Rocky Mountain National park questions
 

We fly into Denver late one Friday afternoon. Was planning on staying at the airport that night (after full day of travel) and set out early the next morning for Grand Lake and RMNP. We can devote all of Staurday (once we arrive) to seeing the park. My question is how to approach it--what to see. We will have a rental car and not really interested in hiking.

We are staying at Grand Lake Lodge for two nights. We would like to reserve Sunday for golf for my husband and a relaxing day for me on their famous porch staring at the lake with a good book.

Any suggestions? Thanks H

You are in luck in RMNP if you do not hike. There is one paved road called Trail Ridge Road that will take you from Estes Park (East side from Denver) to Grand Lake (west side) by dinnertime. You will love GLL.

Refer to nps.gov for some detours off TRR that really don't involve hiking.

Stop when you enter the park and check out the map. RM is very easy in a car; if you can, take the shuttle from the entrance visitor's center to Bear Lake (just a short ride, really), and walk around the gorgeous little lake on the very nice path (no ups or down, just level, and scenery is lovely). Then go over Trail Ridge road; be sure to stop and look at the pullouts. There is a short stairway to some fab views at the visitor's center at the top. On the way to the other side, there are many places to pull out for a picnic or snack, with views of course, and chances to maybe see elk. You can reach GL in plenty of time to enjoy the porch, pool, view, or even a walk through town at the bottom.
Basically, the roads through the park are limited, easy to do, and offer lots of scenery for non-hikers.

So are you guys recommending we enter the park from Estes? We will be coming up from Denver. It sounds BEAUTIFUL!! h

We were there a month ago, be sure you stop at one of places that you can walk out to a viewpoint. There loads of marmots running around and seemed to be very friendly. I had never seen a marmot up close, so we were all excited. The area had a parking lot and was a pretty flat walk out to a view point.

Not to show my lack of knowledge or anything about animals in the wild--I am proceeding to a proper definition and description of marmots RIGHT NOW!!
Thanks so much!

You can come into the park from Estes - and then you will have to drive up and over trail ridge road to get to the Granby side. If you do this - I'd plan a long day as this implies you are only going to be on the east side of the park on this one day (some would say the east side is the nicer side - but I don't know that I agree). An alternative is to drive over one of your other days - but then obviously you have to go over and back this one day.... and it is a drive that I just don't like enough to do twice in one day.

As far as where to stay that first night - I would drive to Boulder. It's less than an hour from the airport (where there is absolutely nothing to see or do) and sets you up much better for your next day.

Your best way in is from Estes Park (via HWY 36 is the most scenic), the east side of the park. If you plan on taking the Bear Lake shuttle, the main entrance is best (that's where you would get on the shuttle). The other entrance, which has a new visitor center, is also fine, and not very far at all from the main center, too (just drive up toward the Stanley Hotel and turn left). There are many big turnouts in the park, and at everyone I've ever stopped at (pretty much all), there will be marmots and/or chipmonks popping up to sucker you into feeding them (but you know better! I once saw a marmot so obese I didn't know how he could waddle around and not get eaten.) From the back of the visitor's center at the top of Trail Ridge, you can often see elk in the meadows below. Just watch for cars slowing down, as in any NP, and look for whatever the gawking's at (ask the pros at the visitor's center about the mountain sheep that are often perched high above the road a short distance in). You'll enjoy the park, I'm sure; it's one of the most accessible for scenery for folks who can't or don't hike.

Julie:
Great advice on the Boulder stay (This is our first visit to Colorado--so will do that for sure. Thanks!

Also did look up marmots as promised. For those of you out there (I hope there are at least a couple) here is the definition for "Marmot"
Marmots are members of the genus Marmota, in the rodent family Sciuridae (squirrels).

Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevadas in the United States or the European Alps. However the groundhog is also properly called a marmot, and the prairie dog is also better called a "prairie marmot", though it is not classified in the genus Marmota but in the closely related genus Cynomys.

Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed.

Now I need to know which types of marmots I should be looking for in RMNP??

Also I haven't checked out the map but on Monday we are heading for Dillon Lake. I am assuming we can go around the park to get there? Sorry to sound so inept but this is a last minute vacation for us and I am trying to pull it all together so I am organized.H

You are going to Dillon Lake from Granby?.. If so, you drop straight south to I-70 and head west (the first exit after the Eisenhower tunnel). You don't go back into the park and up and over trail ridge road if you are in Granby.

Julie--
You are the best! Any tips on Dillon? It SOUNDS like the condo we are renting is well situated with great views of the lake and recently extravagantly redecorated. I am hoping to do a lot of my own cooking/grilling on the deck but any and all tips will help.

We use to own a condo at Keystone - which is very close to Dillon. Get a Summit Daily news and see what is going on. You'll find them all over the place. There are free concerts in the Ampitheater on the lake in Dillon - and they will be in the S. D. news.

A really trashy Mexican place that is very popular is the old dillon inn.. It's back down highway 6 on the other side of I70 (from where you will be staying). Once you pass under I-70 it is on the left. It is a really hole in the wall kind of Colorado place.

Actually, you can log on to the keystone web site (www.keystoneresort.com) to see what events are planned. We're going to the wine festival the weekend of August 26th.

I really like the town of Breckenridge... To go to Breckenridge, continue up highway 6 (south) and take a right on Swan Mountain Road. When this road ends go left and you'll go straight into Breck.

I'm less enamored with Vail but most on this board love it.

On your way to Lake Dillon from Granby, the town of Georgetown is a cute place to stop - an old Victorian mining town with art galleries, etc. It's just off I70.

Thanks again Julie--printing out this thread as I type. Lots of great advice. Hoping Dilon offers some nice groceries with good produce etc.

We drove straing from the Denver airport to Estes Park and I thought it was a rather comfortable distance (slightly over an hour if I remember correctly) as well as a beutiful drive. But since you are arriving late in the afternoon you might not be willing to tackle the curvy roads in the night.

The trail ridge road will take you to heights where people (me included) might begin to feel altitude 'uneasiness' not to use the word 'sickness'. Take it easy and take a sweater.

Enoy the park, it is awesome. We loved the easy hike around Bear Lake and the one to the Emerald Lake (not as easy).

BTW - I saw my first marmot in RMNP.

I strongly encourage you to spend a transistion night around Boulder.
Rocky Mountain NP is hight enough that altitude effects are common.

You feel lethargic, might even have a headache, etc.

On top of Trail Ridge, the elevation is 12,000 feet plus. I suggest you go up with stops along the way to let the body catch up.

Please don't just rush up there.
Let your breathing catch up with the sudden shift in elevation.

Tho some feel the elevation, others do not, esp. if your plans do not include hiking. Drink fluids, look at everything, enjoy.
p.s. The species of marmot you will be seeing is mamotus giganticus. Especially if they've gotten a lot of potato chips!

my son says I should say that that is a joke.

If you're driving Granby to Lake Dillon, I suggest you consider another route. Going to I-70 takes you over Berthoud Pass, which is a serious pass, then you would head west and have to go up and through the Eisenhower Tunnel and down to Dillon. A lot of wasted miles.
Instead, from Granby you can take Highway 40 to Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling, then take 9 over to Silverthorne and catch I-70 there. It's a very pretty drive through a rather sparsely populated area, and a much more efficient route.
Enjoy Grand Lake Lodge. It's someplace we visit every summer to enjoy their restaurant and sit on the porch.
The Grand Lake golf course is pretty, too. We Nordic ski there every winter. Also, there's another golf course, maybe a better one but I'm not sure, called Pole Creek that's over by Tabernash.

WOW!!! So much helpful information. We will bring lots of fluids with us thru the Park. Advise on taking it slowly and let our bodies adapt is great as sometimes we tend to rush things (get to the top as fast as we can to see the views!) so we will make a point to slow our pace down. I think our transition night will be in Boulder. Our recent experience flying to Phoenix was just a series of late flights so we are just planning on a late arrival. I think Boulder should be an easy doable ride from Denver right?? I am actually REALLY looking forward to our two night stay at Grand Lake Lodge--from all the raves here on Fodors. Thanks. H

the drive from Denver Airport to Boulder is less than an hour... and the drive from Boulder to Estes is less than an hour. It's about 45 minutes each if you don't get lost, etc..