I am planning a trip in the middle of August to Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and plan to spend about a week there. And while it looks like there is plenty to do there, I am still not sure what exactly is the best there etc... So if anyone knows of any fun things to do in or around Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. Also which are the best restaurants in Estes Park, where the pricing is around $10-20 per dinner. One more thing, I am planning on driving from Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park to Yellowstone Nat'l Park, and about how long would that take if say I would exceed the speed limit by 10mph.
Thanks again.

Oh and if anybody knows anything in between Yellowstone and Rocky that would merit say a 2 hour stop.

When you say fun things in Rocky Mountain NP, do you mean outdoors stuff like hiking? Or are you talking water slides in Estes Park?

RCMP to Yellowstone is a long drive.
It will take you all day. The distance Is on the order of 600 or more miles, depending upon where in Yellowstone you are going. (It is not exactly a midget of a park.)

In RCMP itself, the drive over Trail Ridge Road is a classic for mountain scenery. Other than that, you will find the main attractions on various trails. If you are into walking, the hike to Sky Pond is an all day excursion. But the Loch is a short hike and is very scenic.
If you want the blockbuster hike, ascend Long's Peak! But don't try it unless you are in top notch physical condition.

Well the outdoor stuff, mostly. But I never heard of water slides in Estes Park? Exactly what are they, water partk, etc..?

Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park:

To Bring:
Jacket: (sunny one minute, lightning (ing) and pouring-down rain, the next)
Sunscreen: for pale and dark people
Time: you'll need to take time to get used to the altitude, especially doing the activities. If you go on trail ridge road, do it on your 3rd or 4th day to get acclimated, no kidding.
A Pal: its great to share your experiences!
Essential Hiking stuff: no more said here.
Do go horse-back riding.
Do hike in MacGregor Ranch (if you start out early....5am....you can do the loop in a couple hours before the heat or storms)
Go to The Stanley Hotel, even if you're camping, you can at least walk around inside.
Take the elevator up the mountain, (tram)
Eat saltwater taffy. (yum!)
Get an old-fashioned pic taken.
Rock climb....everywhere.
There is also a Colorado Trail....look it up.
Bring your patience, lots of traffic you wouldn't expect.



ok...8-10 hours to yellowstone. Definitely go to Tetons!!! Jackson Hole!! Gosh, if you get a chance, go to Cody Wy....very north....its great.
Again, bring same stuff, but even more patience b/c of traffic.

Day One: Starting in Estes Park, drive up Hiway 34. Drive up the Fall River Road (UNLESS it's about to rain!) just past Sheep Lake until FRR rejoins Hiway 34. Continue west along Hiway 34 till you cross the Divide at Milner Pass. Then backtrack east on Hiway 34, and return back to Estes Park on Hiway 36.
As noted above, you may get altitude sickness along this drive unless you've acclimated yourself to the mountain air.

Day Two: take the shuttle bus up to Bear Lake. Hike around Bear Lake, and then either to Alberta Falls or to Emerald Lake. For the latter hike, be prepared to turn back if you get tired. There's beauty all along the way, so don't feel like you MUST go all the way.

Day Three on to eternity: check out the hundreds of kilometers of trails in the Park; you'll NEVER get tired of them.

For dozens of links about Colorado hiking, go to

www.peaktopeak.net/co.html

A water slide is a sliding board that leads into a swimming pool. Many tourist destinations have them. I don't know if there is one in Estes Park.

I don't think you could possibly make Yellowstone from Rocky Mountain NP in 8 hours. You would need to average better than 65 mph all day long.

To get serious about RMNP, it is first and foremost a hikers' park.
My favorite destination is Sky Pond, but it is an arduous hike. If you fo part way you will have seen some lovely views. The drive over Trail Ridge Road as I suggested earlier is a classic.
It is a well designed road, but you do rise to an altitude of 12,183 feet at the highest point.

If you go to RCNP immediately upon arrival, the altitude is enough that you could suffer from altitude headaches. Also, remember that the atmosphere is thinner, and the sun burns quicker because there is not as much to scatter the ultra violet rays of the sun. The top of an unprotected bald head can burn quickly and deeply.
I don't know how much experience you have had with high altitude hiking -- above 9,000 feet -- but storms can strike quickly and the temperature can plunge drastically. I have hiked in a sleet storm in July and August at those higher altitudes.

Some other destination are Bear Lake and Mount Hallett. Hallett is not too tought, 12,700 feet, and gives some beautiful views, particularly of Longs Peak.
Wild Basin is another good destination.
There are some others. The park visitor center can suggest several.

A water slide is a sliding board that leads into a swimming pool. Many tourist destinations have them. I don't know if there is one in Estes Park.

I don't think you could possibly make Yellowstone from Rocky Mountain NP in 8 hours. You would need to average better than 65 mph all day long.

To get serious about RMNP, it is first and foremost a hikers' park.
My favorite destination is Sky Pond, but it is an arduous hike. If you fo part way you will have seen some lovely views. The drive over Trail Ridge Road as I suggested earlier is a classic.
It is a well designed road, but you do rise to an altitude of 12,183 feet at the highest point.

If you go to RCNP immediately upon arrival, the altitude is enough that you could suffer from altitude headaches. Also, remember that the atmosphere is thinner, and the sun burns quicker because there is not as much to scatter the ultra violet rays of the sun. The top of an unprotected bald head can burn quickly and deeply.
I don't know how much experience you have had with high altitude hiking -- above 9,000 feet -- but storms can strike quickly and the temperature can plunge drastically. I have hiked in a sleet storm in July and August at those higher altitudes.

Some other destination are Bear Lake and Mount Hallett. Hallett is not too tough, 12,700 feet, and gives some beautiful views, particularly of Longs Peak.
Wild Basin is another good destination.
There are some others. The park visitor center can suggest several.

If you are going to Yellowstone, there will be plenty to do. That is a whole other topic!! And one that is well described on this forum. Do a search on Yellowstone, and plenty of reference should come up for view.

I don't know if Estes Park has a waterslide (aside from a local pool possibly). The poster might have meant an alpine slide which is just like a water slide without the water. Those are found a many mountain resorts. Estes Park is a nice town to walk around and then tour the park.

There's literally not much between RMNP and YS, except Jackson.

If you like history, north of Rock Springs and east of Farson you can see some of the best views of the Oregon Trail.

Bob Brown,

You say at RMNP not to go straight to RCNP because of the altitude? What does RCNP stand for?

What is altitude sickness? Dizziness/nausea/short of breath? Don't think in my travels, I've been up that high at least not for hiking - just for drive throughs.

Thanks for the info.

Sylvia

Sylvia, I topped a post about altitude sickness for you. For most peope who get it, it's a headache, fatigue and maybe some dizziness. It can be minimized by ascending beyond 5000 feet over the course of a day or two, and staying well-hydrated.

I think Bob probably meant RMNP.

Thanks. Found it. Good information.

I am a lousy typist. At least I did not type RCMP for the Mounties in Canada!

Altitude sickness can affect people in various ways. It is all tied to the decreased amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. The severity varies so much and the problem is so multifaceted that making predictions is risky.

I can tell you what happened to me. On our first visit to Rocky Mountain NP we were totally ignorant of altitude sickness. At the time my wife had not completed her medical training as an adult health nurse practitioner, and I was sadly uninformed. We were not yet 40 and both of us were in good physical condition.

We went from Denver at about 5,300 feet to a campground at RMNP at about 9,000.
My wife had headaches, loss of appetite, and, as might be expected, shortness of breath. She also had trouble sleeping.
I was grouchy and felt out of sorts. Of course any exertion left me breathing hard. After three days, we felt better.

The medical books say that in bad cases, altitude problems can produce irregular breathing and vomiting. I never experienced that myself, however.

The major remedy listed in most general medical books is to drink liquids, and curtail initial activity. The body needs a little while to adjust to less oxygen.

And take something for the headache.

Some text books suggest not over eating so that large amounts of blood are not tied up digesting food.

Of course someone with compromised oxygen intake and conversion systems is at some risk for more severe problems.

I know on Trail Ridge Road, I saw a man carrying an oxygen tank. I naturally was concerned for him, but he just turned up the oxygen flow and made it up the hill faster than anyone, except two kids who ran all the way.

The summer I made it to the top of 2 fourteeners, I crept up on it!
We spent the first night night at about 6,500 feet. Then we went to 8,500 for 2 nights with excursions up to 12,000. The next day we took off with full packs for two nights at 12,000 feet with excursions up to 13,000.
Then we headed up the Mount of the Holy Cross at better than 14,000 feet after camping at 11,500 feet.
I remember lugging about 40 pounds over Half Moon Pass at about 11,600 and thinking I was going to die before I got to the top of the steepest section. Fortunately two Golden Retrievers came bounding over the rocks and gave me mouth to face resuscitation while I was sitting on a rock to recover. (I was a salt lick I think. The dogs had been fishing with their owner. They lived out there and adjusted more quickly than a flatlander like myself. )

We got to the top ok.

I think the main thing is that if you know what can happen, you guard against it by not exerting the first day, and if you can, avoid traveling rapidly from near sea level to 8500 feet or more to spend the night. I know vacation time is precious, but if you feel lousy, it is not much fun.

The major problem for some people however is sunburn. The air is thinner, they are above timber line where there is no shade, and they don't protect their skin. I think you are at greater risk for serious sun burn problems there than you are for altitude problems.