Best Time for Rocky Mountain NP?
 

We love the mountains of northern and western Colorado, but when we visited Rocky Mountain NP in September, 2014, the mountains were obscured by fog and clouds.

Is there a time of year when the mountains are most likely to be in view?

HTtY

How long were you there? I've been there multiple times in every season and have never had fog/clouds that lasted for days. One day maybe but even then it's rare for the mountains to be obscured for an entire day.

We were there September 8, 9, and 10 of 2014. Perhaps they mountains weren't completely obscured for the whole time, but they were never completely visible as they were on a previous visit the exact time of which I know not.

HTtY

The mountains are rarely obscured by clouds or fog. Wide spread fog in the mountains is almost unheard of. My guess in the fog in September was the smoke from the western wild fires. That is not uncommon and will linger for days.

Apparently we had a stroke of very bad luck. Living where there are a lot of forrest fires, we didn't experience anything to make us suspect fire somewhere was the problem.

It was cold and cloudy or foggy in the early September we were there, but I'm glad to know that visibility is not a concern at any time other than that particular time.

HTtY

HTtY, you did have bad luck, because the Rockies are not prone to be foggy, especially during the daytime. Our climate is too dry to generate much fog.

Ordinarily, September and October are great months to visit Colorado.

"Apparently we had a stroke of very bad luck."

I would say that's the case. RMNP is not like Rainier where the peak is frequently obscured and visitors feel lucky to catch a glimpse.

The only time I've experienced heavy fog was one June morning, it obscured everything until the sun started burning it off around mid-morning. Also, there are generally storms rolling through on summer afternoons that will hamper visibility. But as I said, it's really unusual to have poor visibility for several days in a row, so chalk it up to bad luck on that trip. I wouldn't worry about clouds/fog when planning future trips.

It was smoke.

>>It was smoke.<<

From which fire(s)? How did you go from "My guess" to dead certain it was smoke? I don't see any new information to come to that conclusion.

It's pretty tough to confuse smoke for fog/clouds. I would think the OP would remember a persistent smoky smell if this was caused by fires. Your theory just doesn't add up.

We camped up there in June or July years ago and most of our hiking day was gray with low clouds and little visibility, but multiple days is unusual and would most likely be bad luck. Too bad you aren't out here this weekend. It is beautiful and clear. Hope you get better weather for your next trip!

WhereAreWe, the times I've seen smoke in Colorado, was from fires far away. By the time it reaches us, it doesn't smell and doesn't really look grey, like smoke. It is easy to confuse it with fog.

Thank you Tabernash2.

WhereareYou?? You are not here. I have been for 35 years and live on ridge overlooking the front range from the flatirons to Palmer ridge. Smoke, hazy, is often a problem in the summer with western wild fires. Smoke was frequent this summer with all of the fires in Oregon and Washington. By the time it gets here the heavy particulates have fallen out along with the smoky smell. It kind of a gray hazy that settles into the valleys until a change in wind patterns push it out. To someone not familiar with the conditions could easily mistake it for fog since it behaves much like fog.

I have double-checked the days we were in Estes Park. It was September 10, 11, and 12 of 2014.

Then, at acuweather.com, I discovered that the weather in Estes Park was unseasonably cold on those particular days. The highs were 71, 48, and 46 on days the historical average high is 79.

On the last four days of September, 2014, the highs were 85, 89, 89, and 86.

We had bad luck with the weather. There was no smoke or distant wild fires involved in our problem.

We will return before long with the expectation that the skies will be clear.

Thank

>>It is easy to confuse it with fog.<<

Oh c'mon guys. We are all adults that have experienced fog. It is not easily confused for a smokey haze - since fog is by definition, water vapor and smokey haze is not.....wet. It's pretty darn simple and any adult with half a brain can tell the difference, especially when spending 3 full days in those conditions.

>>To someone not familiar with the conditions could easily mistake it for fog since it behaves much like fog.<<

Except the OP clearly stated he/she is familiar with smoke from wildfires.

Perhaps CO residents are the ones who get confused because they aren't familiar with fog...rather than visitors being confused by smoke.

Well, we get a lot more smoke than we do fog.

Meant to add that we do get a lot of smoke from west coast fires and by the time it gets here, it does not smell smokey.

Mid-September is about when the elk rut starts. It's a great time to view the bull elks bugling and competing for the female harems. So, I would say mid-September to mid-October would be a great time to visit. Not just for the elks but for the fall colors.

The park isn't usually as crowded during that time since school is back in session and not as many families vacationing that time of year.

If you're hikers and want to see some spectacular scenery, here's a good starting point of some of the best hikes in the park:

http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails...p-10-hikes.htm

Sorry you had bad luck last year! Unfortunately that's always the risk with outdoor-themed vacations. :)

I would be a little careful with the suggestion that the park is not as crowd during the fall. Grant there may be more hotel rooms available but the roads can get jammed to the point of nearly impossible to pass because of the Elk rut. If a herd in in a meadow all the roads next to it will be filled with stopped cars. So you need to be a little careful with the driving route at that time.

In general, it is true that everywhere is less crowded with tourists, after school starts. You just need to be aware of things like the elk rut, which draws crowds.

You've got me all excited about the elk rut.

HTtY