Rocky Mountain National Park guides
11 in-depth guides to Rocky Mountain National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Rocky Mountain National Park overview.
Trail Ridge Road: Driving Across the Tundra
Trail Ridge Road carries US Highway 34 for 48 miles across Rocky Mountain National Park, linking Estes Park on the east side with Grand Lake on the west.
Bear Lake to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes
The Emerald Lake Trail begins at the Bear Lake Trailhead, at the end of Bear Lake Road on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Climbing Longs Peak and the Keyhole Country
At 14,259 feet, Longs Peak rises above every other summit in Rocky Mountain National Park and is the only fourteener inside its boundaries.
Five Ecosystems from Ponderosa Forest to Tundra
Climb a thousand feet in Rocky Mountain National Park and the average temperature in dry air falls about 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Moraine Park Elk, Bighorn Sheep and Kawuneeche Moose
Moraine Park is one of the most reliable places in Rocky Mountain National Park to find elk, with herds grazing across the open valley floor.
150 Glacial Lakes, Moraines and U-Shaped Valleys
Glacial geology shows up everywhere in Rocky Mountain National Park, from the high peaks down to the valley floors.
Ute Trail: Ancient Path Over the Divide
Long before Trail Ridge Road crossed these heights, people were walking over them. Paleo-Indians followed a route near the line of today's road to hunt and gather food, and later the Ute and Arapaho hunted and camped across this high country.
Enos Mills and the Park's Founding
Enos Mills was only fourteen when he settled near Estes Park, arriving in the early 1880s after a short burst of prospecting on the park's west side had already come and gone.
Moraine Park Camping and the Bear Lake Shuttle
Moraine Park Campground is the largest campground inside Rocky Mountain National Park, with 244 sites spread across several loops.
Grand Lake and the Quieter West Side
The west side of Rocky Mountain National Park begins at the Grand Lake Entrance, just outside the town of Grand Lake, Colorado.
Wild Basin's Lakes and Waterfalls
Wild Basin is one of the named corners of Rocky Mountain National Park, and its trails are part of a network of more than 350 miles that wind in, around and over the Continental Divide.
