JillianS

First time to CO for mom, dad, and 8 year old. Plan to stay in Boulder rather than Estes Park (due to expected altitude issues) and spend possibly 5-7 days exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. I'm planning on us doing easy to moderate hiking and taking part in many of the ranger led programs and maybe horseback riding.

Does that sound like too much time in RMNP?

Also, concerned about the weather. Every time I look at the forecast and webcams of the area it looks cold (at least to this Houstonian) and rainy. Is that likely to be the pattern for the end of July beginning of August?

Thanks to all for your help!

Nelson

We have been having an unseasonably cool, wet spring and summer this year. But predicting the weather a month out is impossible. There are patterns that suggest warm days, cool nights, with some afternoon thunderstorms, but I have seen these patterns fail time and time again. Could be hot and dry, or wet and cool the whole time you are here.

Boils down to luck of the draw during your visit. Bring layers of clothing and a good outer shell that is wind and rain resistant.

I've spent hundreds of days in RMNP over many years, so no, I don't think a week is too much time. Others here may disagree.

But I do think staying in Boulder in order to visit RMNP is not a good idea. If you follow standard guidelines (take it easy the first couple days, stay hydrated, be careful with alcohol) then your odds are low of having altitude issues.

Consider staying in Boulder a night or two and then move on up to Estes. That will help with acclimatization. Some of the good ranger programs are early in the morning, so you really want to be in Estes.

Have a great trip.

Tabernash2

"Consider staying in Boulder a night or two and then move on up to Estes."
Good advice from Nelson.

Nelson

Thanks Tabernash.

And I wanted to add: Boulder is a great town to visit, so just spend a couple days there rather than heading up and down to Estes each day.

Lots of good hiking, great restaurants, people watching, shopping right in Boulder.

JillianS

Thanks for the quick replies.

The staying in Boulder plan was based on my previous altitude issues in Santa Fe (only 7198 ft.) and Mt. Haleakala (10,023 ft.). We live at virtually sea level (33 ft.). All the research I've read states that you shouldn't ascend more than 1,000 ft. a day unless you are going to sleep at a lower elevation. I do plan to follow the other advice but am trying to mitigate the problem from starting to begin with.

Is the drive from Boulder to Estes Park that bad/time consuming? Google Maps shows it at about 40 miles and 1 hour drive time. Is that what we should expect?

Nelson

Jillian,

I've spent a couple of months over 14,000', so have some experience. I think the 1,000' a day rule kicks in when you are already above 5,000' or so. I'd be curious what symptoms you had in Santa Fe and how long they lasted. Haleakala at 10,000' is a whole 'nother story and most anyone will feel symptoms by simply walking uphill if not acclimatized.

But here are the acknowledged experts on altitude sickness:
http://www.altitudemedicine.org/altitude-illness/
http://www.altitudemedicine.org/opti...h-at-altitude/

In the second link note: "An overnight stay at an intermediate altitude such as Denver (5280 ft) or preferably a bit higher prior to further ascent into the mountains is very helpful."

Check out their other links.

Your call of course but I think spending two hours a day in the car between Boulder and Estes is not best use of your time. There will be traffic jams around Estes. Spend that time looking for wildlife in Moraine Park instead!

WhereAreWe

What issues did you have with altitude in Santa Fe? Estes Park is only about 7500 feet. You can expect to be tired with a bit of a headache for a couple days. But I have had the same issues in Denver, Estes Park isn't much different.

You will be hiking above 8000 feet in the park (realistically over 9000). That's where you will have the issues, if any occur. Yes it is nice to descend a bit to sleep, but Boulder is too far. It is an hour from Boulder to Estes if traffic is cooperating. However, you need to add in time to enter the park and possibly use the shuttle system to get around certain areas if you get there too late in the morning.

Nelson may have better time estimates but I remember staying in Estes, getting up before sunrise to get to Bear Lake and driving 20-30 minutes to get there. If you arrive 8 am or later, it will take even longer than that, and if you need to use the shuttle system, longer still. You most definitely will not leave Boulder and be on a trail an hour later, 1.5-2 hours is more realistic.

The later you get on a trail, the more likely you will be out and get caught in an afternoon thunderstorm. I would do as everyone suggests, stay in Boulder 1-2 nights and then in Estes Park the rest of your stay.

wtm003

I agree with a couple of days in Boulder and the rest in Estes Park.

I live in Denver but occasionally have altitude issues, mainly headaches, if I'm hiking in the mountains. I now try to remember to take ibuprofen the night before any strenuous activities at altitude.

tom_mn

You are right to be concerned. There are lots of alpine national parks, but RMNP is in its own category as far as altitude goes and the only one that causes trouble for me. Children seem much less affected.

Most of the hikes in RMNP are in the 9000-10,500 range, plus of course the hikes on Ridge Rd are even higher, up to 13,000.

Some parts of Estes are higher than others, not sure the numbers but in the 800' range. The lowest elevation would be near Estes Lake so staying near there might make sense.

Boulder isn't any higher than the western suburbs of Denver if you would rather spend time there.

JillianS

To those who asked, my symptoms in Santa Fe were feeling like a ton of bricks were on my chest and breathing heavily with the most minor exertion (walking up just a few steps). I work out regularly and would normally not have trouble with many steps at low altitude. If I experienced only headaches and tiredness I could live with that and wouldn't be so concerned.

Nelson

Well, it makes sense for you to be concerned. However, spending a couple nights in Boulder before moving up to Estes will unquestionably help. Odds are that you will do fine in Estes. Then being in Estes will help when you go up to the 9,000' or higher trail heads.

If you do decide to stay in Boulder the whole time then be prepared for 3+ hours daily in the car to reach the main RMNP trail heads around Glacier Gorge, as WhereAreWe noted. Ditto to get up Trail Ridge Road.

Less time to reach Wild Basin or Longs Peak trails, though you'll likely be arriving when the parking lots are full, and it's a longer and harder walk before you hit the real dramatic mountain scenery.

Also look into the Indian Peaks area, which is closer to Boulder than RMNP and nearly as scenic. The Brainard Lake trail is at 10,000', but scenery there is superb, and it's only an hour, or even less, from Boulder.

Have a great trip whatever you decide.

WhereAreWe

You could try to find a hotel with a good cancellation policy in Estes....spend a couple nights in Boulder, then head to Estes for the remainder of the time. If the altitude is really bothering you, check out and go back to Boulder. That really only works if the hotel allows you to cancel and doesn't charge for it of course. But I think it's worth trying Estes for a couple nights, many people have issues one trip and are OK another time.

Another option is to find lodging in Lyons. It is about the same altitude as Boulder but about 20 minutes closer to Estes, so it would save about 45 minutes of driving a day. It's a small town without all the restaurants and activities of Boulder, but if you're mainly looking for a place to sleep it would work fine.

If you experience symptoms in RMNP that are anything like your Santa Fe trip, you will be severely limited in what you can do in the park. There are a few very easy/level trails but most require a decent amount of elevation gain. Have you talked to your doctor about some medication to help with your symptoms? It could really help.

Tabernash2

I think the google map drive-time estimate is understated. Maybe in perfect weather and no traffic, you could make it in 1 hour. Usually not because there's traffic to deal with, too. The 40 miles is not freeway driving.

Boulder has so much of what you are looking for. If you want a cabin experience in Boulder, look at Chautauqua Park. They have very homey, rustic cabins to rent. Great views and hiking there. Their Dining Hall restaurant is excellent. A well-known music venue there, too.

Tabernash2

Also, from Boulder, it's a very short drive to beautiful Eldorado Canyon. There's a hot springs swimming pool there (I think it's still there!), and sheer rock walls where you can watch climbers.

Tabernash2

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/eldoradocanyon

https://www.eldoradosprings.com/abou...-swimming-pool

Correction: It's not a "hot" springs pool; it's a natural springs pool.

The good thing about Eldorado, is that it isn't ordinarily a tourist destination. It's more locals who are hardcore rock climbers, and people who visit the pool. We've never seen it terribly crowded.

JillianS

Long overdue update for anyone who might wonder how this turned out. We ended up not making this trip until late summer of 2017. We did stay the whole time in Boulder. Yes, the drive to RMNP was long but such beautiful scenery and so different from our everyday life that we didn't mind it at all. The weather did not cooperate for most of our time in the park so there were not many lines to deal with.

Even with all my precautions, the altitude was an issue. The only time it was debilitating though was on Trail Ridge Road when we walked from the Alpine Visitor Center up all the stairs to the tundra at 12.005 feet. I was very slow at walking it and had to keep stopping. When we went back down to get some lunch at the Visitor Center cafe, I had such a horrible headache and nauseated feeling that it really ruined the rest of our time on Trail Ridge Road. The whole rest of the day I was feeling very poorly. Thankful that we were staying in Boulder so I could get to a much lower elevation that night.

The trip was mostly wonderful but I think my days of being at higher altitudes are over.

Gretchen

Glad the trip was good. Don't give up on the altitude. Drink more water than you can ever think you would. Take some aspirin or talk to your doctor before going. Being out of breath at that altitude is not unusual and takes several days (if ever) to get over. Colorado is too beautiful.
When visiting son in Denver have been so sick I thought it was the flu. But when skiing on up in the mountains have been fine. It can be very unpredictaable.

sylvia3

Just want to say that the altitude sickness many people get is due to lack of oxygen, not hydration. Drinking buckets of water will result in a lot of peeing, but not relief of altitude-related symptoms.

fmpden

That is not quite true. You need to be well hydrated because you need to be making more blood. On average someone living at in Denver has 25 to 30 % more red corpuses to carry oxygen. Because of the lower air pressure your lungs are less efficient at processing (capturing) the available oxygen. For most people it is not too big a deal but if your lungs are compromised from smoking or other diseases then it can be a serious problem. Since you have had serious problems each time it could be something else and should be checked. It is unusual to have problems every time On average you should adjust about 1000 ft per day.

Gretchen

That would be news to our kids and their doctor related family in Denver who live by the mantra to drink water for whatever reason.. And I really don't pee any more than usual.