Rocky Mountain National Park

 We've been back to Rocky Mountain National Park quite a few times--honeymoon, anniversary, quick trips, etc. None of those times were quite so epic as October 2020, when we went to RMNP for a week and a half, and then stayed a few days at Garden of the Gods. This part will cover RMNP, and we will save Garden of the Gods for later. 

Deciding To Go

It was pandemic times. We had planned a glorious trip for March 2020--Zion, Escalante, Grand Canyon, Saguaro--which, well. We all know what happened to plans in the United States in March 2020. By the end of July, we were more comfortable with what safety precautions were needed and our itch to travel was at an all time high. Driving to our original plan was just too far, but Estes Park? That seemed doable. EJ, our oldest, was in virtual school. JD was still in daycare. So, reader, we went for it. I took two weeks off; JK planned to work remotely a bit; EJ would do some school. We were going to drive it, rent a cabin, and just hike around.

Getting There

Whew, driving from Indiana to Colorado was something else. JK and I decided that if it was just us, we would have a grand time either way (making a long trip out of it, or just barreling straight through). The kids had other ideas. They slept until Missouri, they were well behaved until 3 pm, and then it all disintegrated, understandably. 

The drive is EASY. Get on I-70. Drive until you hit Denver. We stopped in Denver and stayed at a hotel--Denver was as far as the kids could make it, and we knew there was a giant train station in downtown Denver that would delight the very soul of JD. Sure enough, we had a leisurely morning, stopped in bookstores, explored downtown, and yes, sat on the platform and watched trains for quite some time.

The drive from Denver to Estes Park is gorgeous--mountains, twists, turns, and then, suddenly you open up on to Estes Park and it's just stunning. We had some time to kill so we got ice cream--yes, in October, and it was snowing--before checking into our VRBO.

You don't need 4WD in summer, but we were sure glad to have it in October. There were a few times where it snowed and sleeted while we were up over 12,000 feet on winding roads.

Staying There

We've stayed in hotels, in B&Bs, and in VRBO-style cabins/houses. So far, our favorite was the cabin we stayed in for this trip. We almost exclusively tend to rent or otherwise stay along Tunnel Road, aka Highway 66 in Estes Park, and that's where our cabin was again. You generally get great views here, it's an easy shot to the market, super close to Beaver Meadows Entrance, there's a coffee shop and a great barbeque place, the river is right there, AND, most important to me (us), the road dead ends. At that dead end is a small parking lot that's almost never full, and you can hike right into the backcountry to RMNP.

My next place that I want to stay is the YMCA of the Rockies. Depending on how many of us there are, we will do a cabin or stay in the lodge. You should seriously check them out--they get rave reviews, there's lots to do on the grounds (rock climbing! fire pits! axe throwing! a pool!), you can hike into the park, and they do things like guided hikes. 

If I get to take a solo trip this year, YMCA of the Rockies is absolutely where I am staying. I like supporting a beloved fixture of the community that I love generally. On a trip by myself, where I really want to hike, I appreciate the guide--not because I am not confident in my hiking and map abilities, but because my parents did not raise a fool. One wrong footstep is a broken ankle, no matter how prepared you are, and I would rather would have someone around.

Hikes

We've done a fair number of hikes in RMNP, so I'm going to share the hikes we liked best... so far. 

1. Bierstadt Lake. There are two ways to get here--the shorter way, which has a ton of switchbacks and feels like you are clawing your way up through rocks on the side of a mountain, and there's the longer way, which starts at Bear Lake and is a more gradual increase. Reader, we hiked the short way. Honestly, I wouldn't trade it. It was exhausting and we were sucking wind for sure, but the views off those switchbacks were amazing. Then we plunged into a forest, only to be confronted with what felt like a hike through a creek bed full of rocks on the way up--so vertical that it felt like a scramble. Yes, the kids did it, even JD, who was 3 at the time. The reward is a mountain lake that's isolated. I felt like I was alone in a divot at the top of the world. I definitely want to try the other routes, but I did love this.
2. Moraine Park. Every time we drove past Moraine Park, every time, the words "want" and "to" and "hike" and "THAT" were tumbling off my tongue. I am sure I got annoying. But it's this gorgeous giant meadow surrounded by rising land around it. Every time I've been there, animals like to hang out, and there's a meandering stream running through it. I got my wish rather abruptly in October 2020. My brother had flown out with some of his family to see us and stay for a few days. On our way back down Trail Ridge Road, we drove past Moraine Park, and he blurted out "I HAVE to hike that." So out of the car he and I tumbled, leaving behind our spouses and children, with one hydration pack between us, in the sleet/snow. Promises were made to return a few hours later to pick us up, and off we went. It was magical. It's fairly flat, so it could be a good first day hike. You weave in and out of the tree line, alongside the stream, and in the middle, the elk were bugling. There was no sound but the elk, the stream, and the sleet hitting my coat. It we had more water (and we're getting fairly soaked and snowed upon), we likely would have picked another trail that led off it and kept going. This is an all time favorite of mine, and I can't wait to have the kids do it with us.
3. Bear Lake - Nymph Lake - Dream Lake - Emerald Lake. This is an easy way to hit four mountain lakes. The hike is not hard around Bear Lake, and then you can tack on the hikes to other three lakes. It's about 3 miles from trail head to Emerald Lake, and an elevation gain of 700 ft. This is definitely a busier trail, though the numbers decrease the further you go. It feels very quintessential--lakes, trees, mountains, at a very low (or "low" depending on ability) barrier. 
4. East Portal / Wind River / Emerald Mountain / Sprague Lake. These are lumped together because we've done all or parts of these trails, some times jumping trails at intersections. This is why we love our Tunnel Road stays so much--the trail head is at the end of the road, and we can hike to Sprague Lake, up Emerald Mountain, or on a much longer hike over towards Estes Cone and Lily Mountain. Sometimes, we just go up here and hike the trails aimlessly, just enjoying the backcountry. It's so quiet. SO QUIET that the silence fills your ears and you start hearing everything. Sprague Lake is a real stunner for sunrise, too. Emerald Mountain is a hard climb (or at least, it was for me, since I stupidly did it on the first day there--altitude adjustment is a thing, people), but oh man, the views are something. Gosh, I love this trail head.
5. Lily Ridge / Lily Lake / Lily Mountain. This was a surprise for us, though it shouldn't have been. It's an incredibly easy lake to access--it's right there off the parking area, and yet, it did not really register with us that it was there until we drove past on way to Allenspark for family pictures. We went here after a huge day--hiking up above tree line, my hike with my brother around Moraine Park, and then this area. Lily Lake trail is a great, accessible, flat trail around the lake. It's a real stunner. If you're in the mood for a hike rather than a stroll, Lily Ridge Trail is what you want. It's rated easy, but my heart was pounding on the way up--could have been wiped out from the rest of the day, though. It's short, but take your time and take in the views. Best to have a map for this one, because parts of the trial are over rock and it's easy to lose the trial (but you can always see where you need to be, so don't worry too much). We did the hard climb first, rather than last. There's lots of rocks, some almost scrambling, and the view payoff is fantastic for very little effort. The Lily Mountain  climb is fairly demanding--4 miles, 1300 ft elevation gain. Fun fact: Lily Mountain itself is in Roosevelt National Forest, and the trail head is a bit before the Lily Lake Parking lot. Because it's in a National Forest, you can have a leashed dog with you. Make sure you have a map--the trial is dicey at the start. It's a workout, and there's a scramble at the top, but my God, the views. It's so worth it.
6. Alpine Visitors Center. It's not a hike--not really. It's walking up a staircase, but damn, if you are a flatlander like me, it's a HIKE at that elevation. We did this on our honeymoon and I didn't make it. That's when we first found out I get altitude sickness. People on the path were encouraging me to keep going but I could barely hear them--all I could hear was my head pounding, feeling like it was going to explode, my vision was weird, and the only thing I knew was that down was safety. After careful preparation, I was thrilled to climb this staircase with no problem in later years. Every time I've been back has been in the snow--snow pelting my face, 60 MPH winds, fog, and still, it's gorgeous. You're in the alpine. You're above the tree line. You are at the top and you can see everywhere (unless your eyelids froze to your face or your brother threw a snowball into your face). A similar experience is the Tundra Communities Trail
7. Ute Trail. There's lots of areas and ways to use the Ute Trail, so take your pick. There's rich and important history to it that gives you a little extra chill as you are walking. If you can, consider having someone drop you at one point and pick you up at another, doing a point to point hike (unless you are feeling some of the longer, 8 mile type hikes). We liked Poudre Lake to the Alpine Ridge, and taking the Ute Trail from the Alpine Visitors Center to Forest Canyon pass, with a pick up there. The Ute Trail gives you a lit of everything, below tree line, above it, alpine meadow, trees, lakes, rocks.
8. Alluvial Fan. Our family is a big fan of the Alluvial Fan trail and area (heh). The Alluvial Fan trial itself is accessible; the waterfall is very pretty, and the views as you turn around and look back are, of course, stunning. What makes this place so cool is how it came to be--an earthen dam gave way and flooded the park, leaving behind a whole new landscape--boulders displaced and scattered around in a field of rock, trees and earth ripped out, etc. The trail is very short and easy, but the kids went nuts over the boulders, climbing on top of boulders three times their size. We spent a huge amount of time here, given how short the trial was. If you are surefooted and careful, you can do what we saw others doing (and what we did)--hike up the side, on the rocks and boulders, climbing up alongside the tumbling water (rapids might be more accurate?). We hiked up quite a way with EJ and eventually found a narrow place to cross and descend. It was a huge hit and favorite memory. This area in particular is a stunner in the fall--there's huge groves of aspen trees, so leave from here and wander up towards Endo Valley, then hang out at that picnic area, exploring. I think this (Alluvial Fan, Old Fall River Road, Endo Valley) is a great first day or two activity--flat-ish, more exploring than strenuous hiking, easy pay off on fun and views, and neat history.

Hikes on our list:

1. Ute Trail Hikes. Hiking the Ute Trail to Peak 12150; Beaver Meadows to Ute Trail (we'd like to do this as a point to point).
2. Old Fall River Road--you can drive it in the summer, one way, up only. Other times, you can bike or walk it--pretty sure you can even ski or snowshoe it.
3. Glacier Gorge trailhead to The Loch, Lake of Glass, and Sky Pond. This is a huge one that I would plan to spend all day on. I suspect that JK and I alone could do it in a decent amount of time, but why would I want to do that? I want to spend all the time I can with this trail.
4. Glacier Gorge trail to Mills Lake, Shelf Lake, and Solitude Lake. Some day, I'd also like to give Black Lake, Green Lake, Blue Lake, and Frozen Lake a go.
5. Beaver Ponds, Cub Lake, Fern Lake--this is one of those trails we saw leading off as my brother and I were hiking Moraine Park. 
6. Cache La Poudre River Trail.
7. West side--while we've done some hikes and nature trails on this side, we've not really dug in much. We tend to come over, do a short hike or two, and head back, but that's a complete disservice to the west side, and we are looking forward to some more in-depth exploring. Green Mountain trail; Big Meadows Trail; Onahu Trail; Valley and River Loop; Granite Falls.
8. Wild Basin--I am so excited to explore this area, which we have not gotten to at all. Cascade Falls and Ouzel Lake are on the list, along with others. 

Eats

We loved Coffee on the Rocks, Inkwell and Brew, Kind Coffee, and Mile High Coffee. The Rock Inn was delicious, as was Smokin' Dave's BBQ (also great for huge family style meal take out). The Egg of Estes was great for breakfast. Poppy's Pizza and Grill was perfect for a takeout pizza night. We did a lot of cooking at home, and we used The Country Market. I know there's a debate of over prices and stock, but that was closest to us, and we were not being fancy--we were doing basic grilling and veggies. There are also places like Scratch Deli where they will make a picnic lunch for you--high recommend.

Lastly, You Need Pie. No serious, the Estes Park Pie Shop is right, and you need pie. From them. Immediately. Every day.

Random Thoughts and Tips

Altitude issues. As noted, I got (and likely still can/will) get altitude sickness. I know there are medications and "this one weird trick" type tips that people give, but none of that was going to cut it for me. Here's what I did. (1) Exercise and train. Swimming, intense spin classes, as much walking and hiking ahead of time. The swimming really helps me build up my lung capacity, which I think helped the most. Basically, fitness helps. (2) Plan your days--start easy. We planned short, flat, gentle hikes for the first few days. More exploring, rather than challenges. (3) So much water. All the water. Constant hydration. Like Mad Eye Moody, but water instead of vigilance. Also sunscreen. (3) No alcohol. I know, I know, you're on vacation, and you want a beer after that hike. For me, I am pretty much zero alcohol in the mountains. One glass of wine, one spiked seltzer in the mountains is a recipe for the worst hangover ever for me. So I don't. My mountain indulgence is hot chocolate or tea, with plenty of water to rehydrate. (4) Take your time. If you are a flatlander, there's only so much you can do to prepare. Plan for hikes to take longer, and really, there's no drawback to that. Take in the view! That's what you came for, not some athletics feat where you hike a mountain in record time (unless that's you, then go on with your badass self). Sit on a rock. Take a break. Take some pictures. Ponder.

Maps. If you're hiking, get good, detailed maps. Physical maps are great, if you know how to use them. Maps on your phone, say from All Trails or a similar type, are also great. Make sure you've downloaded them and your phone is fully charged, if you are going that route. It's saved us many a time from veering off onto another trail accidentally and taking a road not intended.

First aid. I don't hike with a basic first aid kit, and I have absolutely used it--on myself, on JK, on the kids, on random hikers passing by. I got a great compact one off Amazon that I replenish, and sometimes JK hikes it with it hooked to his belt.

Pictures. First off, we treated ourselves and got professional family pictures last time we were out there. We found a great photographer, paid for half an hour of her time (a mini session), and walked away having had fun and with great family pictures in the freaking mountain. Highly recommend. Second, we bought a lightweight, easy to use mirrorless camera. JK fell in love with it and he's become our family picture taker. We dropped $500 on it, but man, that little machine was worth it. The pictures are amazing, form the mountains to soccer games. Third, I got some Moment lenses. Basically, they are souped up lenses that I attach to my phone and they really enhance the quality of my phone pictures. I have a zoom, a wide angle, and a filter that helps adjust for super bright light. Those three things have made some great photos right off my phone. Last, take your time. Take the picture. But also enjoy the moment--don't worry about capturing everything. It's impossible.

Location and seasons and timing hikes. We've been in RMNP in summer, late summer, and fall. Perhaps I am biased because of the time spent and depth we got to experience, but my favorite is the fall. We've gone in September and October (most recently, after the reservation system was in effect), and in the later parts of October, there were less people, the aspens were still gorgeous, we will had some 50F-60F days, and we had some snow. Summer had its own beauty--more flowers, the streams and waterfalls were fuller, the weather was nicer, and the greenery was stunning. There were considerably more people. If you are a hiker, its easy enough to get away from the people, but have fun getting in the park.

As far as location goes, we've obviously stayed only in Estes Park, with wanderings over to Grand Lake area. You get devotees of both, and I am excited to do more exploring on the Grand Lake end soon. What's really calling me, though, is Wild Basin. It's quieter, less explored, and, well, wilder. The road is dicey and the parking is limited. The wildlife and plant life are abundant.

Timing hikes is key, especially if you are going above the tree line. Thunderstorms out of nowhere are a real things, and you do not want to be caught caught above the tree line in one. Also, check to make sure areas of the park you want to visit are open, and have not been closed due to congestion or recent fires. 

Other things I want to do:

1. Back country hiking and camping.
2. Camping at Moraine Park campgrounds.
3. Visit in winter to cross country ski and snowshoe.
4. Summit a few of the lower peaks.
5. hike across the continental divide.
6. Take rock climbing lessons from one of the local outfitters.