The Two Sides of Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park and Grand Lake Colorado Anchor Park's Entrances
Jun 6, 2009
With 360 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is great for hiking, wildlife watching, fishing, horseback riding and dozens of similar outdoor pursuits in all seasons. Around nearly every turn, the magnificent vistas of ponderosa pine and juniper contrast with tranquil images of bubbling mountain streams and wildflower-filled meadows. From powerful bighorn sheep to elk, moose, black bear and cougars, the park’s abundant natural resources remind that the human population is simply a visitor, another player,in this playground.
Estes Park Colorado:
A lovely community with abundant accommodations, restaurants, art galleries and family activities, Estes Park is a comfortable base to reach many of the trailheads, lakes and concessions inside the park. But in the summer months, particularly July and August, the traffic is bumper to bumper through Estes Park and the splendor of the mountains competes with the sound of cell phones, video games and crying babies.
Lily Lake is a fabulous destination for wildflower viewing, particularly on an early summer visit. This is the area where Enos Mills, who was considered the founder of Rocky Mountain National Park, lived and documented the splendor of the mountains in an effort to achieve national park status for the land he loved.
The Moraine Park Museum is home to many of the works from the park’s Artist-in-Residence program, as well as a large collection of objects that detail the natural and cultural history of the park. Many of those objects reflect the Ute and Arapaho cultures that thrived in the region.
Many visitors never travel much farther than about half-way across the Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center, elevation 11, 796. Many visitors then turn around and head back to Estes Park and the east side of the park, never exploring what many consider to be the best side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Grand Lake Colorado:
On the opposite side of the Continental Divide, this side of the park sees more precipitation, more moose and black bear and fewer people. Of the three and half million visitors a year to Rocky Mountain National Park, only about a half million or so enter through the west gates at Grand Lake. Here, not one traffic light is necessary and only one stop sign is needed to keep the mayhem at bay.
This is the side of the park where roads are more likely to be closed for a few hours during summer snowstorms, but a great place to wait it out is at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. Named for the Arapahoe word for coyote, the Kawuneeche Visitor Center is open all year and hosts a great Saturday Night at the Park program, which includes movies, popcorn and ranger talks.
The west side of the park is where the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail crosses. A mandatory Kodak moment is where the trail intersects at the Green Mountain Trailhead and a monument identifies the top of the continent – at 12,324 feet.
The west side of the park is anchored by the tranquil community of Grand Lake. The body of water by the same name is Colorado’s largest natural lake and is considered the start of the Colorado River. At 8,367 feet, the Grand Lake Yacht Club has the distinction of being the world’s highest yacht club.
Grand Lake is home to a number of services that rent mountain bikes and sail boats, provide horseback riding and fly fishing services, rafting and camping supplies. The Grand Lake Golf Course is ranked as one of Colorado’s top ten, and the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre has been entertaining families since 1967.
Art walks the third Saturday of each month and the annual Chili Cook-off sponsored by the Fire Department provide intimate opportunities to interact with the locals of this community who have chosen to make the Rocky Mountains their home all year long.
Grand Lake Lodge
Even if just passing through the west gate of Rock Mountain National Park, everyone will enjoy a visit to the Grand Lake Lodge. Billed as “Colorado’s Front Porch,” the scenic view of the mountains and the wildlife here rivals anything else available in the park.
Built from timber cut when the Trail Ridge Road was built through the park in 1919, the Grand Lake Lodge is a National Historic Landmark because of its early contributions to tourism in Colorado and preservation of Rocky Mountain rustic stick style architecture. The lodge restaurant, known for its exquisite preparation of wild game and fresh Colorado trout, is a destination in itself.
Another popular Colorado vacation is the All-American Dude Ranch vacation.
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