My love affair with Rocky Mountain NP has spanned some 38 years. My uncle took me up to RMNP the first week of my move to Colorful Colorado. It was love at first sight! I was 19 years old and had few encounters with the wonders of nature having grown up in a large city. I am fortunate that I can experience the wonder of RMNP as often as I choose since it is only an hour drive to get there. Every Friday after a short day at work I would make my pilgrimage to RMNP if only to find a spot by a gurgling brook and settle down with a good book. It was a refuge for me in an unfamiliar environment. I was fortunate to meet people who enjoyed the park as I did. I hiked, backpacked, and cross country skied as often as I could. My favorite backpacking trip was Bear Lake to Grand Lake, which I did many times. All the trails were magnificent and such a pleasant adventure. The elk bugling in the fall was a must to hear and see year after year. As the years have passed I frequent RMNP less but I still get an annual pass and visit 2 to 3 times a year. The beauty and memories will forever be etched in my mind as this long love affair with RMNP grows stronger with each passing year!
Sincerely,
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National park offers breathtaking views of the spectacular Rocky Mountain range, with 60 peaks over 12,000 feet, small permanent glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, and historic and cultural treasures including ancient trails, game drives, cattle ranches and lodges. This park’s rugged landscapes harbor hundreds of high-elevation plant and animal species — some that are increasingly rare outside the park or are found nowhere else. Some of the park’s human-made structures speak to the boom-and-bust cycles and neverending search for adequate water supplies that characterized the nation’s westward expansion.
State(s): Colorado
Established: 1915
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