed when the granite stems eroded more quickly than the schist caps."

Forest Canyon

The barren tundra and the Rockies beyond.

The trail to Forest Canyon Overlook is covered with snow (about 3 feet of it)

"This short trail crosses the tundra-a Russian word for "land of no trees." Here, above the treeline, winds often exceed 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour) and temperatures remain below freezing for at least five months each year. Because of these harsh conditions and short growing season, tundra plant communities require centuries to mature."

The alpine zone filled with lodge pole pines.

The Wetlands

"Wetlands cover less than 3% of Colorado, yet they harbor most of the state's wildlife. Water is the key.

Beaver dams once blocked the stream flow here, creating a pond. Silt and rich organic debris carried down from Hidden Valley accumulated behind the dam. In time, the dams decayed, draining the ponds and leaving fertile soil over 20 feet deep."

This little beauty is just some snow melt from above.

Trail Ridge Road is a wonder, such easy access to the mountain tops.

It was a great day up in the mountains.

June 11, 2021

We headed to the Wild Basin Area today to hike to Ouzel Falls

As soon as we hit the trail we cross the North St Vrain Creek, it is full of water.

Lower Copeland Falls does not disappoint.

The amount of water churning thru here is amazing.

Jim admires Upper Copeland Falls.

It looks gorgeous, and sounds thunderous.

Here's a video for you to hear the falls.

Whitewater is everywhere.

I love it.

We hiked a little further to reach Calypso Cascades.

It is a tall feature that is also amazing.

Here is a video of Calypso Cascades.

After Calypso we continue thru a tricky water crossing due to the high water.

Would you choose the round log or the submerged stones?

I did the stones going out and then did the log on the way back.  Boots stayed dry both ways.

This yellow flower, Thermopsis Montana, brightened the rocky trail.

We have been climbing this whole time (945ft in all)

and are getting closer to the mountaintops.

Ouzel falls starts at the top of the mountain and twists and turns on its way down.

Jim on the bridge over the flow out of Ouzel Falls.

I meanwhile climb up to see the top from the side.

Aah, a nice cool spray from the top of the falls.

Thanks for the recommendation Margie, Ouzel Falls was a fun water-filled trail.

Our lunch spot back at the North Vrain Creek which is running so high it has waves.

On our drive out of the Wild Basin Area we spotted 2 moose feeding by a pond.

On the ride back we stop at St Catherine of Siena Chapel on the Rock.

It is limited to tourism, a mass on Friday and weddings.

It is a small Catholic stone chapel.

I did get to ring the bell from the choir loft.  That was fun.

The drive home had mountain views.

Mount Meeker, Longs Peak & Mt. Lady Washington

While I was outside identifying and editing photos, 8 elk came by.

This place is fun.

June 12, 2021

Today is a day of reflection, reflections on the water that is.

Nymph Lake was the first lake on our hike today.

"In Summer, Nymph Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park blooms with the yellow blossoms of the lily pads that cover its surface."

Mountains reflected in the lake.

More mountain views along the trail.

The snow melt was coming down in force.

There was still snow on the trail in shady spots and at higher elevations.

We walked without crampons on our way to Emerald Lake but put them on for the return trip as the sun was slushing up the snow and making it slippery.

Dream Lake was the second lake along the trail.

It is the longest lake of the three and sits at 9,905ft

Jim spied a trout in Dream Lake.

You can fish in the park but it is catch and release.

Peak-a-Boo there is water flowing under the snow.

Emerald Lake was the last lake, it still had ice on it, so the reflection was limited.

Flattop Mountain just beyond the lake.  We spied 3 hikers up in the snow at the base of Flattop.

A waterfall was across the lake.

Besides the chipmunks that crawled around us on the rocks, this marmot also came by.

Here is a video around Emerald Lake.

More mountain views on the trail back.

After shuttling back to the park and ride we picnicked at the field where the elk like to hang out and saw 4 elk there. 

We went to church at Our Lady of the Mountains in Estes Park.

We also stopped by the Stanley Hotel where the Shining and parts of Dumb and Dumber was filmed.

The lobby was nice and included a Stanley Steamer Car.

The basement included the hotel's original ice box used until the 1940s.

I thought this surveyor lamp was pretty cool.

We have had a great time at Rocky Mountain National Park.

The timed entry worked out well and while there were plenty of people on the trails it did not seem overcrowded.  So if you can get timed entry come and visit, it is gorgeous.

June 13, 2021

Chore day around the RV as we travel tomorrow.  

We are also planning on eating in town today and getting groceries.

Nothing photo worthy today. (Apparently a rest day from blogging for the most part.)