Love Your Parks Tour : A Rocky Mountain Adventure

Rocky Mountain National Park - What a View!

Part 5 of our Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado Love Your Parks Tour Road Trip adventure.

In the wee morning hours of Monday, June 10, we packed up the car and said our goodbyes to beautiful Greeley, Colorado and headed west to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were on our way to Florence in southern Colorado, and decided a park detour was in order. Besides, the legendary Trail Ridge Road had just opened up for the season.

Fall River Entrance Station just outside Estes Park

We headed west on Highway 34 through Loveland and Estes Park, and entered the park through the Fall River Entrance Station. Talk about jaw dropping magnificence. Rocky Mountain National Park is pure beauty!

No valet parking for you!

We made a stop at Sheep Lakes to watch some distant elk and a very chirpy magpie. Then started the slow ascension up through the mountains. We saw lush meadows and forest areas, wildflowers, elk and deer, marmots and squirrels, and all kinds of birds including wild turkeys. The climb just kept on going up and the views grew in grandeur.

Peekaboo!

Talk about a big change in altitude, we were all starting to feel a tad lightheaded when we reached the snowfields, high above the tree lines (we went above 12,000 ft!). We had traveled up through three main ecosystems: Montane (below 9000 ft), Subalpine (9000-11,400 ft), and Alpine (above 11,400 ft.) Did I say the views were incredible?!

Brrrr.....these snowfields are cold!

Also known as Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through-road in the state, as well as the highest paved road that crosses the continental divide in Colorado! We even saw the Continental Divide sign right at the frozen over Poudre Lake, at the edge of Milner Pass.

Welcome to the Continental Divide!

We were amazed at the snow on the side of the road, and laughed out loud when the first picnic spot we stopped at was ‘snowed in.’ We did make it for our brunch picnic, and a scenic one it was, right near the head of the Colorado River.

Near the Colorado River Headwaters

I’m sending a big shout out to the folks at My Place Coffee for loading up our picnic basket with thick, yummy sandwiches along with cookies and pastry snacks. Of course, we had our trusty PortoVino backpack with us for some pretty special “PortoVino with a View” moments, and our new collapsable Tahoe Cooler from CleverMade. If you need to travel light like we do, both of these cooler bags are stellar!

Rocky Mountain Picnic "Pig-Out!"

We explored some trails and more picnic sites along the way, including a stop at beautiful Beaver Ponds and at the Holzwarth Historic Site. Back in 1917, John and Sophia Holzwarth used the Homestead Act of 1862 to make a home right here in the beautiful Kawuneeche Valley. What a life they must have led! As tourism to the park grew, they opened a guest ranch called Holzwarth Trout Lodge, and then a few years later, opened the Never Summer Ranch on the east side of the Colorado River.

Holzwarth Historic Site

I kept my eyes peeled for a moose sighting, especially when we were in the Harbison Meadows area, but unfortunately we didn’t get to see them this time round. We visited the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to get our park passport stamp, and then we made our way out of the park and headed towards Grand Lake and Grandby. What a gorgeous drive through the Arapaho National Recreation Area! Of course with all the beautiful lake and snow capped views, we had to make a pit stop for another little cookie break!

Cookies with a View at Shadow Mountain Reservoir

From there we headed south with mini stops at Shadow Mountain Reservoir, White River National Forest, Blue River State Wildlife Area, and South Park National Heritage Area. As we neared Cañon City and Florence, past the Royal Gorge, the landscape melded into a lovely lush high desert region.

Highway 9, south to Cañon City and Florence

Before we went to our friend Eva's house, we did a quick drive through historic downtown Florence, and oohed and aahed at all the beautiful historic buildings and shops. Turns out, the downtown is a National Historic District and it's known as the Antique Capital of Colorado. I think it should be known for its hollyhock flower power too. …but more to come on Florence and Santa Fe, New Mexico in my next couple of posts!