Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado

For the last two days we have been touring Rocky Mountain National Park. On Friday, the Trail Ridge Road was closed due to snowfall the previous couple of days. We drove the lower roads and saw quite a bit of wildlife. It is rutting season for the elk and there were plenty to be seen. On the way out of the park on Friday, we saw a family of elk in the town of Estes Park. On the drive back to the RV Park, we saw bighorn sheep along the Big Thompson River Canyon.

Fall River

Horseshoe Park

Bull Elk

A family of elk in town (Estes Park).

Bighorn Sheep along the Big Thompson River.

At Bear Lake.

Snow Bunny...brrr it's cold!

On Saturday, the Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road (gravel and bumpy) were open. We decided to take the Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitor Center...the highest visitor center in the national park system at 11,796'. From there we drove down the westside of Trail Ridge Road toward Grand Lake. We stopped and had a picnic lunch at Grand Lake. We headed back on Trail Ridge Road toward the summit. There was quite a bit of snow along side the road. It was cold and windy at the higher elevations, so we did not stop much along the road. We headed back to the rig for dinner and some cards. Since the temperatures have been colder than we had expected, we are considering a change of location...maybe Moab, Utah where the weather has been a little warmer. It's been a long two-days of driving, so we decided that tomorrow will be a slacker day. Maybe some laundry and grocery shopping.

Poudre Lake at the Continental Divide (10,758')

At the Alpine Visitor Center.

View from the highest point on the Trail Ridge Road (12, 183').