We will be in Silverthorne for 4 days the second week of Oct. Is the park usually still open then? Would like to do the Trail Ridge drive from Silverthorne and back in one day. Is that doable? Thanks.

That is certainly doable. And early October is my favorite time in Colorado. You will probably be a little behind the best of the colors in the 2nd week of Oct.

By the way, even if Trail Ridge Road is closed, the park itself is open. Right before Trail Ridge Road closes entirely, it can be intermittently open and closed depending on weather conditions. I think you might be there at a time when you can hear the elk bugling.

Thanks so much. We'll keep our fingers crossed on the weather and hope we can do it. We've always been there in the winter so have never done much but ski. Won't mind if we're a bit behind on the colors. We're from New England so we'll see gorgeous color around here before we go. We're looking forward to it.

I hope you have a great time. One October, I stayed alone in a cabin near the Falls Creek entrance to the park. I drove into the park late at night to watch a beaver pond, and had to drive through what felt like a sea of elk to get there. There were hundreds in the herd, just milling around on the road. I had to drive very slowly to make my way through. I don't think that my car was at all concerning to them. The elk make a very eerie sound as they bugle, and they were dangerous enough at that time of year that visitors were required to stay on paved roads and trails.

Wow, I want to do that! We have beavers behind us. But I want to see those elk!

Grasshopper, at the time I drove through the elk herd, I still lived in Houston Texas, and was just visiting Colorado. I was disgusted because I just wanted to get to the beaver pond, and the elk were slowing me down. I didn't realize what a rare experience I was having. Nothing like it has happened to me in more than 7 years of living in Durango. At the time, however, I realized on some level that the elk experience was the one I should have paid more attention to.

After living in Colorado for 30+ years, we have found all the Rocky Mountain areas to be gorgeous, so it always puzzles us when visitors focus exclusively on RMNP. It's pretty, of course, but so much else to see in the state. If you're in Silverthorne, you can drive to Redstone, or take the pass behind Breckenridge, or several other places closer than trying to drive all the way to RMNP and back in a day. If Trail Ridge Road is open, that would make the trip worth it, but otherwise, I'd suggest another, closer route for equally stunning sightseeing. You could go to Winter Park for the day, too. Just a thought.

I took a visitor through RMNP yesterday. We only saw three animals; a mule deer, a yellow-bellied marmot, and one big horn sheep, (check this out! http://pvtourist.com/1614594.jpg - Talk about your pampered animals!)

My favorite views in the Rockies are still over Independence Pass (CoHwy 82 out of Aspen). Also, Glenwood Canyon is very dramatic. I am looking forward to Slumgullion Pass as I hear it's pretty spectacular.

The elevation is so vast, you have a good chance of seeing animals and it's a large park. Other places in Colorado are unique too but I'd still recommend RMNP to anyone. We saw a ton of Elk and a Moose which we were hoping to see! If you see a lot of cars pulled over at any location, there's a good chance they are watching an animal so pull over!

If this year is anything like the last 2 years, you are in luck. Pure beauty and abnormally warm temperatures.