Rocky Mountain National Park/Estes Park
 

Hello! My wife and I just returned from a short three day visit to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park in early April. The mountains were quite beautiful all covered in snow. It was pretty cold while we were there, never getting any warmer than the low 40s, and all trails were covered in snow, but we very much enjoyed drives into the park. The album has 99 photos, most of them taken during two summer visits in recent years ... I just added nine photos from our trip a few days ago. If you are trying to visualize what the area looks like, my photos and descriptive captions may help you plan your visit. I also give specific advice on many of the most popular hikes.

Here's the link to my Picasa album ...

https://picasaweb.google.com/1003399...4?noredirect=1

Happy travels!

Mike

Thanks for the photos!

Nice photos, we were there in the fall and the aspens were a lovely yellow. Thanks for the pictures.

You're welcome. ... Ahhhh, I so wish we could go to RMNP - or really anywhere in the CO mountains - in October! I teach, so while we do get quite a few weeks off, we can never travel in the autumn, unless we wanted to zip in and out for just two days.

Thanks for sharing. You showed some of my favorite places in the Park.

Congrats on making it up Longs on a prior trip.

My wife and I have a wind sock from Into The Wind, the Boulder kite store you photographed. It's out on our patio every summer, a nice splash of color.

Very nice. I'm ready for summer and some hiking time in RMNP.

When I was a kid I went to summer camp at Camp St. Malo. Every morning we were required to attend mass at the chapel off Hwy 7. I appreciate its beauty much more now than I did then.

Nelson, Yes, "The Wind" is a very cool place to browse! ... Wtm003, that chapel is in quite the beautiful setting, with Mt. Meeker directly behind it. Funny how our adult perspectives can be so different from those of our youth!

Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing. Greatly assists in determining what short hikes we will take.

Your welcome, DoctorT ... that was my aim in putting this album together. Glad it's useful for you - happy hiking!

I love your pictures (and the descriptions). I am going to Colorado for 10 days in July (son and family live in Fort Collins) and cannot wait to hike some trails. Rocky Mountain High-such a feeling.

Awesome photos and descriptions. You've helped me for our October trip. I hope the snow holds off.

Mike, thanks for posting your wonderful pix and commentary! We hiked Long's Peak in the mid 90's, and the experience ranks at the top of all hikes (i.e. climb) we've ever done. Your description of leaving at 3 AM with flashlights, etc. etc. is so accurate. Your post motivates us to look up our photos...and plan another trip to Colorado sooner rather than later. Thanks again for sharing your RMNP experience! Glad you enjoyed it.

lovely, we leave tomorrow (hope it's a wee bit warmer than your trip) - any suggestions for restaurants or favorite trails (we'll be on the grand Lake side of things). thanks for sharing

Laura, Sorry about the delayed reply ... just got back from a long trip to Europe. I am not as familiar with the Grand Lake side of the park for restaurants and trails, as I am the Estes Park side, so I can't really help you. Hope you are having a lovely time!

No problem - we had a lovely visit and wish it had been longer. Hope you had a great trip to Europe!

My husband & I are leaving August 28th for our 1st trip to CO beginning with a week hiking in RMNP. After seeing your awesome pictures, I am going to have a hard time waiting to leave:)

Well, a full week hiking in RMNP will be great! That will give you time to do some of the best hikes, like The Loch, Mills and Black Lakes and maybe even try some of the longer day hikes that cover 10 round trip miles or more, if you are in great shape. Being there that late in the summer should also mean that Estes Park is not quite as crowded, as most schools have already started by then. ... Enjoy!

Thanks for the tips on the hikes! We just returned from a long weekend in Harpers Ferry, WV hiking some of the AT to get a little "mountain hiking" in that we definitely don't have in Ohio. Hallet Peak is on my list...but not the 1st couple days we're there! HAHA We've done some big mountain hikes in Alaska & New Hampshire's White Mountains, so we know what to expect:)

Hallet Peak is not one I have done, but my son has and he says it's glorious views up there, but a lot of up in the beginning. I was just at Harpers Ferry last summer (for the history; didn't have time while there for hiking) for the first time - interesting and very scenic place. Have fun in CO!

Good choice on Hallet Peak. I've been up there more times than I can count and don't get bored with it, most recently a few weeks ago.

<i> > it's glorious views up there, but a lot of up in the beginning</i>
A bit of up at the end too! A small section in the middle is OK. :)
Glorious views for sure.

Keep your eyes out for ptarmigan when you break out of the trees on the Flattop trail. I've seen them there often the last few years.

Good luck.